Colonial Houses in the 1700s

Most federal style colonial homes had fanlights above the front door.

The array of house styles in 1700s colonial America established an eclectic era in the following century. Colonial homes during this time reflected the styles of their respective mother lands, with adjustments or idiosyncrasies introduced by life in the New World. Like the ethnic makeup of the U.S., these styles evidence a melting pot of cultural influences and change in the New World.

French Colonial

Look at a plantation house built during the 1700s, and you most likely will see a perfect example of French colonial architecture. The home is, in essence, a large two-story cottage, raised off the ground, where the main house was located. The house's frame was built with heavy timber and had a broad roofline. Wooden columnettes supported the gallery roofs. The above-ground basement was built with a brick exterior and plaster walls mixed with Spanish moss, animal hair, mud and sand. Interior walls were mainly planked. French doors and wraparound mantels were prominent. Creole townhouses were small, urban versions of this style, with porches that weren't deep as a plantation's. The second story typically was for living quarters and the first for business.

Georgian Colonial

Georgian Colonial style homes appeared between 1720 until the American revolution. The style is named after the period under King George in Britain. Strong English traditional elements influenced the style. It emphasized space and size as a sign of stature and wealth, so most Georgian colonial homes were built by a burgeoning wealthy class in the colonies who used architectural books and illustrations as guides. Shortage of materials and skilled builders resulted in many style variations. The style reigned from Maine to the South. Homes had large, square rooms with a center hall where the main staircase was located. Pedestaled doors, porticos and a symmetrical floorplan and aesthetic defined these homes.

Spanish Colonial

Spanish colonists across the United States, Spain and Mexico built homes in their own styles. The modern-day southwest had Spanish colonial styles built from the 16th century through the 19th. The colonial style followed Spanish baroque and renaissance style, defined by houses with thick adobe or stone walls with flat or low-pitched roofs. Homes had recessed windows, usually with iron, grill work or heavy interior shutters, which mimicked the fortresses in the area. No glass was used on the windows, and many homes had a courtyard floor plan, with the main building shaped in a square, rectangle or L surrounding the courtyard, which typically had a garden or other vegetation. Instead of interior hallways, long, narrow porches or breezeways connected exterior doors from room to room.

Federal Style

Architect Robert Adam made the federalist style a mainstay in the United States' early years. The style uses strong influence from classic Roman architecture. Though the style still took from Georgian design, patriotism during this time termed it "federal", though it's also referred to as Adams style architecture. The windows had small panes, and main colors were ochre, yellow and white. Red paint donned outer non-public parts of buildings. The floor plan was as simple box with strictly symmetrical rooms, two or more deep. The front door had pilasters or columns on either side and a fanlight or entablature above. Windows were lined horizontally and vertically symmetrical, in groups of seven, five or three. Its rooms were largely oval, circular or hexagonal.

References

• Northern Arizona State University; Architectural Styles of America -- About American Architectural Styles; Dr. Tom Paradis
• National Park Service: French Creole Architecture
• Design Intuit: The Georgian Style of British Colonial Annapolis
• Architecture for Kids: Spanish Colonial

Resources

• Architecture for Kids
• Digital Archive of American Architecture