Recent Posts
Every city in the United States is diverse. The buildings, people, customs, geography – it’s as varied as one city is to the next. Throughout the United States’ history, architectural styles have proven to be just as different as the people who live here. Since the foundation of the country, architects have taken and borrowed inspiration from around the world. This means many past trends along the city streets are revivals.
If you’re curious about where some of the most popular architectural trends in America originated, here is ENTITY’s comprehensive style guide!
The English were not the only ones who sailed to America to settle. Pilgrims came from all across Europe and built their homes with their own distinct styles. From 1600 to 1800, people came from New England, Germany, the Netherlands, France, and Spain.
The most popular Colonial Style is Cape Cod, which comes from New England. These houses are simple, yet iconic with few porches, embellishments, or decorations. Architecture expert, Jackie Craven, says that these houses were designed for easy construction and efficient heating, so you’ll often see a steeply pitched roof, a large general chimney linking each fireplace in each room, and a construction of wood and brick. Those classic houses you drew as a kid usually are reminiscent of Cape Cod houses.
During the Federalist Era from 1789 to 1865, after America had declared its independence from British rule to become the United States, the feeling of pride and nationalism was reflected in architecture. Architects took inspiration from Greece and its ideals of democracy to define the country’s independence from its European roots.
These new Americans felt that their nation was the spiritual descendant of Greece. Wentworth Studio says, “Greek Revival even became known as the national style, so pervasive were the temple-fronted facades on the nation’s churches, banks, town halls, and houses.” One of the country’s first Greek Revival buildings was the Second Bank of the United States in Philadelphia.
The Greek Revival style usually tends to be painted white to mimic marble. These buildings are boldly detailed and are constructed with tall columns. The entrance is the most elaborate, featuring two to four panels and wide steps. Greek Revival buildings are meant to appear grand and classic.
From 1840-1900, the Industrial Revolution introduced mass-production and factory-made building parts. All these factors made it easy to build elaborate and affordable houses. Gothic Revival, a style of the Victorian Era, takes inspiration from Western Europe’s medieval forms. However, the style is freshened up by the addition of colors, textures, and asymmetrical facades.
This style features a complicated shape that extends up two or three levels, a steep, pitched roof, and elaborate details. The famous ‘painted ladies’ featured on the television show, “Full House” in San Francisco come from the Victorian Era of architecture.
The early 20th century brought streetcars and the arts and crafts movement. Suburbs began to develop around major cities and America boomed with a new style of living. These houses were produced for an ever-expanding American middle class. Cozy bungalows that focused on the simple forms and natural materials were all the rage. The craftsman style was led by William Morris and revived symmetrical floor plans and classic decorations. These homes are also noted for their wide and covered porches, exposed beams, and gabled roofs.
Art and architecture usually progress simultaneously, so with the modernist art movement of the 20th century came modernist architecture. According to Visual Arts Cork, “It rejected all traditional styled based on older prototypes, and proposed a new type of functional design including modern materials and construction techniques, to create a new aesthetic and sense of space.”
The modernist style sought to only include simplicity and the bare minimum when it came to decoration. A lot of the designs, such as those of Frank Lloyd Wright, were built to reflect organic material and nature. Modernist buildings definitely broke away from conventionality and continue to do so as technology and resources become more available.
Currently, architects are pushing the boundaries of their practice and creating designs in a way that the world has never seen before. The urgency for sustainability has also been a factor in the building of all structures nowadays. Many postmodern buildings are combining diverse elements to create a collaboration of vintage and modern design. We frequently see open floor plans, many windows, high ceilings, and a range of different materials. Visual Arts Cork tells us, “Postmodernists wanted to ‘rehumanize’ architecture by using a mixture of styles, including features taken from classical designs as well as those from popular culture.”
