COLONIAL

ARCHITECTURE
Colonial architecture is an architectural style from a mother
country that has been incorporated into the buildings of
settlements or colonies in distant locations.
Colonists frequently built settlements that synthesized the
architecture of their countries of origin with the design
characteristics of their new lands, creating hybrid designs
 Several colonial empires rose in the 15th and 16th centuries to take
land holdings and influence cultures around the world.
 In particular, the Dutch, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and British
claimed and conquered lands around the world,
 Colonial styles of architecture include Baroque, Orientalism, and Art
Nouveau.
 The immigration of people from one area of an empire to another
often caused the colonies to adopt or be rebuilt in a hybridized style
of the architecture of their colonizer.
 Spanish and Portuguese influence is seen throughout South and
Central America,
 British influence in North American and
 Caribbean architecture, and French and Dutch in both Africa and
Polynesian countries.
 American Colonial

1600s – 1800
•When North America was colonized, settlers brought building traditions
from many different countries.
•Colonial architecture includes:

• Georgian • Salt Box

• Federal • Dutch Colonial
• Greek Revival • Jeffersonian
• Cape Cod
• Garrison
 American Colonial
1. The American colonial style in particular is one which maintains its popularity.
2. A mixture of traditional Dutch and British designs, colonial-style homes are
often brick and angular, with chimneys, low-covered porches, and symmetrical
windows.
3. In the northern US states, colonial homes include one chimney in the middle,
4. while in southern states, colonial homes often include one at either end.
 American Colonial
One of the country's most prevalent home styles The term
"Colonial" covers a broad spectrum of homes
Colonial homes typically
share the following
characteristics:
 Large entryway
 Symmetrical façade
 Six-over-six windows
 Gable or gambrel roof
 Often have dormers

Colonial Architecture
Gable Roof
A double sloping roof with
a ridge and gables at each
end

Gambrel Roof
A gable roof with two pitches.
The lower section of the roof
slopes gently up.
Then, the roofline angles in
form a steeper pitch.
Gambrel roofs are often called
barn-shaped because the this
roofing style is so often used on
American barns.
An Enduring Design
This home dates back to the pre-Revolutionary era, but still
remains a popular architectural choice for many Americans.
 Georgian
• Named for King George
• Imported from England
(originals of these houses only
exist in the 13 colonies)
• Symmetrical structure
(4x4)
• Hip or gable roof with
dormer windows
• Widows walk
• Symmetrical windows
with small panes of glass
• Dentil cornice & relieving
arches
Georgian
 Federal
• Popular just after
Revolutionary War
• Pediment
• Fanlight & column
surrounding door
• 2-3 stories high
• Rectangular
• Lower windows taller
than upper ones
Federal
Greek Revival

• Reached height of popularity just before Civil War

• Pedimented portico
• Sidelights with transom
• Symmetrical
Greek
 Cape Cod
• Colonial Style
– Late 1690 to 1850
– Named “Cape Cod” in
1800
• Gable roofs
• 1 level
• Central chimney & door
• 2 windows on each side
of the door
• Clapboard siding
 Cape Cod
• “Rediscovered”
1920-1950
• 1½ stories
• Living space in attic
• Dormer windows
• Shutters
• Chimney relocated
• Wings to the side or
on the rear
GARRISON

• Common in English medieval construction.

• Ornamental drops shaped like cannonballs under the jetty.
• They have a overhang
• Traditionally clapboard.
• Central chimney
 Salt Box
• Roof is similar to Colonial
salt container
• Originated in the Colonial
era around New England
• Popular from 1920-1970
• Had a long rear roof
• Central chimney
• Usually 2-3 stories high
• Has shutters
 Dutch Colonial

• 1670-1760’s
• Broad Gambrel roof
• Flaring eaves
• End chimneys
• Double hung windows
• Dutch doors (double)
Jeffersonian
• Thomas Jefferson
• 1790’s-1830’s
• Ocatagons
• Greek entrances
• Palladian windows

Monticello
 Victorian

• Queen Anne
• Second Empire
• Gothic
Queen Anne
• Popular in small towns
and cities
• Popular from 1880-1900
• Wrap around porches
• Often have towers
• Exterior is various
materials and has lots of
decorative trim
(gingerbread)
Second Empire
• Popular in the 19th century in France
• Came to be associated with Haunted
Houses
• Mansard roof
• Windows hooded and may have
corner quoins
Gothic
• Irregular shape & floor
plans
• Steeply pitched roof
• Elaborate verge board trim
• High dormers
• Gothic arch windows
Familiar American
• Ranch
• Split-Level
• Farmhouse
• Bungalow (Craftsman)
• Prairie Style
• Contemporary Rustic
Ranch
• Originated in California in the 1930s
• Most common of American house styles
• Reached its popularity during Eisenhower’s presidency
• Long, low bank of windows
• There is an attached garage carport
• Back patio
Split Level
• Innovative spin off of the Ranch style
• Exterior similar to Ranch Style except for two-story wing
• Usually brick or brick and wood combination
• Interior space is split into three levels
• Lowest = utility and den, Middle = kitchen & living room,
Upstairs = bedrooms
Farmhouse
• A two-story home with one story front porch
• Gable roofs and dormer windows are common
• Suburban homes in the late 20th century
Bungalow
• It started in California and
spread across the country
and became the most
middle-class house
design

• It started to 1910 to the

1930s

• They have a fairly deep

porch and wide
overhangs
Prairie
• A product of the vision of Frank Lloyd Wright
• Popular from about 1900 through the 1920s.
• A hipped roof, French doors, Wide eaves and
craftsman windows and column
The Waterfall House
• One of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most famous designs.
• Includes natural features of the property into the
architecture.

Fallingwater
Contemporary Rustic
• Expression of the 1960’s
nature movement

• Started in California and

spread across America in
1960s -1970s

• Has wood siding typically with

many different angles
(diagonal)

• Windows are grouped into

geometric compositions and
come in various geometric
shapes.

• Deck sprung from this style

 European
• Baroque
• Chateauesque
• Romanesque
• Mediterranean
• Tudor
 Baroque
• Architecture of the late
Renaissance period
• Classic ornamentation
• Keystones or pediments
over windows
• Balustrades on roof
• Balconies and patios
• Stucco and corner quoins
• Hip roof flared at eaves
Chateauesque
• Popular at turn of the
century among wealthy
• Always masonry
• Formal arch entryway
• Window surrounds or
keystones
• Steeply pitched roof –
usually hipped
• Demi-dormer (windows
break through roof line)
• Towers with conical roof
• Paired windows
• Semicircular arches
• Transom bar
Romanesque (revival)
• 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
Mediterranean
• Roots in California and
Florida
• Popular 1920-1940
• Barrel tile roof
• Stucco exterior
• Wrought iron work
• Arcade
Tudor (revival)
 Roots in Old English style
 Revival began in 1970
 Half timbering
 Also uses stone and/or brick
 Windows are small paned and usually diamond shape
 Resources
• http://architecture.about.com/cs/teacherstools/a/architecture101.htm
• http://architecture.about.com/library/bl-styles_index.htm
• http://www.architecturetoursla.com/gallery.htm
• http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/fa267/contents.html
• http://www.geocities.com/asiedydd/styles.htm
• http://www.greatbuildings.com/types.html
• http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/1arch.html
• http://www.loggia.com/designarts/architecture/styles/styleguide.html
• http://www.preservationdirectory.com/architecturalstyles.html
• http://www.uwec.edu/geography/Ivogeler/w367/styles/
NEW ENGLAND COLONIAL
In what ways was colonial New England different from
colonial Virginia?
The colonists who first
settled in Religious disagreements
New England came in Britain led to divisions
for religious reasons in the Anglican Church
Some radical Puritans The Separatists became
were known as “Pilgrims” when they formed
Separatists because a joint-stock company, gained
they unwilling to wait a charter, & created the
for church reforms Plymouth colony in America
 Before landing
in America, the
Pilgrims created the
Mayflower Compact
agreeing to work
together as a
“civil body politick”…
…The Mayflower
Compact was the
first example of
self-government
in America
 When the Pilgrims founded Plymouth in 1620,
they faced disease & hunger
The Pilgrims received help …and celebrated the
from local natives like first Thanksgiving to
Squanto & Massasoit… honor the local Indians
When the Separatist Pilgrims came to America, the
Puritans remained within the Church of England
But when
the Catholic
King Charles I
came to power,
Puritans felt the
time was right to
leave Britain
In 1630, the
Puritans arrived
in Boston &
created the New
England colony
of Massachusetts
From 1630 to 1640, Puritan leader John Winthrop
led 16,000 Puritans to the Massachusetts Bay
colony as part of the “Great Migration”

John Winthrop wanted to build Boston as a

“city on a hill” to be a model to other Christians
What makes New England society unique?
Massachusetts was a different colony from Virginia:
Puritans came to America Puritan settlers usually
for religious freedom came as families
Settlers sacrificed for the common good, built
schools, & focused on subsistence farming

New England was a more

healthy place to live than
Virginia so colonists lived longer
 Social Hierarchy in New England
Religious leaders served
a government leaders &
were at the top of
New England society
The majority of the
New England population
were small-scale farmers
who were loyal to the
local community
At the bottom of
society was the
small population of
poor landless
laborers & servants
What functions
could this
building have
served in
New England?
 Government in in the New England colonies
centered on the church through town meetings

Each New England

town was
independently
governed by local
church members

All adult male

church members
were allowed
to vote for local
laws & taxes
As the Massachusetts colony grew,
it spawned four new colonies:
New Hampshire, Rhode Island,
New Haven, & Connecticut
Connecticut
was important
for creating the
first written
constitution in
U.S. history called
The Fundamental
Orders of
Connecticut
 Closure Activity
■On the map provided, label each:
–Massachusetts
–Plymouth
–Connecticut
–Rhode Island
■For each of the above colonies, create
a symbol that summarizes the
characteristics of the colony
NEW ENGLAND COLONIAL

1600’s - 1740
British who settled in the New England colonies built rustic, square
homes with details drawn from medieval Europe.
 Massive chimney placed at the center
 Diamond-paned windows
NEW ENGLAND COLONIAL
GARRISON
Diamond window panes
Second story protrudes

SALTBOX
• Two story in front
• Roof slopes to
create one story in
back
GERMAN COLONIAL
1600s – mid- 1800s
 German Settlers in the American colonies used
local materials to recreate building styles from
their homeland.
 Reinforced stone arches above the first floor
windows and doors
GERMAN COLONIAL
• Two-feet thick sandstone
walls
• Hand-hewn beams with
wooden pegs
• Exposed half-timbering
• Flared eaves
• Massive wishbone-shaped
chimney
 SPANISH COLONIAL
1600 - 1900
Settling in Florida, California, and the American Southwest, settlers
from Spain and Mexico built homes with many of these features:
 One story
 Flat roof, or roof with a low pitch
 Earth, thatch, or clay tile roof
covering
 Interior shutters
 Several exterior doors
 Small windows, originally without
glass
 Wooden or wrought iron bars
across the windows
 Thick walls made with rocks, coquina,
adobe brick coated with stucco
 SPANISH COLONIAL
Later Spanish Colonial homes
had more elaborate features,
such as:
• Second story with recessed
porches and balconies
• Interior courtyards
• Carved wooden brackets
and balustrades
• Double hung sashed
windows
• Dentil moldings and other
Greek Revival details
Balustrades
 A row of repeating balusters -
small posts that support the
upper rail of a railing.
 Staircases and porches often
have balustrades.

Double Hung Window

 DUTCH COLONIAL
1625 - mid-1800s
Settling along the Hudson River in the land that became New York, Dutch colonists built brick
and stone homes like those found in the Netherlands.
 Stone or brick construction
 Wide, slightly flared eaves
 Gambrel roof or gambrel roof with
flared eaves
 Two matching chimneys
 Or a massive wishbone-shaped
chimney at front
 Dutch doors (upper and lower halves
can be opened independently)
 Built in 1740, the Dutch Colonial Home
shown has a gambrel roof and a salt-
box shaped lean-to addition.
 DUTCH COLONIAL
Dutch Colonial turned on its side to fit a
narrow lot with:
• Gambrel roof
• Full shed dormer
Later Dutch style buildings became known
for elaborately shaped gables, dormers,
and parapets

CAPE COD 1690 – mid – 1800s

The classic Cape Cod features:
• One-story symmetrical cottage
(sometimes 1.5 story)
• Exteriors are typically clapboard,
stucco or brick
• Exterior siding originally left unpainted
• Steep pitched, narrow roof overhang
with side gable
 CAPE COD
• Large, central,
single chimney
• Rectangular shape
• Center front door
• Multi-paned,
double-hung
windows
• Dormers
Dormer
• A window that is set vertically on a
sloping roof.
• Dormers have their own roof, which
may be flat, arched, or pointed.