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Office Location 77 Pond Avenue,
Brookline, MA
Phone: (617) 232-4186
Fax: (617) 232-7954

 Colonial Architecture  Tudor Revival Architecture
 Federal Architecture  Prairie Architecture
 Greek Revival Architecture  Modern Architecture
 Italianate Architecture French Provincial Architecture
 Victorian Architecture Art Deco Architecture
 Colonial Revival Architecture Ranch Architecture
 Neoclassical Architecture Contemporary Architecture
 Arts and Crafts Architecture Neo-eclectic Architecture
       

 
 

Cape Code Architecture

Early American settlers developed the northeastern U.S. style, which is known for its gabled roof and plain front.

A full Cape Cod home has a central door and chimney, two windows on each of the door and two small dormers.

A full Cape Cod home has a central door and chimney, two windows on each side of the door and two small dormers.

The first Cape Codes were developed by early settlers from England in the 1660s. Partially inspired by the simple, thatched cottages common in Britain, the settlers adapted the style to keep out the harsh New England winter.  According to historian John Stigoe the settlers ran out of wood so they started building smaller houses, thus the houses became 1/2 stories tall. The five downstairs rooms had low ceilings and were wrapped around the central chimney for warmth.

The bit, central chimney was literally the heart of the home. It provided heat for all the rooms clustered around it, as well as light and, of course, dinner.  Cedar shingles on the exterior and the roof also helped cut the cold.  A steep roof quickly shed rain and snow.  Everything about the Cape Cod style was adopted for its function rather than its form.  The style largely died out until Boston architect Royal Barry Willis reintroduced the Cape in the 1920s as a contemporary housing option. He retained the basic exterior shape of the Cape, but adapted the interior for modern life.  Most of the Cape Cod homes you see today were built following World War 11, when thousands of returning soldiers and their young families needed inexpensive housing.  The Cape Cod style fit the bill, and it was used to build some of the first major housing developments.

Key Elements

  • Large, central chimney. The large central chimney is located directly behind the front door,
        with the rooms clustered around it in a rectangular shape.
  • Steep roof. Cape Cods have steep roof s to quickly shed rain and snow, with side gables.
  • Windows and dormers. A full Cape has two windows on either side of the door, and often has a 
        dormer on either side of the chimney to open up the attic.
  • Single siding. Weathered gray shingles are on e of the most recognizable elements of the classic
        Cape Cod, but newer homes are built of brick, stucco and stone.
  • Small roof overhang
  • 1 or 11/2 stories
  • Symmetrical appearance with door in center
  • Dormers for space, light, and ventilation
  • Multi-paned, double-hung windows
  • Shutters
  • Formal, center-hall floor plan
  • Hardwood Floors
  • Little Exterior ornamentation
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    Colonial Architecture 

    Georgian homes feature a rectangular, symmetrical design.

    colonial_257

    Traditional Colonial homes have paired chimneys, decorative doorways and plain, symmetrical fronts.

    Georgian Colonial became the rave in New England and the Southern colonies during the 1700s. Stately and symmetrical, these homes imitated the larger, more elaborate Georgian homes which were being built in England.  But the genesis of the style goes back much farther.  During the reign of King George l in the early 1700s, and King George lll later in the century, Britons drew inspiration from the Italian renaissance and from ancient Greece and Rome.

    Georgian ideals came from to New England via pattern books and Georgian styling became a favorite of well-to-do colonists. Most humble dwellings also took on characteristics of the Georgian style. American Georgian homes tend to be less ornate than those found in Britain.

    The styles that arose can be referred to as "colonial architecture", which includes Georgian Colonial, Spanish Colonial, German Colonial, French Colonial, Dutch Colonial and Federal.

    Georgian Colonial architecture is characterized by a rectangular, symmetrical and formal style. These homes are often marked by a centrally located front door, evenly spaced double-hung windows and a simple side-gabled roof.

    These homes were ideally constructed of brick. But as you moved north towards New England where Brick was less common, wood-frame construction was the dominant technique.

    Key Elements

  • Square, symmetrical shape. Both the exterior and interior are traditionally arranged according to
        strict symmetry and proportion. This all begins with the centrally located entrance, a hallway and
        staircase around which the interior rooms are positioned.
  • Five windows across front. Windows are always rectangular and evenly spaced across the 
        houses facade. The windows also are traditionally double-hung and multi-paned, typically with
        nine or 12 panes on each sash.       
  • Dental moldings along the eaves. Dentil, or tooth-like blocks, began to decorate roof lines
        as styles became more decorative.
  • Pedimented dormers sometimes jutted from the roof- triangular-shaped dormers.
  • Flattened columns on each side of door.
  • Pilasters, shallow columns, often adorned the homes' front elevation
  • Shutters. In the South, the shutters tend to be louvered to welcome breezes but thwart the sun
        Up North, paneled shutters close up tight to protect the home from harsh winds, sleet and snow.
  • Paired chimneys
  • Medium pitched roof with minimal roof overhang

    • door__pilasters_254_01   Pilaster- columns on either side of door

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    Federal Architecture 

    This grand style inspired by Roman classicism was America's first national style.

    federal_283

    The fanlight over the door and elliptical window in the gable are characteristic of the Federal style.

    Between the years 1780 and 1830, a new nation wanted a new style of architecture, and it was named Federal.

    Robert Adam, an owner of the largest architectural practice in Britain spent two years abroad studying Italian architecture and the Roman empires.  He brought drawings back and published what he had learned, thus defining the style for America.

    Boston's leading Federal architect was Charles Bulfinch.  Though Federal and Georgian houses look similar, the narrow window details, and thinner, more elongated columns and proportions of the Federal style were considered more archeologically correct.  Boston Federal homes often were more restrained in ornamentation than Georgians, though Palladian windows grew in popularity.  Fanlight windows over the front door are sometimes called Adamesque.

    Federal style homes can be seen on Beacon Hill and Salem's Chestnut Street.

    Key Elements

  • Front Facade. The door is simple, but the ornamentation around it is grand
  • Columns. Tall, slender column or pilasters frame the entrance
  • Windows, An elliptical fanlight, or fan-shaped window, tops the door with long, rectangular
         windows on either side. A Palladian window is placed directly over the door for a symmetrical
         look. All other windows are symmetrically aligned as well.
  • Narrow side windows flanking the front door
  • Decorative crown or roof over the front door
  • Low-pitched roof, or flat roof with a balustrade (A balustrade is a row of repeating balusters-small
         posts that support the upper rail of the railing. Staircases and porches often have balustrades)
  • Tooth-like dentil moldings in the cornice ( the cornice is the uppermost section of molding along
         the top of a wall or just below the roof)
  • Circular or elliptical windows
  • Shutters
  • Decorative swags and garlands
  • Steps. Curved steps with iron railings often lead to the entry
  • Brick. The homes are often made of brick
  • Oval rooms and arches
  • Palladian windows- A Palladian window is a large window that is divided into three parts. The
         center section is larger than the two side sections, and is usually arched.

    •  

     A fanlight is a semicircular or side-elliptical window over a doorway or another window.

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    Greek Revival Architecture 

    Inspired by Greek architecture and democracy, Greek Revival homes feature a symmetrical, formal shape.

    greek_revival_500_01

    It's large and imposing, with thick white columns that flank the front entrance and support a porch that spans the width of the house.

    America was looking to ancient Greece for inspiration.. This was the beginning of the American democracy. Independence from Britain rule had been fought and won. The country was expanding in population and land.

    Thomas Jefferson believed in architecture as a symbol. Williamsburg to Jefferson represented colonial exploitation. In France Jefferson learned of the Russian architecture as a symbolic association with Greek democracy.  In 1975 construction of the Jefferson Virginia State Capital was the first building of the neoclassical movement in the U.S and Europe.  To Jefferson, architecture was the form of visual education in support of the democratic ideal.  The Greek Revival movement became widely accepted throughout the early U.S. as a symbol of the new democracy. Greek street names, Greek places and Greek architecture became dominant throughout the Northeast. Although Pennsylvania preferred the traditional Georgian row houses right up to the Civil war and never adopted the Greek revival style.

    Roman arches were shunned for the right angles of boxy post-and-lintel-construction, suggesting Greek temples. Flat rectangular columns, called pilasters, were attached to every buildings face.  The front door was recessed and usually featured sidelights. Small high windows ventilated the attic. They were always painted white to symbolize purity.

    Key Elements

  • Tall column and pediments. The ancient Greek temple model with its row of tall columns
         and pediments include two of the most obvious characteristics of this style of
         historic home design ( A Pediment is a low-pitched triangular gable on the front of some buildings)
  • Painted plaster exterior. Although the buildings and ruins of Greece were all made of stone,
         American homes of this style were not. They were instead crafted in wood and covered
         in plaster, then painted in white to create the illusion of stone.
  • Horizontal transom. It sits over the front door, instead of a fanlight like the earlier Federal period
         homes
  • Moldings. Bold but simple moldings throughout the interior and exterior of the house
  • Embellishment. Expensive homes might add more detail, like framed dormer windows on the
         second story, with pilasters and pediments.
  • Heavy cornice - The cornice is the uppermost section of the molding along the top of the wall or
         just below the roof
  • Wide, plain frieze - A frieze is a horizontal band that runs above doorways and windows or below
         the cornice. The frieze may be decorated with designs or carvings.
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    Italianate Architecture 

    This style has symmetrical front bay windows and tall chimneys. 

    italianate_314

    The early Victorian style features sloping roofs and elaborate doors, windows and cornices.

    Builders began to design fanciful re-creations of Italian Renaissance villas. When the style moved to the United Stated it was reinterpreted again to create a uniquely American style.

    Italianate buildings tend to be characterized more by their ornamentation than by their function. By the late 1860s, Italianate was the most popular house style in the United States. It could be constructed with many different building materials and the style could be adapted to modest budgets. New technology made it possible to quickly and affordably produce cast-iron and press-metal decorations.

    Italianate remained the most popular house style until the 1870s when architectural fashion moved toward the late Victorian styles. 

    Key Elements

  • Rectangular Italianates have a plain shape
  • Sloping Roofs
  • Deep Overhanging eaves which are seemingly supported by a row of decorative brackets and
         cornices
  • Brick, stone or stucco is used to construct the exterior
  • Tall, rounded windows. The windows are usually rounded at the top. They usually appear in sets
         of three, evenly paired.
  • Shutters are seldom found on these homes replaced by pedimented or framed windows
  • Square tower or cupola just above the roof line
  • Porch topped with balustaded balconies
  • Tall ,narrow double-paned windows with hood moldings
  • Tall appearance with 2,3,or 4 stories
  • Roman or segmented arches above windows and doors
  • Balanced, symmetrical rectangular shape
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     Victorian Architecture

    Victorian architecture refers to several styles developed during the reign of Queen Victoria

    vict_273

    The term "Victorian architecture" actually refers to styles that emerged in the period between 1830 and 1910 during the reign of Queen Victoria.  The term was coined in England to describe buildings supposedly inspired by pre-Georgian, late Medieval styles. To its originators it suggests eclecticism and variety. It represents a culmination of picturesque styles in the 19th century. Anything goes: the style itself it based on "decorative excess:  and variety. There was no focus on historic detailing, rather a combination of various forms and styles. It was the most dominate style in the U.S. 1880-1900. Several well-known styles are the Gothic Revival, Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne, Stick Style, Romanesque Style and Shingle Style.

    The Victorian styles evolved from the imposing elaborate Gothic style, which appealed to the romantic Victorian idea that fashion, architecture and furnishings should be beautiful rather than practical. A wealthy Victorian woman's clothing involved corsets, hoop skirts and dresses that used yards of fabric. It made sense for the trendy home design to reflect that excess as well.

    Architects took the ideas of Gothic architecture and added French, Italian, Tudor and Eqyptian details. Designers could combine styles so very rarely did any two homes look the same. The Industrial Revolution nationalized the trend. Steam-powered sawmills could create elaborate materials cheaper and faster.

    folk_victorian_500_01

    Folk Victorian houses usually have these features:

  • Square symmetrical shape
  • Brackets under the eaves
  • Porches with spindle work or flat, jigsaw cut trim

  • America's Queen Anne houses have many of these features

  • Steep roof
  • Complicated asymmetrical shape
  • Front-facing gable
  • One-story porch that extends across one or two sides of the house
  • Round or square towers
  • Wall surfaces textured with decorative shingles, patterned masonry or half-timbering
  • Ornamental spindles and brackets
  • Bay windows
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    Colonial Revival 

    Expressing American patriotism and a return to classical styles, Colonial Revival became a standard style in the 20th century. 

    colonial-revival_jpg_600_01

    Colonial Revival became a popular American house style after it appeared at the 1876 U.S. Centennial Expositition. Reflecting American patriotism and a desire for simplicity, the Colonial Revival house style remained popular until the mid- 1950s.

    The Colonial revival style is based loosely on Federal and Georgian styles, and a clear reaction against excessively elaborate Victorian Queen Anne architecture. The simple symmetrical Colonial revival style became incorporated into the Foursquare and Bungalow house styles of the early 20th century.

    Subtyles of the Colonial Revival Style

  • Dutch Colonial

    • Two-story house made of clapboard or shingles with a gambrel roof, flared eaves, and a side-entry floor plan

  • Garrison Colonial

    • The second story protrudes, the first story is slightly recessed.

  • Saltbox Colonial

    • Like the original saltbox homes of the colonial times, a Saltbox Style Colonial Revival has two stories at the front and one story at the rear. The gable roof covers both levels, sloping sharply down in the rear.

  • Spanish Colonial Revival

    • Low-pitched ceramic tile roof, stucco walls, eaves with little or no overhang, wrought iron, windows and doorways with round arches.

    Colonial Revival houses have many of these features:

  • Symmetrical facade
  • Rectangular
  • 2 or 3 stories
  • Brick or wood siding
  • Simple classical detailing
  • Gable roof
  • Pillars and columns
  • Multi-pane, double-hung windows with shutters
  • Dormers
  • Temple-like entrance ,porticos topped with pediment
  • Paneled doors with sidelights and topped with rectangular transoms or fanlights
  • Center entry-hall floor plan
  • Living area on first floor and bedrooms on the second floor
  • Fireplaces
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    Neoclassical Architecture 

    Describes buildings that are inspired by the Beaux-Arts style 

    neo-classical-georgia-3169010_500_01   boston_state_house_160_01

    Neoclassical became a dominant style of domestic buildings nationwide between 1930-1940s. It was directly inspired by the Beaux-Arts style and the Chicago's World Fair.  The style tends to include features of classical symmetry; full -height porch with columns and temple front, and various classical ornaments such as dentil cornices.

    A neoclassical building is likely to have some, but not necessarily all, of these features.

  • Symmetrical shape
  • Tall columns that rise the full height of the buildings
  • Triangular pediment
  • Domed roof
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     Arts and Crafts Architecture

    The 19th century Arts and Crafts movement sparked the Craftsman and Bungalow styles.

    artsncrafts_241

    This earth-toned Craftsman home has detailed exterior woodwork and substantial front porch supports.

    The term "Arts and Crafts" refers to the early 19th-century British and American movement to revive handicrafts. The movement was also the inspiration behind the craftsman and bungalow styles. It encouraged the use of simple forms and natural materials.

    In the United States, Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene began to design homes that combine Arts and Crafts ideas with a fascination for the simple wooden architecture of China and Japan. A true craftsman house is one built according to plans published in Stickley Magazine. Soon other magazines published patterns, and soon the word "craftsman" expressed Arts and Crafts ideas, most especially the simple Bungalow.

    Stickley preached that bungalows would give working-class families the chance to experience "serious architecture". Bungalows melded simple design with handcrafted artistry.

    Key Elements

  • Built of natural materials
  • Built-in furniture and light fixtures
  • Fireplace
  • Porches
  • Low-pitched roofs with wide eaves and triangular brackets
  • Exposed beams
  • Open floorplan
  • Exposed roof rafters
  • Dark wood wainscoting and moldings
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     Tudor Revival Architecture

     Half-timbered exteriors, steep roofs and gables mark the Tudor Revival style

     tudor5_316

    An impressive fireplace of stone or brick with wooden or stone lintels is often the center of the Tudor's living room interior.  The woodwork and overmantel can be plain or decorated with dignified, unfussy period designs.

    Thanks to their steeply pitched, multi-gabled roof lines and decorative half-timber framing, Tudor homes are one of the most recognizable on the American landscape. The decorative woodwork comes in many different designs with stucco or patterned brick between the timbers.

    Tudor styling takes on a variety of forms ranging from elaborate mansions to moderate suburban homes with mock masonry veneers. The styles become enormously popular in the 1920 and 19302, and modified versions became fashionable in the 1970s and 1980s.  All Tudors are symmetrical structures dominated by imposing roof lines.

    One popular housing type inspired by Tudor ideas is the Cotswold Cottage. These quaint homes have an imitation thatched roof, massive chimneys, and uneven slopping roof, small window panes and low doors.

    Key Elements

  • Steep, multi-gabled roof lines
  • Decorative half-timber framing
  • Massive chimneys
  • Brick, stone, stucco or slate exteriors
  • Decorate entryways - often arched and outlined with decorative brick or stone work
  • Windows in groups of two, three or four - most often casement
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     Prairie Architecture

    Frank Lloyd Wright revolutionized the American Home when he began to design the "Prairie" style houses with low horizontal lines and open interior spaces. 

    prairie_500_01

    You can see Asian influences in the window frames of this classic, low-slung Prairie home.

    Frank Lloyd Wright believed that rooms in Victorian era homes were boxed-in and confining. He began to design houses with low horizontal lines and open interior spaces. Rooms were often divided by leaded glass panels. Furniture was either built-in or specially designed. These homes were called prairie style after Wright's 1901 Ladies Home Journal plan titled "A Home in Prairie Town".  Prairie houses were designed to blend in with the flat, prairie landscape.

    The first Prairie houses were usually plaster with wood trim or sided with horizontal board and batten. Later prairie homes used concrete block. Prairie homes can have many shapes: Square, L-shaped, T-shaped, Y-shaped, and even pinwheel-shaped.

    window_106Clerestory windows

    Key Elements

  • Horizontal linetrim, bricks, cedar siding is horizontally oriented
  • Built-in furniture
  • Simple materials - natural stains to let the character of wood show through
  • Cantilevered flat roofs. Long horizontal roofs with a straight overhang
  • Open flowing spaces - centered on the living and dining rooms
  • Rows of windows - several windows placed together in a row
  • Central chimney
  • Clerestory windows- a high wall with a band of narrow windows along the very top
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    Modern Architecture 

    Low-slung roofs, clean lines and open living spaces characterize modern architecture 

    modern_300

    This open homes glass and stone walls connect the interior and exterior seamlessly.

    It is easy to confuse modern architecture with contemporary architecture, because in casual usage the two words mean the same thing.  But modern architecture refers to designs inspired by the historic art movement of modernism. Most examples of modern architecture are at least 50 years old.

    Modernism was a rebellion against classical architecture. Because it was a broad movement spanning 60 years it encompasses several familiar styles; the Arts and Crafts, Art Deco, and the Ranch.

    Key Elements

  • Open living spaces
  • Clean, geometric lines
  • Technologically advanced materials -iron, concrete, steel and glass
  • Function over foam - movable walls and screens
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     French Provincial Architecture

     Inspired by rural French homes

    french_provincial_388

    The steeply pitched roofs and arched windows of the French Provincial style are popular in wealthier suburbs.

    American soldiers returning from World War l admired similar homes in the French countryside when they were serving in Europe. French-Provincial homes became popular in the post-war housing booms that were built in many of the suburbs.

    Key Elements

  • Balanced, symmetrical proportions
  • Brick exterior
  • Steer roofs
  • Tall second-story windows
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    Art Deco Architecture 

    A mix of smooth swirls, curves and high-gloss finishes

    artdecojpg_305 

    Miami's South Beach is full of buildings with Art deco

    Art Deco was the first widely popular style in the U.S. to break with revivalist tradition represented by Beaux Arts and period houses.

    Art deco was a style of decoration applied to jewelry, clothing, furniture, handicrafts and buildings. A showcase of new works of "new inspiration and real originality". An emphasis on the future rather than the past was the style's principal characteristic.

    Art Deco's appeal began to fade in the 1940s and resurged in the 1980s when Miami's South Beach became so popular.

    Key Elements

  • Flat roofs
  • Smooth walls
  • Bold exterior decorations
  • Experimentation with interior materials
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    Ranch Architecture 

    Single-story, open ranch homes are simple

    ranch_305_01 

    After World War ll, real estate developers turned to the simple economical Ranch style to meet the housing needs of returning soldiers and their families. After falling out of favor in the 1980s and 1990s ranch style homes are now enjoying a return to vogue, mostly as custom-built homes.

    Key Elements

  • Single-floor living- split-level homes came into fashion in the 1950s
  • Horizontal, rambling layout
  • Asymmetry - usually "L" or "S" in shape
  • Large windows - Double hung- sliding and picture
  • Backyard Emphasis
  • Attached garage
  • Simple floor plans
  • Emphasis on openness
  • Lack decorative detailing
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     Contemporary Architecture

     Contemporary architecture refers to today's diverse building styles.

    contemporary_299 

    This contemporary home's large windows connect the interior and exterior living spaces.

    The term "contemporary architecture" refers to today's building styles, which are quite diverse and boast a wide array of influences. It connects the indoors and outdoors while achieving a feeling of spaciousness. But it isn't averse to showing signs of regional character or whimsy. Today's architecture is especially concerned with energy efficiency and sustainable materials, which has led to some truly innovative designs.

    Key Elements

  • Natural, sustainable components
  • Recycled and nontoxic materials
  • Natural light
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    Neo-eclectic Architecture

    Neo-Colonial houses are romantic versions of the historic Colonial and French style buildings 

    neo-eclectic_colonial_500

    If your home was recently built, chances are it incorporates many styles. Architects and designers added this new stylistic mix, Neo-eclectic.

    Modern-day houses are often a mixture of historic styles adapted for contemporary lifestyles. New England Colonial, Southern Colonial, Georgian, and Federal details are imitated using low maintenance modern materials. The idea is to convey the traditional, refined atmosphere of a Colonial home, but not to recreate a Colonial style. The interiors of these homes are thoroughly modern with great rooms, high-tech kitchens, and other conveniences.

    Neo-Colonial houses have many of these features:

  • Constructed in the late 20th century through the present time
  • Rectangular shape
  • Center entry-hall floor plan
  • Great-room and other large living areas
  • Complicated roofline with cross gables and dormers
  • Double-hung windows with shutters
  • Dentil molding
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