Pueblo (Adobe) Styles Because they are built with adobe, Pueblo homes are sometimes called adobes. Modern Pueblos are inspired by homes used by Native Americans since ancient times. Traditional Pueblo houses have many of these features: Massive, round-edged walls made with adobe Flat roof with no overhang Stepped levels Rounded parapet Spouts in the parapet to direct rainwater Vigas (heavy timbers) extending through walls which serve as main roof support beams Latillas (poles) placed above vigas in angled pattern Deep window and door openings Simple windows Beehive corner fireplace Bancos (benches) that protrude from walls Nichos (niches) carved out of wall for display of religious icons Brick, wood, or flagstone floors Due to Spanish influence, Pueblo Revival houses often have: Porches held up with zapatas (posts) Enclosed patios Heavy wooden doors Elaborate corbels Cape Cod House Style The Cape Cod house style originated in colonial New England. Today, the term refers to Cape Cod-shaped houses popular during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Traditional, Colonial-era Cape Cod houses had many of these features: Steep roof with side gables Small roof overhang 1 or 1½ stories Made of wood and covered in wide clapboard or shingles Large central chimney linked to fireplace in each room Symmetrical appearance with door in center Dormers for space, light, and ventilation Multi-paned, double-hung windows Shutters Formal, center-hall floor plan Hardwood floors Little exterior ornamentation Georgian Colonial House Styles The symmetrical, orderly Georgian style became prominent in Colonial America. Georgian Colonial homes usually have these features: Square, symmetrical shape Paneled front door at center Decorative crown over front door Flattened columns on each side of door Five windows across front Paired chimneys Medium pitched roof Minimal roof overhang Many Georgian Colonial homes also have: Nine or twelve small window panes in each window sash Dental molding (square, tooth-like cuts) along the eaves Federal and Adam House Styles American Federal houses have many of these features: Low-pitched roof, or flat roof with a balustrade Windows arranged symmetrically around a center doorway Semicircular fanlight over the front door Narrow side windows flanking the front door Decorative crown or roof over front door Tooth-like dentil moldings in the cornice Palladian window Circular or elliptical windows Shutters Decorative swags and garlands Oval rooms and arches Tidewater Style Tidewater homes have extensive porches (or "galleries") sheltered by a broad hipped roof. The main roof extends over the porches without interruption. Greek Revival Greek Revival houses usually have these features: Pedimented gable Symmetrical shape Heavy cornice Wide, plain frieze Bold, simple moldings Many Greek Revival houses also have these features: Entry porch with columns Decorative pilasters Narrow windows around front door Gothic Revival Stone and brick homes in the Gothic Revival style have many of these features: Steeply pitched roof Pointed windows with decorative tracery Grouped chimneys Pinnacles Battlements and shaped parapets Leaded glass Quatrefoil and clover shaped windows Oriel windows Asymmetrical floor plan Veranda Wooden homes in the Gothic Revival style have many of these features: Steeply pitched roof Steep cross gables Bay and oriel windows Windows with pointed arches Vertical board and batten trim One-story porch Asymmetrical floor plan Italianate Low-pitched or flat roof Balanced, symmetrical rectangular shape Tall appearance, with 2, 3, or 4 stories Wide, overhanging eaves with brackets and cornices Square cupola Porch topped with balustraded balconies Tall, narrow, double-paned windows with hood moldings Side bay window Heavily molded double doors Roman or segmented arches above windows and doors Renaissance Revival Style Renaissance Revival houses have many of these features: Cube-shaped Balanced, symmetrical façade Smooth stone walls, made from finely-cut ashlar Low-pitched hip or Mansard roof Roof topped with balustrade Horizontal stone banding between floors Segmental pediments Ornately-carved stone window trim varying in design at each story Smaller square windows on top floor Quoins (large stone blocks at the corners) "Second" Renaissance Revival Houses are larger and usually have: Arched, recessed openings Full entablatures between floors Columns Ground floor made of rusticated stone with beveled edges and deeplyrecessed joints Second Empire (Mansard) Style Second Empire homes usually have these features: Mansard roof Dormer windows project like eyebrows from roof Rounded cornices at top and base of roof Brackets beneath the eaves, balconies, and bay windows Many Second Empire homes also have these features: Cupola Patterned slate on roof Wrought iron cresting above upper cornice Classical pediments Paired columns Tall windows on first story Small entry porch Stick Style Victorian Stick Style homes have these features: Rectangular shape Wood siding Steep, gabled roof Overhanging eaves Ornamental trusses (gable braces) Decorative braces and brackets Decorative half-timbering Queen Anne Queen Anne houses have many of these features: Steep roof Complicated, asymmetrical shape Front-facing gable One-story porch that extends across one or two sides of the house Round or square towers Wall surfaces textured with decorative shingles, patterned masonry, or halftimbering Ornamental spindles and brackets Bay windows Romanesque Romanesque houses have many of these features: Constructed of rough-faced, square stones Round towers with cone-shaped roofs Columns and pilasters with spirals and leaf designs Low, broad "Roman" arches over arcades and doorways Patterned masonry arches over windows Shingle Style Shingle Style homes usually have these features: Continuous wood shingles on siding and roof Irregular roof line Cross gables Eaves on several levels Porches Asymmetrical floor plan Some Shingle Style homes also have these features: Wavy wall surface Patterned shingles Squat half-towers Palladian windows Rough hewn stone on lower stories Stone arches over windows and porches Colonial Revival Colonial Revival houses have many of these features: Symmetrical façade Rectangular 2 to 3 stories Brick or wood siding Simple, classical detailing Gable roof Pillars and columns Multi-pane, double-hung windows with shutters Dormers Temple-like entrance: porticos topped by pediment Paneled doors with sidelights and topped with rectangular transoms or fanlights Center entry-hall floor plan Living areas on the first floor and bedrooms on the upper floors Fireplaces Neoclassical Neoclassical, or "new" classical, architecture describes buildings that are inspired by the classical architecture of ancient Greece and Rome. A Neoclassical building is likely to have some or all of these features: Symmetrical shape Tall columns that rise the full height of the building Triangular pediment Domed roof Beaux Arts Beaux Arts buildings have many of these features: Massive and grandiose Constructed with stone Balustrades Balconies Columns Cornices Pilasters Triangular pediments Lavish decorations: swags, medallions, flowers, and shields Grand stairway Large arches Symmetrical façade Some famous Beaux Arts buildings: Vanderbilt Marble House, Rhode Island Grand Central Terminal, New York New York Public Library Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco Carnegie Hall The Waldorf, New York City Tudor Revival Tudor style homes have many of these features: Decorative half-timbering, giving the appearance of a medieval building Steeply pitched roof Prominent cross gables Tall, narrow windows Small window panes Massive chimneys, often topped with decorative chimney pots Cotswold Cottage Other names for the Cotswold Cottage style Storybook Style Hansel and Gretel Cottage Tudor Cottage English Country Cottage Ann Hathaway Cottage Cotswold Cottage houses have many of these features: Sloping, uneven roof, sometimes made of pseudo-thatch Brick, stone, or stucco siding Very steep cross gables Prominent brick or stone chimney, often at the front near the door Casement windows with small panes Small dormer windows Asymmetrical design Low doors and arched doors Small, irregularly-shaped rooms Sloping walls in rooms on upper floor Spanish Mission House Style Spanish Mission style houses have stucco walls, arches, and other details inspired by the Spanish mission churches of colonial America. Spanish Mission style houses have many of these features: Smooth stucco siding Roof parapets Large square pillars Twisted columns Arcaded entry porch Round or quatrefoil window Red tile roof Prairie Style Frank Lloyd Wright revolutionized the American home when he began to design "Prairie" style houses with low horizontal lines and open interior spaces. Prairie style houses usually have these features: Low-pitched roof Overhanging eaves Horizontal lines Central chimney Open floor plan Clerestory windows American Foursquare American Foursquare houses usually have these features: Simple box shape Two-and-a-half stories high Four-room floor plan Low-hipped roof with deep overhang Large central dormer Full-width porch with wide stairs Brick, stone, stucco, concrete block, or wood siding Arts and Crafts (Craftsman) Arts and Crafts, or Craftsman, houses have many of these features: Wood, stone, or stucco siding Low-pitched roof Wide eaves with triangular brackets Exposed roof rafters Porch with thick square or round columns Stone porch supports Exterior chimney made with stone Open floor plans; few hallways Numerous windows Some windows with stained or leaded glass Beamed ceilings Dark wood wainscoting and moldings Built-in cabinets, shelves, and seating French Eclectic Flared roofs and other French details give French eclectic homes a European flavor. Art Moderne Art Moderne houses have many of these features: Asymmetrical Horizontal orientation Flat roof No cornices or eaves Cube-like shape Smooth, white walls Sleek, streamlined appearance Rounded corners highlighted by wraparound windows Glass block windows Aluminum and stainless steel window and door trim Mirrored panels Steel balustrades Suggestion of speed and movement: Horizontal rows of windows or stripes Little or no ornamentation Open floor plans Ranch The “rambling” ranch house, first popularized in the 1940s, has many of these features: Style based on early Spanish Colonial, Craftsman, and Prairie modernism Asymmetrical one-story shape Low-pitched roof, usually hipped, cross-gabled, or side-gabled Moderate to wide eave overhang Usually wood, brick, or a combination thereof Decorative iron or wooden porch supports and decorative shutters Ribbon and/or picture windows Partially enclosed courtyards or patios, usually in the rear (as opposed to the less private front or side porch) Built-in garage Split-Level The split-level evolved in the 1950s from the popular Ranch style. It often features: Horizontal lines, low-pitched roof, and overhanging eaves of the Ranch style Two-story unit intercepted at mid-height by a one-story wing (3 levels of interior space, for quiet living areas, noisy living and service areas, and sleeping areas) Lower level usually houses garage and family room (“noisy”); mid-level has “quiet” living areas, and bedrooms on upper level Exterior often mixes materials – wood, brick, stone, shingle Decorative detailing often leans towards Colonial Neoeclectic A Neoeclectic home can be difficult to describe because it combines many styles. The shape of the roof, the design of the windows, and decorative details may be inspired by several different periods and cultures. Features of Neoeclectic Homes: Constructed in the 1960s or later Historic styles imitated using modern materials like vinyl or imitation stone Details from several historic styles combined Details from several cultures combined Brick, stone, vinyl, and composite materials combined [Not for web doc – could this be the alternative to “Traditional?” Critics use the term McMansion to describe a Neoeclectic home that is oversized and pretentious. Coined from the McDonald's fast food restaurant, the name McMansion implies that these homes are hastily assembled using cheaply-made materials and a menu of mix-and-match decorative details.] Neo-Mediterranean Neo-Mediterranean is a Neoeclectic house style that incorporates a fanciful mix of details suggested by the architecture of Spain, Italy, and Greece, Morocco, and the Spanish Colonies. Realtors often call Neo-Mediterranean houses Mediterranean or Spanish. Neo-Mediterranean houses have many of these features: Low-pitched roof Red roof tiles Stucco siding Arches above doors, windows, or porches Heavy carved wooden doors Contemporary Contemporary homes are designed for today's lifestyles with huge windows and large, open spaces. Contemporary houses have many of these features: Odd, irregular shape Lack of ornamentation Tall, over-sized windows, some with trapezoid shapes Open floor plan Natural materials such as cedar or stone Harmony with the surrounding landscape Also look for: Some contemporary homes have flat roofs. Other contemporary homes have gabled roofs with cathedral ceilings and exposed beams. Postmodern (Pomo) Postmodern houses have many of these features: Sense of "anything goes": Forms filled with humor, irony, ambiguity, contradiction Juxtaposition of styles: Blend of traditional, contemporary, and newlyinvented forms Exaggerated or abstract traditional detailing Materials or decorations drawn from far away sources For further information, see A Field Guide to American Houses. McAlester, Virginia & Lee; copyright 1984, Borzoi Books