House Styles

Gothic Revival
Medieval traditions mingled with modern methods to create these whimsical Victorian
homes, built between 1840 and 1880.
Sir Horace Walpole started it. In the mid-1700s, the English author got it into his head to redo his
country home with arched windows, battlements and other pseudo-Gothic details. Walpole's house,
located at Strawberry Hill near Twickenham, became a model for Medievalism.
The romantic new style was a welcome change from the stately, symmetrical architecture of the day. By
the 1800s, fashionable houses throughout England began to resemble churches, convents and
storybook castles. Queen Victoria took delight in these fanciful Gothic Revival buildings.

Lyndhurst in Tarrytown, New York -A Gothic Revival mansion designed by Alexander Jackson Davis
Photo copyright Jackie Craven

On the other side of the Atlantic, New York architect Alexander Jackson Davis was evangelical about the
ecclesiastical style. He published floor plans and three-dimensional views in his 1837 book, Rural
Residences. His design for Lyndhurst, an imposing country estate in Tarrytown, New York, became a
showplace for the Gothic Revival style.
Gothic Revival Features Found at Lyndhurst:

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
Verandah

Most private homes in the United States did not follow Gothic models this faithfully. However a series of
pattern books by another popular designer -- Andrew Jackson Downing -- captured the imagination of a
country already swept up in the romantic movement. Houses across North America -- especially in rural
areas -- began to sport gothic garb. Clever builders developed a frivolous, most un-churchlike
adaptation known as Carpenter Gothic.

With details reminiscent of the Parthenon, stately, pillared Greek Revival homes reflect a passion for
antiquity. Here are facts and photos for the classic style that still shapes the way we build.

Greek Revival
1825 - 1890

Belle Meade Plantation - copyright ArtToday

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

In the mid-19th century, many prosperous Americans believed that ancient Greece represented the
spirit of democracy. Interest in British styles had waned during the bitter War of 1812. Also, many
Americans sympathized with Greece's own struggles for independence in the 1820's.
Greek Revival architecture began with public buildings in Philadelphia. Many European-trained
architects designed in the popular Grecian style, and the fashion spread via carpenter's guides and
pattern books. Colonnaded Greek Revival mansions -- sometimes called Southern Colonial houses -sprang up throughout the American south. With its classic clapboard exterior and bold, simple lines,
Greek Revival architecture became the most predominant housing style in the United States. The
fashion became known as the National Style.
During the second half of the 19th century, Gothic Revival and Italianate styles captured the American
imagination. Grecian ideas faded from popularity. However, front-gable design -- a trademark of the
Greek Revival style -- continued to influence the shape of American houses well into the 20th century.

Beaux Arts Style

c. 1885 - c. 1925

Vanderbilt Marble House

copyright ArtToday

Combining classical Greek and Roman architecture with Renaissance ideas, Beaux Arts was once the
favored style for grandiose public buildings. During the Gilded Age, however, wealthy industrialists
adopted the opulent fashion for their own private homes.
Beaux Arts buildings have many of these features:

Massive, grandiose building with stone finish

Monumental classical ornamentation:
- balustrades
- balconies
- columns
- cornices
- pilasters
- triangular pediments
Highly decorated: swags, medallions, cartouches, flowers, shields
Grand stairway
Large arches
Symmetrical faade

Some famous Beaux Arts buildings:

Boston Public Library

Carnegie Hall
Grand Central Station
New York Public Library
Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco
The Waldorf, New York City

About the Beaux Arts Style

The Beaux Arts (French for "fine art") style originated in the cole des Beaux Arts in Paris. Many
American architects studied at this legendary architectural school, where they learned about the
aesthetic principles of classical design and brought them to the United States.
Also known as Beaux Arts Classicism, Academic Classicism, or Classical Revival, Beaux Arts is a late
and eclectic form of Neoclassicism. It combines classical architecture from ancient Greece and Rome

with Renaissance ideas. Beaux Arts is characterized by order, symmetry, formal design, grandiosity, and
elaborate ornamentation. In the United States, the Beaux Arts style led to planned neighborhoods with
large, showy houses, wide boulevards, and vast parks. Due to the size and grandiosity of the buildings,
the Beaux Arts style is most commonly used for public buildings like museums, railway stations,
libraries, banks, courthouses, and government buildings.
The popularity of the Beaux Arts style waned in the 1920's, and within 25 years the buildings were
considered ostentatious. Later in the 20th century, postmodernists rediscovered an appreciation of the
Beaux Arts ideals.

Tudor / Medieval Revival

1890 - 1940

House at Bodnant Gardens in Wales

Copyright Jackie Craven

With heavy chimneys and decorative half-timbering, Tudor revival houses have a decidedly medieval
flavor. Learn more about this handsome style and its many imaginative variations.
Tudor style homes usually have these features:

Decorative half-timbering
Steeply pitched roof
Prominent cross gables
Tall, narrow windows
Small window panes
Massive chimneys, often topped with decorative chimney pots

The name Tudor suggests that these houses imitate English architecture from the early 16th century.
However, most Tudor style homes were inspired by building techniques from an earlier time. Some
Tudor houses mimic humble Medieval cottages -- They may even include a false thatched roof. Other
Tudor homes borrow ideas from late Medieval palaces. They may have overlapping gables, parapets,
and beautifully patterned brick or stonework. These historic details combine with Victorian or Craftsman
flourishes.
As in many Queen Anne and Stick style homes, Tudor style houses often feature striking decorative
timbers. These timbers hint at -- but do not duplicate -- Medieval building techniques. In Medieval
houses, the timber framing was integral with the structure. Modern Tudor houses, however, merely
suggest the structural framework with false half-timbering. This decorative woodwork comes in many
different designs, with stucco or patterned brick between the timbers.
Handsome examples of Tudor style architecture may be found throughout Great Britain, northern
Europe and the United States. The main square in Chester, England is surrounded by lavish Victorian
Tudors which stand unapologetically alongside authentic medieval buildings. In the United States, Tudor
styling takes on a variety of forms ranging from elaborate mansions to modest suburban homes with
mock masonry veneers. The style became enormously popular in the 1920s and 1930s, and modified
versions became fashionable in the 1970s and 1980s.

One popular housing type inspired by inspired by Tudor ideas is the Cotswold Cottage. These quaint
homes have an imitation thatched roof, massive chimneys, an uneven sloping roof, small window
panes, and low doors.
Renaissance Revival Style
c. 1840 - c. 1915

Breakers Mansion, built by Richard Morris Hunt

copyright ArtToday

A fascination for the architecture of Renaissance Europe and the villas of Andrea Palladio inspired these
elegant turn-of-the-century homes. Find facts and photos for the opulent Renaissance Revival style.
Renaissance Revival houses have many of these features:

Cube-shaped
Balanced, symmetrical faade
Smooth stone walls, made from finely-cut ashlar
Low-pitched hip or Mansard roof
Full roofline entablature topped with balustrade
Horizontal stone banding between floors
Segmental pediments
Centrally located doors
Ornately-carved stone window trim varying in design at each story
Smaller square windows on top floor
Quoins

Second Renaissance Revival houses are usually larger and also have:

Arched, recessed openings

Full entablatures between floors
Columns supporting entablatures, arched openings, and balconies
Ground floor made of rusticated stone: beveled edges and deeply-recessed joints

About the Renaissance Revival Style

Renaissance (French for "rebirth") refers to the artistic, architectural, and literary movement in Europe
between the 14th and 16th centuries. The Renaissance Revival style is based on the architecture of
16th-century Renaissance Italy and France, with additional elements borrowed from Ancient Greek and
Roman architecture. Renaissance Revival is a general term which encompasses the various Italian
Renaissance Revival and French Renaissance Revival styles, including Second Empire.

The Renaissance Revival style was popular during two separate phases. The first phase, or the First
Renaissance Revival, was from about 1840 to 1885, and the Second Renaissance Revival, which was
characterized by larger and more elaborately decorated buildings, was from 1890 to 1915. Due to the
expensive materials required and the elaborate style, Renaissance Revival was best suited for public
and commercial buildings, and very grand homes for the wealthy.

The Prairie Style

1900 -1920
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
Rows of small windows
One-story projections
Frank Lloyd Wright believed that rooms in Victorian era homes were boxed-in and confining. He
attempted to refine American housing by designing houses with low horizontal lines and open interior
spaces. Rooms were often divided by leaded glass panels. Furniture was either built-in or specially
designed. Wright's new style of housing was coined the prairie style after his 1901 Ladies Home Journal
plan titled, "A Home in a Prairie Town." Prairie houses were designed to blend in with the flat, prairie
landscape.
The first Prairie houses were usually plaster with wood trim or sided with horizontal board and batten.
Later Prairie homes used concrete block. The spacious, open floor plans of Prairie homes took on many
forms: Square, L-shaped, T-shaped, Y-shaped, and even pinwheel-shaped.
Many other architects produced Prairie homes throughout the American midwest. The style was
popularized by pattern books, and a subtype of the style, the American Foursquare, became one of the
most common housing forms in the United States.
In 1936, when the United States was in an economic depression, Frank Lloyd Wright developed a
simplified version of his Prairie School architecture. Designed to control costs, these homes had no
attics, no basements, and little ornamentation. Frank Lloyd Wright called his stripped-down Prairie
houses Usonian because he thought they represented the democratic ideals of the United States of
North America. Usonian houses were constructed through the 1950s and became models for
contemporary suburban housing.

French Inspired House Styles

Does your home speak franais? After World War I, soldiers returning to the United States and Canada brought a keen interest in
French housing styles. Building plan books and home magazines began to feature modest homes inspired by French building
traditions. Grand homes like the one shown here were constructed with a fanciful mix of French details.
Details vary, but French-inspired homes are distinguished by their distinctive hipped roofs and flared eaves. To decide whether your
home has French accents, look for these features:

Brick, stone, or stucco siding

Hipped roof
Flared eaves
Dormers
Multi-paned windows

Some French style homes also have:

Decorative half-timbering
Round tower at entryway
Arched doorway

French Normandy

French Normandy House Style

Photo from Clipart.com

Some French style homes borrow ideas from Normandy, where barns were attached to the living quarters. Grain or ensilage was
stored in a central turret. The Norman Cottage is a cozy and romantic style which features a small round tower topped by a coneshaped roof. Other Normandy homes resemble miniature castles with arched doorways set in imposing towers.
Like Tudor style houses, 20th-century French Normandy homes may have decorative half-timbering. Unlike Tudor style homes,
however, houses influenced by French styles do not have a dominant front gable.

Art Moderne

c. 1930 - c. 1945
With the sleek, streamlined appearance of a modern machine, Art Moderne architecture expressed the
spirit of a new, technological age. Here are facts about the trendy style of the 1930s and '40s.

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
Suggestions of speed and movement: Horizontal rows of windows or decorative bands
Little or no ornamentation
Open floor plans

About the Art Moderne Style

It's easy to confuse Art Moderne with Art Deco, but they are two distinctly different styles. While both have stripped-down forms and
geometric-based ornamentation, the moderne style will appear sleek and unornimented, while the slightly earlier deco style can be
quite showy.

Art Moderne

Art Deco

Orientation

Horizontal, with flat roof

Vertical, with setback

Size

Short

Tall

Color

White

Polychrome

Ornamentation

Little or none

Extensive: Bands of design,

carvings

Building type

Mainly residential

Commercial

The sleek, rounded Art Moderne style originated in the Bauhaus movement, which began in Germany.
Bauhaus architects wanted to use the principles of classical architecture in their purest form, designing
simple, useful structures without ornamentation or excess. Building shapes were based on curves,
triangles, and cones. Bauhaus ideas spread worldwide and led to the Moderne or International Style in
the United States. Art Moderne art, architecture, and fashion became popular just as Art Deco was
losing appeal. Many products produced during the 1930s, from architecture to jewelry to kitchen
appliances, expressed the new Art Moderne ideals.
Art Moderne truly reflected the spirit of the early twentieth century. Expressing excitement over
technological advancements, high speed transportation, and innovative new construction techniques,
Art Modern design was highlighted at the 1933 World Fair Chicago. For homeowners, Art Moderne also
proved to be a pragmatic style because these simple dwellings were so easy and economical to build.

A-frame Style
1957 to present

With a dramatic, sloping roof and cozy living quarters, an A-frame style house is ideal for wintery
regions with lots of snow.

A-frame houses have many of these features:

Triangular shape
Steeply sloping roof that extends to the ground on two sides
Front and rear gables
Deep-set eaves
1 or 2 stories
Many large windows on front and rear faades
Small living space
Few vertical wall surfaces

About the A-frame Style

Triangular and tee-pee shaped homes date back to the dawn of time, but architect Andrew Geller
turned an old idea into a revolutionary concept in 1957 when he built an "A-frame" house in Long
Island, New York. Named for the distinctive shape of its roofline, Geller's design garnered international
attention when it was featured in the New York Times. Soon, thousands of A-frame homes were built
around the world.
The steep slope of the A-frame roof is designed to help heavy snow to slide to the ground, instead of
remaining on top of the house and weighing it down. At the same time, the sloped roof provides two
other benefits. It creates a half floor at the top of the house which can be used for lofts or storage
space, and, since the roof extends down to the ground and doesn't need to painted, it minimizes the
amount of exterior maintenance required on the house. On the other hand, the sloped roof creates a
triangular "dead space" at the base of the walls on each floor. A-frame houses have limited living space
and are usually built as vacation cottages for the mountains or beach.

Postmodern Style
c. 1965 present
Is your house unique, whimsical, and surprising? Is it contradictory and yet ambiguous? Postmodern
houses tend to give the impression that anything goes - the impossible is not only possible, but
exaggerated. Learn more about the postmodern house style.

Vanna Venturi House

Pritzker Prize Laureate

Postmodern house qualities:

Sense of "anything goes": Forms filled with humor, irony, ambiguity, contradiction
Juxtaposition of styles: Blend of traditional, contemporary, and newly-invented forms
Exaggerated or abstract traditional detailing
Local materials and traditions are not necessarily used or considered

About the Postmodern Style

Postmodern (or post-modern) architecture evolved from Modernism, yet is a condemnation of that
style, which is considered excessively minimalist, anonymous, monotonous, and ultimately boring.
Postmodernism is characterized by what architect Charles Jencks refers to as "double coding": two or
more styles which co-exist in contradiction and/or self-mockery. This can be a mix of traditional and
invented forms, of functionality and decoration, or of familiar shapes used in surprising ways or
contexts. In other words, postmodern houses often don't have anything in common with one another,
other than their lack of commonality. Postmodern houses may be bizarre, humorous, or shocking, but
they are always unique.

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Often the term postmodern is loosely used to describe neo-eclectic homes that combine a variety of
historic styles. However, unless there is a sense of surprise, irony, or originality, a neo-eclectic home is
not truly postmodern.

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