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Book Review: A Field Guide to American Houses

© John J. Pascarella

This month, I thought I would do something different. I ran across an interesting book at my local library a few weeks ago and thought I would pass along a review. The name of the book is A Field Guide to American Houses (AFGTAH) by Virginia and Lee McAlester. If you enjoy seeking out different types of architecture in and around your town, or you are trying to identify your home's style, this book is a must have for every lover of historical architecture.

AFGTAH covers all American architectural styles from the 17th century through the present day. Where many books of this type give you a picture or drawing of a representative example of an architectural style, AFGTAH includes many photos of variations which you might run across. These photos are taken from across the country, which gives you the opportunity to see geographical differences within the same style of home.

AFGTAH is set up in the following chapters (dates given are approximate):
Looking at American Houses
This chapter covers the style, form and structure of American homes
Folk Houses
Native American (Indian architecture to 1900), Pre-Railroad (1850-1890) and National (after 1890).
Colonial Houses (1600-1820)
Postmedieval English (1600-1700), Dutch Colonial (1625-1840), French Colonial (1700-1830), Spanish Colonial (1600-1850), Georgian (1700-1780), Adam (1780-1820), and Early Classical Revival (1770-1830).
Romantic Houses (1820-1880)
Greek Revival (1825-1860), Gothic Revival (1840-1880), Italianate (1840-1885), Exotic Revivals (1835-1890), and Octagon (1850-1870).
Victorian Houses (1860-1900)
Second Empire (1855-1885), Stick (1860-1890), Queen Anne (1880-1910), Shingle (1880-1900), Richardsonian Romanesque (1880-1900), and Folk Victorian (1870-1910).
Eclectic Houses (1880-1940)(This chapter is divided into three sections)
Anglo-American, English and French Period Houses: Colonial Revival (1880-1955), Neoclassical (1895-1950), Tudor (1890-1940), Chateauesque (1880-1910), Beaux Arts (1885-1930), and French Eclectic (1915-1945).
Mediterranean Period Houses: Italian Renaissance (1890-1935), Mission (1890-1920), Spanish Eclectic (1915-1940), Monterey (1925-1955), and Pueblo Revival (1910-present).
Modern Houses: Praire (1900-1920), Craftsman (1905-1930), Modernistic (1920-1940), and International (1925-present).
American Houses since 1940
Modern (1935-present), Neoeclectic (1965-present), and Contemporary Folk (1940-present).

I was so impressed with this book that I spent almost a week driving around, identifying the different types of architecture to be found in my city. A Field Guide to American Houses is an excellent book, one which should be found on the book shelves of every fan of American home architecture.

You can buy A Field Guide to American Houses at Amazon.com.

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