Architectural Styles
Introduction: When you look at pictures of early homes, you may find it difficult to
realize that they were “home” to real families. Our country began in Native American
lodges, log cabins, and quaint New England farmhouses. These homes also form the
roots of today’s architectural styles.
A. Links from the past
Slide: four pictures of homes found in Greensburg?
B. Native American homes
1. Influences: environment and culture
2. Common characteristics
a. simple structures/dirt floors
b. no windows or chimneys
c. dark and crowded
d. little furniture
e. possession stored on shelves or hung from walls
3. hunters/gathering
a. easily constructed
b. easily carried
4. Wigwam
5. tepee
6. longhouse (Iroquois) (permanent)
7. pueblos (Spanish for villages) (permanent)
a. built on top of each other into cliffs and caves
b. adobe: sun-dried clay bricks
C. The first colonists
1. immediate problem upon landing: shelter
2. few tools and materials
3. those who survived followed native people examples
4. most were temporary
a. huts of bark and branches
b. shed like roofed house built into the side of a hill
D. Early American Period: 1640-1720
1. permanent homes patterned after ones left behind
2. modifications made to suit the weather conditions/terrain
3. more people meant workforce became more specialized
4. local material used
a. wood in New England
b. local stone
c. brick making clay: Virginia, New Jersey, Philadelphia
lime for mortar came from seashells
E. English settlements
1. Half-timbered houses
a. wood frame of the house formed part of outside wall
b. spaces between beams filled in with brick or plaster
c. thatch roofs (bundles of reeds or straw)
d. huge chimney served one or more fireplaces
e. windows small—reduced eat loss and glass was expensive
2. Northeastern colonies: Cape cod house
a. simple rectangular design
b. central chimney
c. pitched roof (gabled roof—forms triangular end walls)
d. still used today
e. ell-extension built at right angles to the length of structure added as
families grew
f. little usable space on the second floor—new roof developed
1. gambrel: two slopes on each side
Upper slope being flatter than lower slope
Allowed for interior space for full-sized rooms
3. Salt-box
a. began as a two-story pitched roof house
c. need for extra space—added additional set of rooms along the back
d. roof line down to cover the addition
e. long slope similar to sloping cover on the wooden saltboxes used in
colonial kitchens
4. Garrison House
a. second story that overhangs the first story
b. first used on forts or garrisons to prevent attackers from
scaling the walls
F. German & Dutch Settlements
1. German
a. mostly settled in Southeastern Pennsylvania
b. large, durable houses of wood and quarry stone
c. entry into first-floor kitchen
d. some had an abbreviated roof or “hood” between 1st & 2nd stories
2. Dutch
a. first settlements in New Amsterdam (New York)
b. stone and brick/ houses large by colonial standards
c. known for decorative brickwork and intricate stepped gables
d. gambrel roof gave more usable space
e. added dormers to add light
1. structures projecting through a steeply sloping roof
f. metal gutters, small windows with sliding shutters
g. dutch door—door divided in half horizontally
G. Spanish settlements
1. Florida and southwest
2. early homes built from coquina, a soft porous limestone composed of shell &
coral
3. rectangular with balconies that faced the street
4. kitchens often separate
5. interior simple and whitewashed plaster walls, beamed ceilings, earthen floors
6. tile on roof
7. SW adobe walls, flat roofs, rough-hewn beams projecting through the outside
Walls and deep-set windows
8. CA: covered with adobe, brick, or stucco
1. stucco: plaster material made with cement, sand, lime
2. rounded archways and windows
3. red tile roofs
H. Swedish settlements
1. American log cabin has Swedish origins
2. primitive, small building
3. sometimes divided into 2 rooms with an attic above
3. originally roof was of bark or thatch
4. wood shingles used later
5. Modified from one-room to two-rooms connected with breezeway
Breezeway known as a dog-trot
I. French settlements
1. St. Lawrence River
2. stone or wood with high, steep roofs common in French country
3. small windows with heavy wooden shutters
a. closed to protect the occupants from cold weather
4. Mississippi Valley: adaptations made for hot and humid weather
a. porch was added covered by a broad roof extending around the house
b. improved air circulation
c. usually white
d. rooms had many doors and windows for air flow
II. Home Styles since 1700
I. Introduction
America in the 18th century was still undergoing enormous change. Waves of
new immigrants continued to arrive, bringing with them rich heritages and traditions,
including native home-building styles. As the population grew and spread, patterns of
housing changed to meet the needs of a changing society. Housing styles were
influenced by a variety of factors, including political, economic, and social events. At the
same time, architects were emerging as the creators of a new disciple that would keep
American housing changing and evolving. That evolution continued through the 19th and
20th centuries and into the 21st.
A. Georgian period
1. named for the kings of England (George I, George II, George III)
2. brick and stone
3. not available, wood used and carved and painted to look like stone
(Mount Vernon)
4. main characteristics
1. formal, balanced design, 2-3 stories high
2. gable roof (pitched with 2 sloped sides)
3. hip roof (4 sloped sides)
4. large windows symmetrically placed
a. many small panes
5. doorway details
a. front door focal point of house
b. framed by pilasters (flattened columns)
c. topped by pediment (a triangular or arched decoration)
6. distinctive cornice
a. a decorative strip at the area where the roof and walls
meet
b. Georgian houses: cornice of toothlike molding
7. central chimney or chimney at each end
8. contrasting materials
a. red brick
b. white wood trim
9. inside: molded plaster ceilings
a. wood paneling or wallpaper
b. ornate rectangular fireplace topped by a mantel
10. later Georgian: central sections with wing on each side
(Mount Vernon)
5. Row Houses
a. continuous line of two- or three-story houses that share a
common wall
b. first appeared in Boston and Philadelphia during 18th century
B. Federal period
1. American Revolution brought to end old political/social patterns
2. traders/merchants became the leaders
3. sense of renewed patriotism
4. turned away from anything English
5. two distinct architectural styles developed
a. Adam
1. combined Georgian features and elements from
Classical Greece and Rome
2. 1780-1820
3. rectangular design/1 or more stories
4. gable roofs with decorative cornice
5. symmetrically placed windows with small panes
6. fanlights: semicircular, round or oval window with fan-
Shaped panes of glass above the door or pediment
7. Decorative interiors
Plaster and wood carvings in classical design
b. Early Classical Revival
1. 1770-1830
2. Monticello (example)
3. rectangular shape
4. windows symmetrically placed
5. fanlight
6. portico (tall open porch supported by columns)
Topped by a triangular pediment
Sometimes porch is built up on foundation and
Extends to the roof of the house or building
C. The 19th Century
1. Results of Industrial Revolution changed America
2. New demands=greater waves of immigrants
3. prices for homes dropped
a. Romantic Revival Period
1. Greek Revival Style
a. 1825-1860
b. features linked to temples of ancient Greece
c. two-story porch supported by columns across the
entire front of the house
d. pilasters on the corners of frame houses or
across the front
e. elaborate entrance
door surrounded by small windows
f. columns supporting small or large porch
1. ionic
2. Doric
3. Corinthian
2. Gothic Revival Style
a. 1840-1880
b. pointed arches and circular windows
c. built of wood
d. high-peaked gables
e. gingerbread (lacy-looking cut-out wood trim)
3. Italianate Style
a. 1840-1885
b. square and 2 stories high
c. wide overhanging hip roofs
d. decorative brackets
e. long, narrow windows
f. cupola: small, square “knob” that tops house
b. Victorian Period
Queen Victoria of England
1860-1900
very elaborate
1. Mansard Style
a. Second Empire Style
b. French influence
c. 1860-1880
d. boxlike mansard roof
1. two slopes on all sides
2. upper slope being almost flat
e. decorated cornices and French windows
1. long windows/open lengthwise at middle
2. dormer windows project from lower
slope of roof
2. Queen Anne
a. 1870-1880
b. irregular steep roof
c. ornamental gables
d. overlapping decorative wood shingles for siding
e. wraparound porches/railings and columns
f. circular tower that extends entire height of house
D. Early 20th Century
1. Period Revival Styles: copying in a more pure form
a. Colonial Revival
1. 1880-1955
2. Georgian, Saltbox, Cape Cod
3. Door is prominent
a. decorative pediment with pilasters
b. entry porch supported by slender
columns
4. windows symmetrically balanced pairs
a. double-hung sashes
b. Tudor
a. 1890-1940
b. half-timbered look
c. steeply pitched gables at front/sides
d. tall, narrow windows/small panes
e. massive chimneys with chimney pots
f. stucco, brick and stone
c. Chateauesque Style
a. French influenced
b. towers, turrets, ornamental metal cresting
c. elaborate moldings, relief carvings
d. arched windows and doorways
d. Mission Style
1. 1890-1920
2.
3.
4.
5.
born in CA moved eastward
commonly found in SW US
arched doorways and windows
tile roofs often hidden by parapets
a. low walls or railings along balconies
6. exterior walls of stucco
2. Modern Styles
a. Prairie Style
1. beginning of 20th century-1920
2. Frank Lloyd Wright
3. emphasis on horizontal lines, low pitched roofs with over
hanging eaves
4. wide porches, rows of leaded-glass windows
5. interior space: rooms flow into one another
6. rooms are open and designed to connect with the outdoors
7. Not limited to Wright and his trained architects
a. common forms is square, two-story
b. hip roof and wide front porch
c. “American Foursquare”
b. Craftsman Style
1. Originated Southern CA 1900-1930
2. Bungalow
a. small, 1-story (or 1 ½ story)
b. overhanging roof and covered porch
c. met need of smaller, less expensive homes
d. low-pitched gable roof
e. decorative beams or braces under eaves
f. full or partial width porches with roof
1. supported by columns or pedestals extending to
Ground
c. International Style
1. 1930-1950
2. experiment with new materials/building methods
3. Frank Lloyd Wright (Fallingwater)
4. design elements used in ways drastically different from
tradition
5. emphasize function
6. decorative or ornamental elements avoided
7. simple geometric shapes combined to create an asymmetrical
design
8. resembles a piece of sculpture
9. roof usually flat
10. exterior walls smooth, blank surfaces
11. large expanses of windows
3. Postwar Modern Styles
a. Ranch
b.
c.
d.
e.
1. long, low, one-story house
2. resembles rambling one-story houses built
By early settlers of the west
3. low-pitched gable or hip roof
4. decorative shutters and picture windows
5. 1950-1960’s
6. lots were larger in suburbs
Contemporary Style
1. 1950-1970
2. wide eave overhangs
3. flat or low-pitched roofs with low gables
4. exposed supporting beams
5. contrasting wall materials and textures
6. unusual placement and shapes of windows.
7. integrate into the landscape around it
(complete opposite of International style)
Split-level Style
1. 1950-1970
2. modification of ranch style home
3. at least 2 levels of living space
4. connected by short flights of stairs
5. originally designed to take advantage of sloping lot
Shed Style
1. 1960’s
2. roofline made of combination of steeply pitched shed roofs
3. each may slope at a different angle and face in a different
direction
4. little or no traditional ornamentation
5. wood shingle or board siding (horizontally, vertically,
Diagonally)
6. entrance not obvious
7. windows usually small/placed asymmetrically
Unique Designs: break all the existing rules of existing housing
1. A-Frame
a. gabled roof extends to ground level on two sides
b. usually vacation homes
2. Geodesic Dome
a. R. Buckminster Fuller 1947
b. triangular frames joined to form a self-supporting
roof and walls
c. interior walls are not needed
d. low-cost, energy-saving housing
e. inexpensive to build
III. Many factors have influenced home design in North America. Environment, history,
and the political, economic, and social conditions of the country have always played a
role. Architects and builders have often looked to the past for inspiration. Housing styles
continue to evolve. In the coming years, architects and builders will need to meet the
needs of an aging population and a greater concern for resource conservation.