Guide to Old House Styles and Architecture
There are many styles of historic homes built throughout the years, some very simple in design and others maximizing every possible detail. Here at OldHouses.com we will attempt to document architectural house styles and examples to inform and assist you when identifying a historical home. If you have a good example of a house style and would like to feature it on our site, let us know about it and we will gladly include it in our style guide.
An Overview of Old House Styles.
Colonial Styles
The Colonial house style consists of many styles built during the "Colonial" period (early 18th Century) in America's history when England, Spain, and France had colonies scattered across what is now the United States.
Early National and Romantic Styles
The Romantic Style of American houses grew in popularity in a time when the U.S. was attempting to break free from English culture and looked to the ancient world for architectural inspiration.
Victorian Styles
Victorian houses are architecturally commonly referred to as a Victorian Style but this "style" is really a period in history. The Victorian era dates from the time when Queen Victoria ruled Britain (1840 to 1904).
The Bungalow
The Bungalow house style of architecture is a single family house type whose popularity grew in the western United States at the turn-of-the-century. Bungalows offered low cost, simple living quarters with an artistic touch to many Americans getting by on modest means.
Arts and Crafts Styles
The Arts and Crafts Movement began in England in the 1860s as a reform movement that challenged the tastes of the Victorian era. Its primary proponents were John Ruskin (1819-1900) and William Morris (1834-1896). Subsequently this style was taken up by American designers around the time of Morris's death in 1896, with somewhat different results. In the United States, the Arts and Crafts style was also known as Mission style.
The American Foursquare
Perhaps the first type of house with a truly American pedigree, American Foursquares became popular in the first two decades of the twentieth century. Simple and economical to build, they were the perfect building type to embody Arts and Crafts sensibilities like simplicity and a focus on natural, indigenous materials. Though they have a distinctive appearance, Foursquares can adapt to almost any style, often Prairie or Craftsman style, but also Late Victorian, Spanish, and just about any others you can think of.
Modern Styles
Most Modern house styles of American architecture include familiar and very popular architects. This list includes Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier (Charles-Edouard Jeanneret), Charles and Henry Greene, Mies van der Rohe, and Walter Gropius just to name a few.
Other Style Guides on The Internet.
Architectural Styles of America
Resource No. 608
Home Types and Styles by Realtor.com
Home Types and Styles by Realtor.com
Resource No. 396
House Styles and Home Architecture
Even if your house is brand new, its architecture draws inspiration from the past. This index traces important housing styles in the US from Colonial to modern times. Learn how residential architecture has changed over the centuries, and discover interesting facts about the design influences that helped shape your own home.visit www.about.com/homegarden
House Styles and Home Architecture
Walk the Town
Books About Old House Styles.
Resource No. 290
A Field Guide to American Houses
Virginia Savage McAlester
The fully expanded, updated, and freshly designed second edition of the most comprehensive and widely acclaimed guide to domestic architecture—in print since its publication in 1984, and acknowledged everywhere as the unmatched, essential reference to American houses.
Resource No. 291
The Abrams Guide to American House Styles
William Morgan
What are the unique characteristics that make a house Colonial or Craftsman, Modern or Deco, or any of the other approximately 20 styles of domestic architecture common in the United States? At a time of near-obsessive attention to home design and renovation, this compact, easily accessible guide-the only book of its kind with all color photography-makes the identification of house styles a breeze.
Resource No. 708
American Architecture
Leland Roth
American Architecture introduces the reader to the major developments that shaped the American-built environment from before the Europeans to the present, from the everyday vernacular to the high style of aspiration. Leland M. Roth describes the impact of changes in conceptual imagery, style, building technology, landscape design, and town-planning theory throughout the nation’s history.
Resource No. 180
American House Styles
John Milnes Baker
This unique book will allow readers to recognize the architectural features and style of virtually any house they encounter.
Resource No. 722
Discovering the History of Your House and Your Neighborhood
Betsy J Green
Every home has a story to tell! Whether you own an elaborate Victorian, cozy bungalow or cottage, ranch style, or are part of a newer subdivision, your house and property have a unique history that is just waiting to be uncovered.
Resource No. 289
Look Up, America
Doug Gelbert
House styles not only infuse our streets with personality, they help to tell the story of America. We have selected 15 of the most common house styles in the United States and told their story.
Resource No. 112
What Style Is It?
John C. Poppeliers
Architectural style is defined as a definite type of architecture, distinguished by special characteristics of structure and ornament. This revised edition of What Style Is It? includes new sections on Neoclassical, Romanesque and Rustic Styles. It also provides more examples of how pure styles vary by geographic region across the US.
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