Of the five orders of architecture, the Tuscan order is one of the most recent of all the classical orders, originating around the time of Vitruvius, and firmly establishing itself in modern history as a result of its simple design and construction requirements.

A Tuscan pillar is aesthetically smooth and masculine, and by its very nature suggestive of strength and stability.  Considered fitting for use in buildings with the most functional of purposes (i.e. farm or military buildings) or where door frames need to be wide enough to maneuver a vehicle through.  The short, widely set columns helped fortify these structures while enhancing their overall appearance.

Our Lady of Victory (Lackawanna, New York)

By examining each part of a column, the untrained eye can identify architecture that falls into the Tuscan mode.  The column is made up of three essential parts known as the base, shaft and capital.  Measuring exactly one-half of the shaft’s diameter in height, the base or bottom of the column consists of a square block called the plinth, a cylindrical molding (the Torus or bullnose) that encircles the column’s shaft and a narrow strip of molding known as the Cincture.  A more circular plinth is one variation on the construct of a Tuscan base.

The capital or top of a Tuscan column can also be divided into three distinct parts.  Relegated to the upper most portion of the capital is the abacus, which serves as the supporting structure of the column.  It is typically square in shape and projects forward approximately one-sixth of the column diameter from the entablature it supports.  Directly below the abacus is the echinus, a narrower cylinder that when combined with the neck and various beaded moldings, offers nearly the only visual ornamentation on the whole of the column.

Tuscan Order from classicist.org

Although Tuscan derives itself from the Doric order, it differs primarily through its un-fluted shaft.  Other distinctions of the Tuscan order -- sometimes referred to as the Roman Doric -- is the inclusion of a base as described previously, a capital with little to no embellishment and a shaft that is leaner than the Doric, but retains its stocky, robust stature.

Examples of the Tuscan column can be found across Europe and carried over into the architecture of the United States.  The entry to Our Lady of Victory Basilica in Lackawanna, New York is flanked by six Tuscan columns that support its domed copper portico.  Each column is widely spaced creating a dramatic entrance despite the simple, unadorned architecture.  Tuscan columns can also be seen embedded or engaged in the limestone of the Roman Coliseum.

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