Colonial Style
1600-1700
Built during the first generation of settlement by English colonists, the architecture labeled Colonial owes much of its appearance to building traditions from Europe. It could be argued that houses from this period are without style; they were not designed by architects. Several common elements mark these structures as early European settlers took advantage of materials at hand as well as architectural features remembered from their home country suited to their respective climates.
The first colonists in New England built primarily one room deep two story houses with a central chimney, although single story hall-parlor houses were built as well. By the early 1700s, they began adding to the rear to give more interior space. The result was the one and a half room deep "saltbox."
Colonial Characteristics
- Symmetrical, square shape
- Central chimney to heat as much of house as possible; later, paired chimneys for the same goal
- Medium pitched roof to shed rain, sometimes steeper in northern settlements to shed snow build-up
- Very little overhang or eaves result in more exposure to sun, rain, and snow; conserves materials, lightens workload, and reflects limited construction experience
- Straight lines of windows on the first and second floor
- Saltbox extends roofline toward ground, providing more protected space with the trade off of peculiar interior shape
- Overhanging second story to increase living space and provide entryway protection from rain
- Central door; the door leads to an entryway with stairway and hall aligned along the center of the house
http://www.history.org/Almanack/places/
Watch video clip and view pictures of colonial architecture
Watch video clip and view pictures of colonial architecture
- What made colonial architecture recognizably "American?”
- Why were different materials used in different parts of the country?
- What are some architectural features of Colonial homes?