1863 in architecture

The year 1863 in architecture involved some significant architectural events and new buildings.

Events

 * January 10 – The Metropolitan Railway, London, England, is opened, the world's first underground railway (engineer: John Fowler).
 * December 2 – The Statue of Freedom is set on top of the new dome of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.
 * date unknown
 * The École des Beaux-Arts in Paris becomes independent of the Académie des Beaux-Arts.
 * William Burges is declared winner of the competition to design the new Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral, Cork (Church of Ireland), his first major commission.

Buildings opened

 * March 2 – Clapham Junction railway station, London.
 * October 18 – Befreiungshalle memorial above Kelheim in Bavaria, designed by Friedrich von Gärtner and completed by Leo von Klenze, is inaugurated.
 * October 27 – Leeuwarden railway station in the Netherlands, designed by Charles van Brederode.
 * December 13 – Gulen Church, Eivindvik, Norway, designed by Georg Andreas Bull, consecrated by Dean Thomas Erichsen.

Buildings completed

 * Berns Salonger, Stockholm, Sweden.
 * Smíchov Synagogue, Prague, Czech Republic.
 * Kelham Hall near Newark-on-Trent, England, designed by George Gilbert Scott.

Awards

 * RIBA Royal Gold Medal – Anthony Salvin.
 * Grand Prix de Rome, architecture: Emmanuel Brune.

Births

 * April 3 – Henry van de Velde, Belgian painter, architect and interior designer (died 1957)
 * May 17 – C. R. Ashbee, English interior designer (died 1942)
 * October 21 – Sir George Troup, New Zealand architect, engineer and statesman (died 1941)
 * December 16 – Ralph Adams Cram, American architect of academic and ecclesiastical buildings (died 1942)
 * W. G. R. Sprague, Australian-born British theatre architect (died 1933)

Deaths

 * June 16 – Ludwig Förster, Austrian religious architect (died 1797)
 * September 17 – Charles Robert Cockerell, English architect, archaeologist and writer (born 1788)
 * October 9 – Andrew Egan, Irish architect and builder (born c.1810)
 * October 28 – William Cubitt, English building and civil engineering contractor and politician (born 1791)
 * December 29 – Joseph John Scoles, English Catholic architect (born 1798)