Early Colonial to Jeffersonian Curious about a particular building style? The first installment of this series will examine Early American architecture from approximately 1550 to 1850. While American architecture can often be confusing mix of styles adapted from Greek, Roman, English, and Spanish influences, this guide will help provide a concise means to identify the major attributes of each style and period.
Early Colonial
1600-1700
The Early Colonial period includes both New England Colonial and Southern Colonial architecture.
New England Colonial
- timber-framed structure with clapboard siding
- simple "saltbox form" with steeply pitched gable roof
- second story overhangs
- small leaded windows
- massive central chimney
- brick or timber-framed structure
- simple "saltbox form" with steeply pitched gable roof
- narrow plan, often only one room deep
- patterned brick masonry
- massive chimneys at each end of house
Spanish Colonial
1565-1850
The Spanish Colonial period includes is prevalent particularly in California, Florida, and the Southwest.
- adobe or stone construction with an applied finish of plaster or lime wash
- massive, monolithic walls with a minimum of openings
- terra cotta tile or flat roofs with arched parapet or gable forms
- projecting roof supports and exposed timbers
- twin bell towers
- Baroque ornament applied to walls
Georgian
1700-1776
Named for the kings who ruled England during the 1700s, the Georgian style is based on the work of Sir Christopher Wren and his contemporaries.
- geometrical proportions
- hipped roof form
- Palladian windows
- symmetrical plan and building elevations arranged about a central axis
- a main entrance emphasized with columns, pilasters, and broken pediment forms
- classical details
Federal
1780-1820
Celebrating the birth of a new nation, the Federal style is based upon the Adamesque style popular in Britain. The Adamesque style combined Renaissance and Palladian forms, French Rococo, and features of ancient Roman villas.
- low pitched roof
- smooth facade
- window openings with larger panes and louvered shutters
- delicate columns and molding
- exterior detail expressed only at an entrance
- circular, oval, or octagonal room shapes
- interior decoration such as garlands, swags, urns, and rosettes applied to walls
- pastel colors
Jeffersonian
1790-1830
Inspired by the work of Thomas Jefferson, this style combined the order and geometry of a pure Roman temple form.
- red brick construction
- main floor slightly elevated above ground level
- slender columns with smooth shafts
- a portico with pediment above
- simple, classical moldings painted white
- circular, oval, or octagonal room shapes
- arched window or opening located at pediment
In the next installment, we will continue to explore the styles and periods of American architecture beginning with Greek Revival. It is in this period that American architecture began to express and symbolize the democratic ideals of the nation in churches, banks, courthouses, and other civic buildings.
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