One influence that Greco-Roman styles had on architecture were the ornate columns. Besides acting as great supports, the different columns enhanced the building with its elegant design.

These columns began as wooden columns and slowly through time developed into columns of stone. The design of the Doric consists of a circular column and a square block on the top and bottom. The Doric columns were very simple and not as intricate as th e other columns, but it still were used in many Greek and Roman buildings. Today Doric columns are used for its excellent support and simple design in a building (Lawrence 28).

Ionic

The Ionic structural forms seem to have followed wooden prototypes still more closely than the Doric. The Ionic columns are generally very slender and their capitals are simple blocks rounded at the lower corners, with scrolls painted on the faces. Tod ay, Ionic columns are used to create a more elegant appearance (28).

Corinthian

The Corinthian are the most intricate in design compare to the other two columns. The earliest and most characteristic Corinthian capitals consists of an inverted bell, surrounded by row of acanthus leaves, with pairs of scrolls supporting the corners of the abacus. The Corinthian columns were often used in conjunction with Doric and Ionic columns in earlier Greco-Roman architecture. Later though, they came to be used independently on different monuments. Being the most extravagant, the Corinthian colu mns are often used throughout architecture to provide a Greco-Roman feel to the building (30).

Buildings That Contain A Greco-Roman Influence

Today buildings that exhibit a certain degree of Greco-Roman influence include the numerous monuments in our very own Washington D.C. Even the White House itself carries a great deal of Greco-Roman styles with its numerous columns and intricate Greek t emple front. The Capital building also very much contains a mixture of many Greco-Roman styles. In fact, the layout of the whole Capital building is taken from Andrea Palladio's(Italian Architect) concept of a five-part profile, whose architecture was ver y much influenced by Roman architecture.

Around the world many buildings also utilize Greco-Roman styles in their design. Some buildings such as stadiums and arenas simply took the concept that was presented in Greco-Roman architecture and used it in their design with the substitution of mode rn materials.

Even regular houses made good use of the Greco-Roman styles to make the appearance of the exterior seem more elegant and traditional.

Information provided by: http://www.woodbury.edu