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Part 3 From the Ground Up
elements found in ancient Greek
architecture.
One characteristic of a house in the
Greek Revival style is the two-story
entry porch across the entire front of the
structure. This structure is supported
by Greek columns. Another key charac-
teristic is a large triangular gable with
a pediment, 6-14. These houses are also
symmetrical with bold moldings and
heavy cornices (molded and projecting
horizontal members that crown archi-
tectural elements such as columns).
Houses of this style are large and
impressive. Some government build-
ings are designed in the Greek Revival
style.
Southern Colonial
An offshoot of the Greek Revival
style developed in the 1800s is the
Southern Colonial. The
Southern
Colonial
is a large, two- or three-story
brick or frame house of symmetrical
design, 6-15. Two-story columns extend
across the entire front, covered by an
extension of the roof. The roof style is
hip or gable. Dormers, shutters, and a
belvedere are often included. A belvedere
is a small room on the roof of a house
used as a lookout.
Victorian
Following the Civil War, growing
industrialization greatly influencedfl
architecture of the
Victorian
period—a
time during the reign of Queen Victoria
of England (1837 to 1901). House styles
of the Victorian period, Figure 6-16,
include the following:
• Italianate
• Gothic Revival (wood and masonry)
• American Second Empire (Mansard
style)
• Stick style (also called Carpenter
Gothic)
• Richardsonian Romanesque
• Eastlake Victorian
• Queen Anne
The main feature of all Victorian
housing styles is the abundance of
decorative trim. Other characteristics
include high porches, roofs with steep
gables, tall windows, high ceilings, dark
stairways, long halls, and turrets, which
are small towers. Not every Victorian
house had every feature, but a strong
combination of these elements came to
be associated with the haunted-house
stereotype in horror movies.
As the style developed, owners tried
to outdo one another in the amount
of decorative trim on their houses.
Machine-made trim became a sign of
prosperity and high style. Quantity
6-14
A Greek
Revival house
is characterized
by a two-story
portico supported
by Greek
columns with a
large triangular
pediment.
6-15
The design of this
Southern Colonial
evolved from the
Greek Revival
style.
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