Colonial And Post-Colonial Architecture

COLONIALISM
NOUN

1. THE CONTROL OR GOVERNING INFLUENCE OF A NATION

OVER A DEPENDENT COUNTRY, TERRITORY, OR PEOPLE.
2. THE SYSTEM OR POLICY BY WHICH A NATION MAINTAINS
OR ADVOCATES SUCH CONTROL OR INFLUENCE.
3. THE STATE OR CONDITION OF BEING COLONIAL.
4. AN IDEA, CUSTOM, OR PRACTICE PECULIAR TO A
COLONY.

13 COLONIES
 VIRGINIA (1607)
 NEW YORK (1626)
 MASSACHUSETTS (1630)
 MARYLAND (1633)
 RHODE ISLAND (1636)
 CONNECTICUT (1636)
 NEW HAMPSHIRE (1638)
 DELAWARE (1638)
 NORTH CAROLINA (1653)
 SOUTH CAROLINA (1663)
 NEW JERSEY (1664)
 PENNSYLVANIA (1682)
 GEORGIA (1732)

SEVERAL RELATIVELY DISTINCT REGIONAL STYLES OF

COLONIAL ARCHITECTURE ARE RECOGNIZED IN THE
UNITED STATES. BUILDING STYLES IN THE 13 COLONIES
WERE INFLUENCED BY TECHNIQUES AND STYLES FROM
ENGLAND, AS WELL AS TRADITIONS BROUGHT BY
SETTLERS FROM OTHER PARTS OF EUROPE.

CHARACTER
EUROPEAN INFLUENCE IN BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH
AMERICA REMAINED STRONG THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD,
ALTHOUGH MATERIALS, LOCAL SKILLS, SOCIAL CUSTOMS
AND ESPECIALLY CLIMATIC CONDITIONS PLAYED THEIR
PART, AND BUILDINGS CONTINUED TO POSSES STRONG
REGIONAL CHARACTERISTICS.
IN THE U.S.A. ITSELF, A CONSCIOUS STRIVING FOR A
TRULY ‘NATIONAL’ ARCHITECTURE BECAME EVIDENT
SOON AFTER THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE, AND
ARCHITECTURE IN THAT COUNTRY CAN BE CONSIDERED
AS PASSING THROUGH THREE BROAD AND LOOSELY
PHASES:
A.) POST-COLONIAL
B.) FIRST ECLECTIC PHASE
C.) SECOND ECLECTIC PHASE

POST COLONIAL (1790-1820)

ARCHITECTURE OF THIS PERIOD MOVED AWAY
FROM THE ENGLISH GEORGIAN IDIOM WHICH HAD BECOME
ESTABLISHED ALONG THE EASTERN SEABOARD OF THE
COUNTRY NEO-CLASSIC ELEMENTS WERE INTRODUCED.

FIRST ECLECTIC PHASE

DURING THIS PERIOD THE REVIVED GREEK STYLE
WAS PREDOMINANT RECEIVING A MORE WHOLE-HEARTED
ACCEPTANCE THAT IT DID IN ENGLAND AND DEVELOPING
SPECIFICALLY AMERICAN CHARACTERISTICS. THE GOTHIC
AND EGYPTIAN STYLES FOUND SOME POPULARITY BUT
COMPARED WITH THE GREEK REVIVAL, THESE WERE
MINOR STREAMS.

THE TYPE OF TIMBER – FRAMING KNOWN AS THE

‘BALOON – FRAME’ CAME INTO USE DURING THIS PERIOD
AND REVOLUTIONIZED TIMBER CONSTRUCTION. AS ITS
NAME SUGGEST, RATHER THAN RELYING ON AN
ESSENTIALLY POST-AND-LINTEL CONSTRUCTION, THE
‘BALOON-FRAME OWES ITS STRENGTH TO THE WALLS,
ROOFS, ETC., ACTING AS DIAPHRAGMS. COMPARATIVELY
LIGHT TIMBER SECTIONS ARE EMPLOYED WHICH ARE
NAILED TOGETHER, FLOOR, AND CEILING JOIST, FORMING
TIES, THE WHOLE STIFFENED BY THE EXTERNAL TIMBER
SHEATHING.

SECOND ECLECTIC PHASE

THE PERIOD IS NOTEWORTHY FOR STRUCTURAL
EXPERIMENT AND ACHIEVEMENT.
THE HISTORIC METHODS WITH WHICH WOODEN BUILDINGS
WERE BUILT IN WHAT IS NOW THE UNITED STATES SINCE
EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT.
 A NUMBER OF METHODS WERE USED TO FORM THE
WOODEN WALLS AND THE TYPES OF STRUCTURAL
CARPENTRY ARE OFTEN
SOME TYPES OF HISTORIC HOUSES ARE CALLED PLANK
HOUSES, THE NON-LOAD-BEARING ‘CURTAIN WALL’ AND
THE LIFT OR ELEVATOR.
TWO IMPORTANT AND INFLUENTIAL EXHIBITIONS
BELONGS TO THIS PERIOD; THE CENTENNIAL EXPOSITIONS
1876, PHILADELPHIA AND THE WORLD’S COLUMBIAN
EXPOSITION (CHICAGO 1893).
AMERICAN ARCHITECTURE ACHIEVED IN THIS
PERIOD SAW ALSO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF MANY
SCHOOLS OF ARCHITECTURE IN THE U.S.A., THE FIRST AT
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTES OF TECHNOLOGY IN 1868,
UNDER W.R. WARE.

WALL TYPES
 TIMBER FRAMING
 TIMBER FRAMING IS A METHOD OF CREATING
STRUCTURES USING HEAVY SQUARED-OFF AND
CAREFULLY FITTED AND JOINED TIMBERS WITH JOINTS
SECURED BY LARGE WOODEN PEGS
A SIMPLE TIMBER FRAME IS MADE OF STRAIGHT VERTICAL
AND HORIZONTAL PIECES WITH A COMMON RAFTER ROOF
WITHOUT PURLINS, THE TERM BOX FRAME IS NOT WELL
DEFINED AND HAS BEEN USED FOR ANY KIND OF FRAMING
OTHER THAN CRUCK FRAMING. THE DISTINCTION
PRESENTED HERE IS THE ROOF LOAD IS CARRIED BY THE
EXTERIOR WALLS. PURLINS ARE ALSO IN A SIMPLE TIMBER
FRAME.

 BALLOON FRAMING
 BALLOON FRAMING IS A METHOD OF WOOD
CONSTRUCTION – ALSO KNOWN AS "CHICAGO
CONSTRUCTION" IN THE 19TH CENTURY – USED PRIMARILY
IN AREAS RICH IN SOFTWOOD FORESTS: SCANDINAVIA,
CANADA, THE UNITED STATES UP UNTIL THE MID-1950S,
AND AROUND THETFORD FOREST IN NORFOLK, ENGLAND.
BALLOON FRAMING IS A STYLE OF WOOD-HOUSE
BUILDING THAT USES LONG, VERTICAL 2" X 4"S FOR THE
EXTERIOR WALLS. THESE LONG "STUDS" EXTEND
UNINTERRUPTED, FROM THE SILL ON TOP OF THE
FOUNDATION, ALL THE WAY UP TO THE ROOF.

 LOG BUILDING
LOG BUILDING IS THE SECOND MOST COMMON TYPE OF
CARPENTRY IN AMERICAN HISTORY. IN SOME REGIONS
AND PERIODS IT WAS MORE COMMON THAN TIMBER
FRAMING. THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT STYLES OF LOG
CARPENTRY:
1. BLOCKHOUSE; WHERE THE LOGS ARE MADE INTO
SQUARED BEAMS AND FITTED TIGHTLY. THE WALLS
NEEDED TO BE THICK AND STRONG AND NOT HAVE

GAPS IN-BETWEEN

2. ROUND LOGS ARE LEFT SPACED APART, OFTEN WITH

THE GAPS FILLED WITH A MATERIAL CALLED
CHINKING

3. PLANKED LOG BUILDINGS HAVE

THE WALL TIMBERS SHAPED
 INTO RECTANGULAR THUS CALLED PLANKS
AND PLANK HOUSES.

 CORNER POST CONSTRUCTION

CORNER POST
CONSTRUCTION IS
KNOWN BY MANY NAMES
LISTED BELOW, BUT
PARTICULARLY AS PIÈCE
SUR PIÈCE AND IT
BLURS THE LINE
BETWEEN TIMBER
FRAMING AND LOG
BUILDING. THIS
TYPE OF
CARPENTRY HAS A FRAME WITH HORIZONTAL
BEAMS OR LOGS TENONED INTO SLOTS OR
MORTISES IN THE POSTS. PIÈCE SUR PIÈCE EN
COULISSE: LITERALLY PIECE ON PIECE IN A GROOVE
IS A WIDESPREAD TYPE OF CARPENTRY WHICH
BLURS THE LINES BETWEEN LOG, PLANKWALL AND
FRAMING TECHNIQUES

 PLANK FRAMING
PLANK-FRAME HOUSE CONSTRUCTION HAS A TIMBER
FRAME WITH THE WALLS MADE OF VERTICAL
PLANKS ATTACHED TO THE FRAME. THESE HOUSES MAY
SIMPLY BE CALLED PLANK HOUSES.
PLANK-FRAME HOUSES ARE KNOWN FROM THE 17TH
CENTURY WITH CONCENTRATIONS IN
THE MASSACHUSETTS BAY COLONY AND COLONY OF
RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS.
THE CARPENTRY CONSISTS OF A TIMBER FRAME WITH
VERTICAL PLANKS EXTENDING FROM SILL TO PLATE.

 PALISADE CONSTRUCTION

PALISADES PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

BACK IN THE 19TH CENTURY

A PALISADE IS A SERIES OF VERTICAL PALES

(STAKES) DRIVEN OR SET INTO THE GROUND TO FORM A
FENCE OR BARRIER. PALISADE CONSTRUCTION IS A
PALISADE OR THE SIMILAR USE OF TIMBERS SET ON A SILL.
IT WAS COMMON FOR NATIVE AMERICANS AND
EUROPEANS TO BUILD A PALISADE AS PART OF A FORT OR
TO PROTECT A VILLAGE. PALISADE CONSTRUCTION IS
ALLUDED TO AS A METHOD OF BUILDING OF EARLY
DWELLINGS.
 THE FRENCH METHOD OF POTEAUX EN TERRE WAS
DIFFERENT THAN PALISADE CONSTRUCTION IN THAT THE
TIMBERS WERE HEWN TWO SIDES AND SPACED SLIGHTLY
APART WITH THE GAPS FILLED WITH A MATERIAL
CALLED BOUSILLAGE.

 STACKED PLANK AND STACKED BOARD

CONSTRUCTION
ANOTHER CARPENTRY METHOD WHICH IS SOMETIMES
CALLED PLANK WALL, BOARD WALL, PLANK-ON-
PLANK, HORIZONTAL PLANK FRAME IS THE STACKING OF
HORIZONTAL PLANKS OR BOARDS TO FORM A WALL OF
SOLID LUMBER.
SOMETIMES THE PLANKS WERE STAGGERED OR SPACED
APART TO FORM KEYS FOR A COAT OF PLASTER. THIS
METHOD WAS RECOMMENDED BY ORSON SQUIRE
FOWLER FOR OCTAGON HOUSES IN HIS BOOK THE
OCTAGON HOUSE: A HOME FOR ALL IN 1848.

OVER 5,000 RELIEF COTTAGES AFTER THE 1906 SAN FRANCISCO

EARTHQUAKE WERE BUILT USING SINGLE-WALL CONSTRUCTION

 BOX HOUSES
BOX HOUSES HAVE MINIMAL FRAMING IN THE
CORNERS AND WIDELY SPACED IN THE EXTERIOR WALLS,
BUT LIKE THE VERTICAL PLANK WALL HOUSES, THE
VERTICAL BOARDS ARE STRUCTURAL.
THE ORIGINS OF BOXED CONSTRUCTION IS UNKNOWN.
THE TERM BOX-FRAME WAS USED IN A RECONSTRUCTION
MANUEL IN 1868 AFTER THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.
BOX HOUSE MAY ALSO BE A NICKNAME FOR CLASSIC
BOX OR AMERICAN FOURSQUARE ARCHITECTURAL STYLES
IN NORTH AMERICA, AND IS ALSO NOT TO BE CONFUSED
WITH A GENERAL TYPE OF TIMBER FRAMING CALLED A
BOX FRAME.

WINTER QUARTERS; SOLDIERS IN FRONT OF THEIR WOODEN HUT, PINE

COTTAGE DURING THE CIVIL WAR IN 1868

 A-FRAME BUILDINGS
AN A-FRAME BUILDING HAS FRAMING WITH LITTLE OR
NO WALLS, THE RAFTERS JOIN AT THE RIDGE FORMING AN
A SHAPE. THIS IS THE SIMPLEST TYPE OF FRAMING BUT HAS
HISTORICALLY BEEN USED FOR INEXPENSIVE COTTAGES
AND FARM SHELTERS UNTIL THE A-FRAME HOUSE WAS
POPULARIZED IN THE 1950S AS A STYLE OF VACATION
HOME IN THE UNITED STATES.
  INSIDE-OUT FRAMING
INSIDE-OUT FRAMING HAS THE SHEATHING BOARDS OR
PLANKS ON THE INSIDE OF THE FRAMING. THIS TYPE OF
STRUCTURE WAS USED FOR STRUCTURES INTENDED TO
CONTAIN BULK MATERIALS LIKE ORE, GRAIN OR COAL.
THERE WERE SEVERAL DESIGN TYPES THAT WERE
DEVELOPED DURING THE COLONIALISM PERIOD IN
AMERICA AND THOSE PERIODS WERE NAMED AFTER THE
COLONIZERS. THESE PERIODS WERE THE FRENCH
COLONIAL, SPANISH, GEORGIAN, DUTCH, CAPE COD, NEW
ENGLAND, COLONIAL REVIVAL, GERMAN COLONIAL AND
GARRISON.

french colonial
ALSO KNOWN AS "CREOLE" ARCHITECTURE, THIS
STYLE OF BUILDING COMBINES FRENCH, CARIBBEAN, WEST
INDIES, AND OTHER INFLUENCES AND IS DESIGNED FOR
HOT, WET CLIMATES. LOCATED IN THE SOUTHERN UNITED
STATES, ESPECIALLY IN LOUISIANA AND MISSISSIPPI, THE
FRENCH COLONIAL ARCHITECTURE PROVIDES A COLORFUL
ADDITION TO THE COLONIAL STYLE IN AMERICA.
 THE FRENCH WERE PRIMARILY FOCUSED ON WHAT
IS NOW CANADA, PARTS OF THE CARIBBEAN, AND OF
COURSE, NEW ORLEANS.
STUCCO-SIDED HOMES WITH EXPANSIVE TWO-
STORY PORCHES AND NARROW WOODEN PILLARS TUCKED
UNDER THE ROOF LINE DEFINES FRENCH COLONIAL
ARCHITECTURE.

CHARACTERISTICS INCLUDE:
-INSTEAD OF INTERIOR HALLWAYS, THE PORCHES WERE
USED TO ACCESS ROOMS
-MADE WITH A TIMBER FRAME AND BRICK OR BOUSILLAGE
(A MIXTURE OF MUD, MOSS, AND ANIMAL HAIR)
-WIDE PORCHES CALLED “GALLERIES” THAT SURROUND
THE HOUSE
-HIPPED ROOF THAT EXTENDS OVER THE PORCHES
-FRENCH DOORS – DOORS WITH PANES

DEFINING TRAITS
IN TERMS OF THE VISUAL ELEMENTS, FRENCH COLONIAL
ARCHITECTURE IS REALLY NOTICEABLE BY THE ROOF AND
PORCH.
BESIDES THE HIPPED ROOF, DOMINANT EAVES, AND
GALLERY, THERE ARE A FEW OTHER COMMON TRAITS
SUCH AS THE EAVES WERE OFTEN SUPPORTED BY THIN
WOODEN COLUMNS, EXTERIOR STAIRS WERE COMMON AS
MANY BUILDINGS HAD TWO STORIES, AND MOST ROOMS
HAD FRENCH DOORS, OR DOORS WITH WINDOWS MADE OF
MULTIPLE SMALL PANES.

MAIN FEATURES
-TIMBER FRAME WITH BRICK OR "BOUSILLAGE" (MUD
COMBINED WITH MOSS AND ANIMAL HAIR)
-WIDE HIPPED ROOF EXTENDS OVER PORCHES
-THIN WOODEN COLUMNS
-LIVING QUARTERS RAISED ABOVE GROUND LEVEL
-WIDE PORCHES, CALLED "GALLERIES"
-NO INTERIOR HALLWAYS
-PORCHES USED AS PASSAGEWAY BETWEEN ROOMS
-FRENCH DOORS (DOORS WITH MANY SMALL PANES OF
GLASS)

EXAMPLES
THE DESTREHAN PLANTATION HOUSE NEAR NEW
ORLEANS
ERECTED IN 1787 BY CHARLES PAQUET, DESTREHAN
PLANTATION WAS PURCHASED BY INDIGO PLANTER
ROBERT ANTOINTE ROBIN DELOGNY AND HIS FAMILY.
IN THE 19TH CENTURY THE ORIGINAL GALLERY
COLUMNS WERE REPLACED IN THE 1830S OR 40S WITH
MASSIVE GREEK REVIVAL DORIC COLUMNS OF PLASTERED
BRICK AND THE CORNICE WAS ALTERED ACCORDINGLY.
ITS ORIGINAL COLONIAL APPEARANCE WAS ALTERED
WITH THE POST-COLONIAL ADDITION OF SEMI-DETACHED
WINGS.
IN THE 20TH CENTURY, THE HOUSE SERVED AS A
FACILITY OF A MAJOR OIL COMPANY. DESTREHAN
PLANTATION HOUSE CONSISTS OF A CENTRAL, TWO-STORY
HOUSE WITH OPEN GALLERIES ON THREE SIDES AND
FLANKING TWO-STORY WINGS SEPARATED FROM THE
MAIN BODY OF THE HOUSE BY THE SIDE GALLERIES. THE
CENTRAL UNIT. THE OLDEST PART OF THE HOUSE, IS
COMPOSED OF MASONRY COLUMNS ON THE GROUND
FLOOR AND WOOD COLUMNS ON THE UPPER. AT ONE TIME
A COLONNADE HAD SURROUNDED THE CENTRAL UNIT. THE
ROOF IS DOUBLE- PITCHED ALL AROUND.
CONSTRUCTION:

1787–1790

ARCHITECT:

CHARLES PAQUET

PRESENT STATUS:

STILL STANDING
PARLANGE PLANTATION HOUSE
PARLANGE PLANTATION WAS BUILT IN 1754 BY THE
MARQUIS VINCENT DE TERNANT ON LAND. THE
PLANTATION BECAME KNOWN AS PARLANGE FOR
CHARLES PARLANGE.
EXEMPLIFYING THE STYLE OF THE SEMITROPICAL
LOUISIANA COUNTRY HOUSE, THE PARLANGE PLANTATION
HOUSE IS A TWO-STORY RAISED COTTAGE. THE MAIN
FLOOR IS SET ON A BRICK BASEMENT WITH BRICK PILLARS
TO SUPPORT THE VERANDA OF THE SECOND STORY. THE
RAISED BASEMENT IS OF BRICK, MANUFACTURED BY
SLAVES ON THE PLANTATION. THESE WALLS, BOTH INSIDE
AND OUT, WERE PLASTERED WITH A NATIVE MIXTURE OF
MUD, SAND, SPANISH MOSS AND ANIMAL HAIR, THEN
PAINTED. THE GROUND STORY AND SECOND FLOOR
CONTAIN SEVEN SERVICE ROOMS.
TODAY 1500 ACRES SURROUND PARLANGE, WHICH IS
STILL USED AS A CATTLE AND SUGARCANE PLANTATION.
CONSTRUCTION:

1787–1790

ARCHITECT:

CHARLES PAQUET

PRESENT STATUS:

STILL STANDING
 spanish colonial
SET IN THE TIME OF 1600S – 1900S, THE SPANISH IN
THE NORTH AMERICAN TERRITORY MADE USE OF ROCKS,
ADOBE AND BRICKS AS MATERIAL TO BUILD A LOW SIMPLE
HOME. IT FEATURED THE USE OF ROCKS TO MAKE THICK
WALLS, A FLAT ROOF AND IS ONLY A STORY HIGH. LATER,
THE IMPROVED STYLE OF THE SPANISH COLONIAL MADE
USE OF WOOD, GOT AN INTERIOR COURTYARD AND MADE
USE OF A SECOND STORY.
WERE MOST COMMONLY SIDED IN ADOBE OR
STUCCO. THE ROOFS WERE FLAT OR SLIGHTLY PITCHED
AND FINISHED WITH RED CLAY TILES. SOME SPANISH
COLONIAL HOMES FEATURED A MONTEREY-STYLE,
SECOND-STORY PORCH.
SETTLERS IN THE SPANISH TERRITORIES OF NORTH
AMERICA BUILT SIMPLE, LOW HOMES MADE USING ROCKS,
ADOBE BRICK, COQUINA, OR STUCCO.
ALTHOUGH THEY MAINLY COLONIZED AND GAINED
PROFIT FROM MEXICO, CENTRAL AMERICA, AND SOUTH
AMERICA, THE SPANISH OCCUPATION OF MODERN DAY
FLORIDA, THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST, CALIFORNIA, AND
OTHER AREAS IN THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES LED TO
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SPANISH COLONIAL
ARCHITECTURE IN THOSE AREAS.

CHARACTERISTICS INCLUDE:
-ONE STORY, ORIGINALLY
-FLAT OR LOW PITCH ROOF COVERED WITH THATCH,
EARTH, OR CLAY TILE
-THICK WALLS MADE OF ROCKS, COQUINA, OR ADOBE
BRICK AND COVERED IN STUCCO IN ORDER TO KEEP OUT
THE HEAT
-SEVERAL EXTERIOR DOORS AND SMALL WINDOWS WITH
INTERIOR SHUTTERS

MAIN FEATURES
-FLAT ROOF, OR ROOF WITH A LOW PITCH
-EARTH, THATCH, OR CLAY TILE ROOF COVERING
-THICK WALLS MADE WITH ROCKS, COQUINA, OR ADOBE
BRICK COATED WITH STUCCO
-SEVERAL EXTERIOR DOORS
-SMALL WINDOWS, ORIGINALLY WITHOUT GLASS
-WOODEN OR WROUGHT IRON BARS ACROSS THE WINDOWS
-INTERIOR SHUTTERS
-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 SASH WINDOWS

EXAMPLE
KELSO DEPOT, RESTAURANT AND EMPLOYEES
HOTEL OR KELSO DEPOT
IT WAS DESIGNED BY THE FIRM OF JOHN AND DONALD
PARKINSON. THE FACILITY SERVED INTERSTATE PASSENGER
AND SHIPPING TRAFFIC AND THE TRANSPORT OF ORE FROM
LOCAL MINES, ESPECIALLY THE VULCAN MINE. THE UNION
PACIFIC PROPOSED THE DEMOLITION OF THE THEN UNUSED
DEPOT IN 1985.
CONSTRUCTION:

1923
ARCHITECTS:

LOS ANGELES AND SALT LAKE R.R

PRESENT STATUS:

STILL STANDING
 georgian colonial
SET IN THE TIME OF 1690S – 1830S, IT FEATURED
SPACIOUS AND COMFORTABLE HOUSES. IT IS
SYMMETRICAL AND HAD A PAIR OF CHIMNEYS. THE
WINDOWS, FIVE IN COUNT, ACROSS ITS FAÇADE IS ALSO
EVIDENT.
IN THE UNITED STATES THE STYLE INCLUDED
INNUMERABLE VARIATIONS ON A SIMPLE ENGLISH THEME:
TWO-STORY HOUSE WITH CENTER-ENTRY FAÇADE,
COMBINED WITH THE TWO-ROOM-DEEP CENTER-PASSAGE
FLOOR PLAN.
DREW INSPIRATION FROM THE ITALIAN
RENAISSANCE AND FROM ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME.
GEORGIAN IDEALS CAME TO NEW ENGLAND VIA
PATTERN BOOKS, AND GEORGIAN STYLING BECAME A
FAVORITE OF WELL-TO-DO COLONISTS. MORE HUMBLE
DWELLINGS ALSO TOOK ON CHARACTERISTICS OF THE
GEORGIAN STYLE. AMERICA'S GEORGIAN HOMES TEND TO
BE LESS ORNATE THAN THOSE FOUND IN BRITAIN.
COMING ABOUT MAINLY IN THE 1700S, GEORGIAN
COLONIAL ARCHITECTURE SWEPT THE NEW ENGLAND AND
MID-ATLANTIC REGIONS WHERE IT DISPLAYED THE RISING
AMBITION OF AMERICA AS IT FOCUSED MORE ON
ORNAMENTATION AND GRANDEUR THAN THE OTHER
TYPES OF COLONIAL ARCHITECTURE.

CHARACTERISTICS INCLUDE:
-SPACIOUS AND COMFORTABLE FLOOR PLAN WITH
DISTINGUISHED LIVING, DINING, AND FAMILY ROOMS
-BEDROOMS ON THE SECOND FLOOR
-SQUARE AND SYMMETRICAL FAÇADE
-DECORATIVE CROWN OVER THE FRONT DOOR AND
FLATTENED COLUMNS ON EACH SIDE
-MATCHING CHIMNEYS ON EITHER SIDE OF THE HOUSE
-STONE WALLS TWO FEET WIDE
-MEDIUM PITCHED ROOF WITH MINIMAL OVERHANG AND
SQUARE ---CUTS ALONG THE EAVES

TYPICAL FEATURES
-SYMMETRY, CENTERED FAÇADE ENTRY WITH WINDOWS
ALIGNED HORIZONTALLY AND VERTICALLY, SQUARE
-ONE OR TWO-STORY BOX, TWO ROOMS DEEP
-COMMONLY SIDE-GABLED AND SOMETIMES WITH A
GAMBREL OR -HIPPED ROOF
-RAISED FOUNDATION
-PANELED FRONT DOORS, CAPPED WITH A DECORATIVE
CROWN (ENTABLATURE); OFTEN SUPPORTED BY
DECORATIVE PILASTERS; AND WITH A RECTANGULAR
TRANSOM ABOVE (LATER HIGH-STYLE EXAMPLES MAY
HAVE FANLIGHT TRANSOMS)
-CORNICE EMPHASIZED BY DECORATIVE MOLDINGS,
COMMONLY DENTILS
-DOUBLE-HUNG SASH WINDOWS WITH SMALL LIGHTS
(NINE OR TWELVE PANES) SEPARATED BY THICK WOODEN
MUNTINS
-FIVE-BAY FAÇADE (LESS COMMONLY THREE OR SEVEN)
-CENTER CHIMNEYS ARE FOUND IN EXAMPLES BEFORE
1750; LATER EXAMPLES HAVE PAIRED CHIMNEYS
-WOOD-FRAME WITH SHINGLE OR CLAPBOARD WALLS
(UPPER WINDOWS TOUCH CORNICE IN MOST TWO-STORY
EXAMPLES)
INTERIOR FEATURES
-CENTRAL HALL PLAN
-HIGH CEILINGS (10-11 FEET) SMOOTHLY PLASTERED,
PAINTED AND DECORATED WITH MOLDED OR CARVED
ORNAMENT (HIGH-STYLE)
-ELABORATE MANTELPIECES, PANELING, STAIRWAYS AND
ARCHED OPENINGS COPIED FROM PATTERN BOOKS (HIGH-
STYLE)
HIGH STYLE ELABORATIONS
-PIGMENTED WINDOWS AND DORMERS
-BELT COURSE BETWEEN STORIES (MASONRY EXAMPLES)
-QUOINS OF STONE OR WOOD IMITATING STONE
-ROOF BALUSTRADES (AFTER 1750)
-CENTERED FRONT GABLE (PEDIMENT) OR SHALLOW
PROJECTING CENTRAL GABLE (AFTER 1750)
-TWO-STORY PILASTERS (AFTER 1750)

MAIN FEATURES
PANELED FRONT DOOR AT CENTER
DECORATIVE CROWN OVER FRONT DOOR
FLATTENED COLUMNS ON EACH SIDE OF DOOR
FIVE WINDOWS ACROSS FRONT
MEDIUM PITCHED ROOF
MINIMAL ROOF OVERHANG
NINE OR TWELVE SMALL WINDOW PANES IN EACH WINDOW
SASH
DENTIL MOLDING (SQUARE, TOOTH-LIKE CUTS) ALONG THE
EAVES

GARRISON COLONIAL
 HOMES IMITATED THE HOUSES OF MEDIEVAL
ENGLAND. MANY OF THESE HOMES HAD STEEP GABLED
ROOFS, SMALL DIAMOND PANED WINDOWS, AND A SECOND
STORY OVERHANG ACROSS THE FRONT FACADE. GARRISON
COLONIALS USUALLY WERE SIDED IN UNPAINTED
CLAPBOARD OR WOOD SHINGLES.
LIKE THE CAPE COD, THE GARRISON COLONIAL IS A
VARIATION OF THE COLONIAL REVIVAL STYLE, WHICH
ENJOYED ENORMOUS POPULARITY DURING THE 20TH
CENTURY.
IT SHARES WITH THE COLONIAL REVIVAL MANY OF
THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS INCLUDING SYMMETRY, ROOF
PITCH, AND DECORATIVE DETAILING IN SUCH CLASSICAL
ELEMENTS AS DOUBLE-HUNG SIX-OVER-SIX WINDOWS,
PILASTERS, AND TRADITIONAL ENTRIES WITH BROKEN
PEDIMENTS, SIDE LIGHTS, OR TRANSOMS.
DURING THE 1930S, THE STYLE PEAKS IN
POPULARITY, BECOMING MUCH MORE COMMON. IT
REMAINS A POPULAR STYLE JUST AFTER THE WAR AND
INTO THE 1950S WHEN MORE MODERN STYLES BEGIN TO
EMERGE.

MAIN FEATURES
-OFTEN SYMMETRICAL LIKE OTHER TRADITIONAL
COLONIAL REVIVALS
-JET TIED SECOND STORY OVER THE FIRST (THE OVERHANG
IS NARROW AND NOT USUALLY MORE THAN A COUPLE
FEET)
-PENDANT ORNAMENTS MAY BE SEEN AT THE CORNERS OR
SPACED ALONG THE SECOND STORY OVERHANG
-TWO-STORY
-RECTANGULAR, SIDE-GABLED MASS
-NARROW EAVES
-MEDIUM PITCHED ROOF (USUALLY COMPOSITION) MAY BE
GABLED OR HIPPED
-COLONIAL-STYLE MULTI-LIGHT (SIX-OVER-SIX OR SIX-
OVER-ONE LIGHTS ARE COMMON), DOUBLE-HUNG
WINDOWS. SHUTTERS AND BAY WINDOWS ARE FAVORITE
DETAILS
-COLONIAL-STYLE PANELED ENTRY DOOR. DECORATIVE
ELEMENTS ARE GENERALLY RESTRAINED BUT MAY
INCLUDE A COLUMNED PORCH, PILASTERS, OR PEDIMENT;
FANLIGHT OR TRANSOM, OR SIDELIGHTS
-LAPPED WOOD SIDING IS MOST COMMON, BUT BRICK OR
SHINGLE -SIDING ARE ALSO COMMON CLADDING FOR THE
FIRST STORY

new england colonial

SET IN THE TIME OF 1600S – 1740S, THE FIRST BRITISH
SETTLERS MADE USE OF THE USUAL STYLE THEY MADE AT
HOME. SIMPLE TIMBER-FRAMED HOUSES WERE EVIDENT
FEATURING LITTLE EXTERIOR ORNAMENT AND ARE WOOD
FRAMED WITH SHINGLES.
HOMES WERE TWO STORIES HIGH WITH GABLES ON
THE SIDE AND AN ENTRY DOOR AT THE CENTER. TO
CONSERVE HEAT, A MASSIVE CHIMNEY RAN THROUGH THE
CENTER AND SIDINGS WERE NOT PAINTED.
LOCATED MAINLY IN THE NORTHEASTERN AREA OF
THE COUNTRY, MODERN DAY MASSACHUSETTS, VERMONT,
CONNECTICUT, NEW HAMPSHIRE, AND NEW YORK, THE
ORIGINAL SETTLERS WERE MOSTLY ENGLISH AND SO,
THEY STARTED TO BUILD HOMES IN THE STYLES FROM
THEIR NATIVE ENGLAND.

CHARACTERISTICS INCLUDE:
SYMMETRICAL FRONT AND RECTANGULAR SHAPE
TWO STORIES
A LEAN-TO ADDITION WITH A SALTBOX ROOF (BASICALLY
WHERE THE ROOF IN THE BACK OF THE HOUSE EXTENDS
ALMOST ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE GROUND- THE SHAPE
OF SALTBOXES IN THE TIME)
SIDE GABLED, STEEP ROOF WITH NARROW EAVES
LITTLE EXTERIOR ORNAMENTATION
CASEMENT WINDOWS
MASSIVE CENTRAL CHIMNEY
MADE OF WOOD AND COVERED WITH CLAPBOARD OR
SHINGLES

MAIN FEATURES
STEEP ROOF WITH SIDE GABLES
LEAN-TO ADDITION WITH SALTBOX ROOF
NARROW EAVES
LARGE CHIMNEY AT THE CENTER
TWO STORIES
IN SOME CASES, THE SECOND STORY SLIGHTLY
PROTRUDES OVER THE LOWER FLOOR
WOOD FRAMED WITH CLAPBOARD OR SHINGLES
SMALL CASEMENT WINDOWS, SOME WITH DIAMOND-
SHAPED PANES
LITTLE EXTERIOR ORNAMENTATION
 colonial cape cod
SET IN THE TIME OF 1600S – 1950S, THIS STYLE WAS
MAINLY FROM THE COLONIAL NEW ENGLAND. IT
FEATURED A SIMPLE HOUSE, ONE STORY WITH A SINGLE
CHIMNEY LOCATED AT ITS CENTER. IT IS SYMMETRICAL IN
APPEARANCE AND THE DOOR LOCATED AT ITS CENTER.
WITH ITS STEEP ROOF, CENTRAL CHIMNEY AND
RECTANGULAR SHAPE, THE GAME PIECE IS A GOOD, ALBEIT
TINY, EXAMPLE OF A CLASSIC CAPE COD HOME. 
HOUSES HAD ONE-STORY OR ONE-AND-A-HALF STORIES
WITH NO DORMERS. THEY USUALLY WERE SIDED WITH
SHINGLES OR UNPAINTED CLAPBOARDS.
THOUGH THE STYLE IS QUINTESSENTIALLY
AMERICAN, THE FIRST CAPE CODS WERE DEVELOPED BY
EARLY SETTLERS FROM ENGLAND IN THE 1600S.
PARTIALLY INSPIRED BY THE SIMPLE, THATCHED
COTTAGES COMMON IN BRITAIN, THE SETTLERS ADAPTED
THE STYLE TO KEEP OUT THE HARSH NEW ENGLAND
WINTER. 
THE BIG, CENTRAL CHIMNEY WAS LITERALLY THE
HEART OF THE HOME: IT PROVIDED HEAT TO ALL THE
ROOMS CLUSTERED AROUND IT, AS WELL AS LIGHT AND,
OF COURSE, DINNER. CEDAR SHINGLES ON THE EXTERIOR
AND THE ROOF ALSO HELPED CUT THE COLD. A STEEP
ROOF QUICKLY SHED RAIN AND SNOW. EVERYTHING
ABOUT THE CAPE COD STYLE WAS ADOPTED FOR ITS
FUNCTION RATHER THAN ITS FORM. 

KEY ELEMENTS
  LARGE, CENTRAL CHIMNEY. THE LARGE, CENTRAL
CHIMNEY IS LOCATED DIRECTLY BEHIND THE
FRONT DOOR, WITH THE ROOMS CLUSTERED
AROUND IT IN A RECTANGULAR SHAPE.
 STEEP ROOF. CAPE CODS HAVE STEEP ROOFS TO
QUICKLY SHED RAIN AND SNOW, AND A SHALLOW
ROOF OVERHANG.
 WINDOWS AND DORMERS. A FULL CAPE HAS TWO
WINDOWS ON EACH SIDE OF THE DOOR, AND OFTEN
HAS A DORMER ON EACH SIDE OF THE CHIMNEY TO
OPEN UP THE ATTIC.
 CAPTAIN'S STAIRWAY. "THE SECOND FLOOR, OFTEN
KEPT FOR BOARDERS OR 'SEAFARING' MEN, WAS
ACCESSED BY A NARROW STAIR, OR 'CAPTAIN'S
STAIRWAY,' WHICH HAS INCREDIBLY STEEP RISERS
AND SHALLOW TREADS TO MINIMIZE THE USE OF
THE FIRST-FLOOR SPACE," EXPLAINS DAVID KARAM,
AN ARCHITECT AND BUILDER FROM BREWSTER,
MASS.
 SHINGLE SIDING. WEATHERED GRAY SHINGLES ARE
ONE OF THE MOST RECOGNIZABLE ELEMENTS OF A
CLASSIC CAPE COD, BUT NEWER HOMES ARE BUILT
OF BRICK, STUCCO AND STONE.

MAIN FEATURES
-STEEPLY PITCHED ROOF WITH SIDE GABLES
-NARROW ROOF OVERHANG
-CONSTRUCTED OF WOOD AND SIDED IN WIDE CLAPBOARD
OR SHINGLES
-EXTERIOR SIDING ORIGINALLY LEFT UNPAINTED
-LARGE CENTRAL CHIMNEY LINKED TO A FIREPLACE IN
EACH ROOM
-RECTANGULAR SHAPE
-FRONT DOOR PLACED AT THE CENTER OR, IN SOME CASES,
AT THE SIDE
-CENTER-HALL FLOOR PLAN
-MULTI-PANED, DOUBLE-HUNG WINDOWS
-SHUTTERS
-HARDWOOD FLOORS
-LITTLE EXTERIOR ORNAMENTATION
-INTERIOR TRIM PAINTED WHITE

dutch colonial
SET IN THE TIME OF 1625S – MID 1800S, DUTCH
SETTLERS USED BRICKS AND STONES TO BUILD THEIR
HOMES NEAR THE HUDSON RIVER. IT FEATURES DUTCH
STYLE DOORS, GAMBREL ROOFS, MATCHING CHIMNEYS ON
EACH SIDE AND OF COURSE THE BRICKS AND STONES FOR
THE MAIN STRUCTURE.
OFTEN BUILT BRICK OR STONE HOMES WITH ROOFS
THAT REFLECTED THEIR FLEMISH CULTURE. SOMETIMES
THE EAVES WERE FLARED AND SOMETIMES THE ROOFS
WERE SLIGHTLY ROUNDED INTO BARN-LIKE GAMBREL
SHAPES.
THE DUTCH INFLUENCED AMERICAN COLONIAL
ARCHITECTURE IN NEW YORK AND ALONG THE HUDSON
RIVER.
 BUILT IN 1740, THE DUTCH COLONIAL HOME SHOWN
HERE HAS A GAMBREL ROOF AND A SALT-BOX SHAPED
LEAN-TO ADDITION. LATER DUTCH STYLE BUILDINGS
BECAME KNOWN FOR THEIR ELABORATELY
SHAPED GABLES, DORMERS, AND PARAPETS.

CHARACTERISTICS INCLUDE:
-MADE WITH STONE OR BRICK
-MATCHING CHIMNEYS ON BOTH ENDS OF THE HOUSE
-SYMMETRICAL FAÇADE
-GAMBREL ROOF WITH WIDE, FLARED EAVES
-SALTBOX LEAN-TO ADDED
-DUTCH DOORS (WHERE THE DOOR IS SPLIT
HORIZONTALLY IN THE MIDDLE AND EACH HALF CAN BE
OPENED INDEPENDENTLY)

MAIN FEATURES
-STONE OR BRICK CONSTRUCTION
-DUTCH DOORS (UPPER AND LOWER HALVES CAN BE
OPENED INDEPENDENTLY)
-MATCHING CHIMNEYS ON EACH SIDE, A MASSIVE
WISHBONE-SHAPED CHIMNEY AT THE FRONT
-WIDE, SLIGHTLY FLARED EAVES,
-GAMBREL ROOD

colonial revival
COLONIAL REVIVAL MAINLY FOCUSES ON
REVITALIZING THE MORE ORNATE GEORGIAN COLONIAL,
HOWEVER CAPE COD HOUSES, DUTCH COLONIAL, AND
SPANISH COLONIAL ALL EXPERIENCED REVIVALS THAT
BROUGHT THE ARCHITECTURE INTO MODERN SOCIETY.
IN PARTICULAR, CAPE COD HOUSES CAME BACK INTO
STYLE IN THE 1930S WITH ADDITIONAL ROOMS, STRICTLY
DECORATIVE SHUTTERS, AND CHIMNEYS ON THE SIDE OF
THE HOUSE RATHER THAN IN THE CENTER. THE DUTCH
COLONIAL REVIVAL KEPT THE ORIGINAL DESIGN WHILE
UPDATING AND VARYING THE MATERIALS, DETAILS, AND
SIZES USED.
SET IN THE TIME OF 1876S – 1955S, IT MADE USE OF
THE PATRIOTISM AS AN INSPIRATION AND RETURNED TO
THE CLASSICAL STYLE. IT BECAME A STANDARD STYLE IN
20TH CENTURY. IT FEATURES A SYMMETRICAL FAÇADE, IS
RECTANGULAR, TWO TO THREE STORIES HIGH AND ARE IN
BRICK OR WOOD SIDING WITH A GABLE ROOF.

CHARACTERISTICS INCLUDE:
-SYMMETRICAL FACADE, GABLE ROOF, AND
RECTANGULAR SHAPE (LIKE ORIGINALS)
-TWO TO THREE STORIES
-BRICK OR WOOD SIDING WITH SIMPLE AND CLASSICAL
DETAILING (NOT AS PLAIN AS BEFORE)
-ELABORATE ENTRANCES, PILLARS, COLUMNS, DORMERS,
AND --------DECORATIVE SHUTTERS
-CENTER ENTRY HALL FLOOR PLAN WITH LIVING SPACES
ON THE FIRST FLOOR AND BEDROOMS UPSTAIRS

MAIN FEATURES
-ACCENTUATED FRONT DOOR WITH DECORATIVE
PEDIMENT SUPPORTED BY PILASTERS OR EXTENDED
FORWARD AND SUPPORTED BY SLENDER COLUMNS TO
FORM ENTRY PORCH
FANLIGHTS AND SIDELIGHTS COMMON; PALLADIAN
WINDOWS COMMON
-FACADE SYMMETRY; CENTERED DOOR; ALIGNED
WINDOWS
DOUBLE-HUNG SASH WINDOWS USUALLY WITH MULTI-
PANE GLAZING; FREQUENTLY IN ADJACENT PAIRS; MULTI-
PANE UPPER SASH WITH SINGLE PANE LOWER SASH AND
BAY WINDOWS (NOT HISTORICALLY ACCURATE) WERE
POPULAR
-ONE-STORY WINGS, USUALLY WITH A FLAT ROOF AND
COMMONLY EMBELLISHED WITH A BALUSTRADE
-BROKEN PEDIMENTS, RARE ON ORIGINAL COLONIAL
STRUCTURES POPULAR IN COLONIAL REVIVAL EXAMPLES
-DOOR SURROUNDS TEND TO BE SHALLOW (LESS DEEP)
THAN ORIGINALS AND EXHIBIT MACHINE-PLANED
SMOOTHNESS
-DORMERS, OFTEN WITH EXAGGERATED, ECLECTIC
PEDIMENTS
-MASONRY CLADDING GREW IN POPULARITY AS
TECHNOLOGY FOR USING BRICK OR STONE VENEER
IMPROVED AFTER 1920
-GABLE, HIPPED, OR GAMBREL ROOFS
-DETAILS TEND TO BE EXAGGERATED WITH LARGER
PROPORTIONS THAN ORIGINAL ELEMENTS
-DETAILS FROM TWO OR MORE TYPES OF COLONIAL
STYLES OFTEN COMBINED SO PURE REPLICAS OF A
PARTICULAR STYLE ARE FAR LESS COMMON THAN
ECLECTIC MIXTURES
-INTERIOR FLOOR PLANS ARE NOT SYMMETRICAL AND ARE
MORE OPEN THAN HISTORIC EXAMPLES

GERMAN COLONIAL
ARCHITECTURE ATTRIBUTED TO GERMAN-SPEAKING
IMMIGRANTS TO AMERICA PRIMARILY IN THE YEARS FROM
ABOUT 1680 TO 1780. MANY OF THESE EARLY SETTLERS
FIRST BUILT A LOG HOUSE OF HEWN SQUARE TIMBERS AS
A TEMPORARY HOME UNTIL THEY COULD CONSTRUCT
MORE SUBSTANTIAL HOUSING. IF IT WAS BUILT INTO A
HILLSIDE, IT WAS CALLED A BANK HOUSE.

INFLUENCES
WITH THE COLONIZATION OF THE NORTH AMERICAN
CONTINENT. SETTLERS FROM VARIOUS EUROPEAN
COUNTRIES BROUGHT WITH THEM THE BUILDING
TECHNIQUES AND PREVAILING FORMS OF THEIR
RESPECTIVE HOMELANDS. COLONIAL ARCHITECTURE WAS
SUBSEQUENTLY ADAPTED TO THE TOPOGRAPHY AND
CLIMATE OF THE CHOSEN SITE, THE AVAILABILITY OF
BUILDING MATERIALS, THE DEARTH OF TRAINED BUILDERS
AND ARTISANS, AND THE GENERAL POVERTY OF THE
SETTLERS.
ONLY IN NEW ORLEANS, WHERE THE FRENCH
GOVERNMENT SENT SKILLED ARCHITECTS AND
ENGINEERS, WAS ANYTHING PRODUCED THAT
APPROACHED THE SOPHISTICATION OF ARCHITECTURE IN
FRANCE. THE COMPARATIVELY SHORT SPANISH
DOMINATION OF FLORIDA ALSO PRODUCED HIGHLY
COMPLEX STRUCTURES, INCLUDING THE FORT AT ST.
AUGUSTINE (BEGUN 1672). THE SPANISH IMPRESS WAS
MORE PERMANENT IN THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST, WHERE
SETTLERS BORROWED EXTENSIVELY FROM THE NATIVE
AMERICAN TECHNIQUES OF CONSTRUCTION IN ADOBE.
MEXICAN BAROQUE DETAILS AND CHURCH FORMS
APPEARED IN A NEW AND SIMPLER GUISE, AS IN THE
TEXAS, NEW MEXICO, ARIZONA, AND CALIFORNIA
MISSIONS. THE DUTCH, WHO SETTLED IN NEW AMSTERDAM
(NOW NEW YORK CITY), WERE TRADERS FOR THE MOST
PART, AND EXAMPLES OF THEIR RESIDENTIAL WORK CAN
BE SEEN THROUGHOUT THE HUDSON RIVER VALLEY.
 THE ENGLISH SETTLEMENTS WERE OF TWO BASIC
TYPES: THE SMALL TOWN IN THE NORTH AND THE
LARGE PLANTATION IN THE SOUTH. IN NEW ENGLAND
SETTLERS ERECTED MANY-GABLED HOUSES OF WOOD
WITH PROMINENT BRICK CHIMNEY STACKS OF LATE
GOTHIC INSPIRATION, SUCH AS THE PARSON CAPEN
HOUSE IN TOPSFIELD, MASS. (1683). IN THE SOUTH, BRICK
RAPIDLY SUPERSEDED WOOD AS THE CHIEF BUILDING

MATERIAL, AS FOR EXAMPLE, IN ST. LUKE'S CHURCH IN

SMITHFIELD, VA. (1632). THE FORMALITY AND CLASSICISM
OF 18TH-CENTURY ENGLISH ARCHITECTURE WAS ALMOST
IMMEDIATELY REFLECTED IN THE COLONIES, AS IN THE
OFFICIAL BUILDINGS OF WILLIAMSBURG, VA. OR THE
PENNSYLVANIA STATEHOUSE IN PHILADELPHIA (BEGUN
1731).
 THE FIRST

RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS WERE MEDIEVAL IN STYLE

BECAUSE THAT IS ALL THE SETTLERS KNEW. HOUSES IN
ENGLAND, SINCE AT LEAST THE 13TH CENTURY HAD BEEN
TIMBER FRAMED, BECAUSE THERE WAS AN ABUNDANCE
OF OAK. THE TIMBER FRAME WAS MADE FROM HALVED, OR
CLEFT, TIMBERS RATHER THAN COMPLETE LOGS. THE GAPS
BETWEEN TIMBERS WERE INFILLED WITH PANELS,
SAPLINGS WOVEN INTO FLAT MATS AND COVERED IN
CLAY, CALLED "WATTLE AND DOB." ROOFS WERE MADE
OF THATCH. COLONIST BROUGHT THIS METHOD TO
AMERICA: A TIMBER FRAME WITH A SKIN MADE OF LOCAL
MATERIALS, IN NEW ENGLAND, WOOD, AND IN VIRGINIA,
BRICK.
THE FIRST BASIC HOUSE, IN THE 1600S, WAS A ONE
STORY TWO ROOM (HALL AND PARLOR) HOUSE WITH A
CENTRAL CHIMNEY. THIS EVOLVED INTO A TWO STORY,
FOUR ROOM BUILDING. BY 1700, THE SALT-BOX EVOLVED
WITH A SHED-LIKE ADDITION ON THE BACK. BY 1740, THE
SHED HAD BECOME A FULL STORY, OR A FOUR-ON-FOUR
ROOM HOUSE. THIS, WITH A CENTRAL HALL WITH STAIR
CASE, IS THE BASIC PLAN OUTLINE. THE STANDARD
COLONIAL DESIGN, WITH A SYMMETRICAL FRONT -- WITH
A CENTRAL DOOR AND TWO WINDOWS ON EITHER SIDE,
AND FIVE WINDOWS ACROSS THE  SECOND FLOOR --
REMAINS THE MOST POPULAR ARCHITECTURAL PLAN IN
THE UNITED STATES TODAY. IT TRAVELED WEST WITH THE
PIONEERS.

IN NEW ENGLAND, THERE WAS USUALLY ONE

CHIMNEY IN THE MIDDLE. IN VIRGINIA AND THE SOUTHERN
COLONIES, THERE WERE OFTEN TWO CHIMNEYS -- ONE AT
EITHER END OF THE HOUSE -- TO DIRECT THE HEAT
OUTWARDS. TODAY, A STANDARD COLONIAL DESIGN HAS
ONE CHIMNEY LOCATED CONVENIENTLY TO PROVIDE FOR
THE HEARTH IN THE LIVING ROOM AND THE FURNACE
BENEATH IT IN THE BASEMENT.
AS SETTLERS HAD BEGAN TO THINK ABOUT
AESTHETICS OVER BASIC SHELTER, AND THEIR HOUSES
WERE EVOLVING FROM ONE AND TWO ROOM SHELTERS,
THEY LOOKED TO ENGLAND FOR NEW IDEAS. ENGLAND
WAS ABLAZE WITH EXCITING ARCHITECTURAL
DEVELOPMENT. LONDON HAD BURNED IN 1666, AND
CHRISTOPHER WREN WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN ITS
REBUILDING. THE STYLE HE AND HIS PREDECESSOR,
INDIGO JONES, INTRODUCED IS NOW CALLED BAROQUE.

THERE WERE THREE KNOWN FAMOUS INFLUENCES:

DUTCH COLONIAL, FRENCH COLONIAL & SPANISH
COLONIAL
THE DUTCH INFLUENCE ON AMERICAN COLONIAL
ARCHITECTURE CAN BE FOUND IN NEW YORK CITY AND
SURROUNDING AREAS IN NEW JERSEY, ON LONG ISLAND
AND ALONG THE HUDSON RIVER.
IN THE LOUISIANA TERRITORY, HOUSES WERE BUILT IN
THE FRENCH STYLE. SURVIVING STRUCTURES CAN BE BEST
SEEN IN NEW ORLEANS AND IN RURAL LOUISIANA ALONG
THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. THE PLANTATION HOUSES ARE
TIMBER FRAMED STRUCTURES FEATURING TALL AND
STEEPLY PITCHED HIPPED ROOFS CHARACTERISTIC OF
RURAL FRENCH MANOR HOUSES. THEY ARE ADAPTED TO
THE SUB-TROPICAL LOUISIANA IN TWO WAYS: THE MAIN
LIVING AREA, BUILT OF HEAVY INTERLOCKED TIMBERS,
WAS BUILT ON A VERY TALL BRICK FOUNDATION TO
PROTECT THE HOUSE FROM THE PERIODICAL RIVER
FLOODING; AND, THE HOUSES WERE USUALLY
SURROUNDED BY WIDE PORCHES, OR GALLERIES, TO
PROVIDE REFRESHINGLY COOL YET SHELTERED OUTDOOR
LIVING DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS. CHARACTERISTIC
ARE EXTENSIVE PORCHES AND NO HALLS. THEY ARE
GRACED WITH FRENCH DOORS FROM EVERY ROOM TO THE
PORCH.