The History Behind The Architecture

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Homes come in all different shapes, sizes, colors and styles. Many people have strong opinions on what architecture style they prefer. While some like mid-century modern, others gravitate to older styles like Colonial or Victorian. Discover more about the different styles and the history behind the architecture.

Victorian

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Victorian homes derived their name from the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). It was during this period that the industrial revolution was happening and subsequently the housing boom in the UK, which resulted in millions of Victorian style homes.

There are actually several sub-styles within the Victorian style. The one pictured above is a Queen Anne style Victorian home. The architecture of a Queen Anne style features large front porches, steep pitched roofs, round turrets, patterned shingles and other ornamental elements. Often these homes are painted with a multi-colored palette. These homes exude character!

Craftsman

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Craftsman architecture developed between 1860 and 1910 and lasted into the 1930’s. At the turn of the 20th century, a furniture designer by the name of Gustav Stickley was key to bringing about the popularity of the American Craftsman style. The style developed as a revolt against the industrial revolution. This is evident by the Craftsman style that naturally emphasizes handworked building materials over mass-production elements.

The architectural details of the Craftsman style include a mixture of brick, stone and wood features. The natural materials, along with the distinctive triangular low pitched roofs, give this style its great character appeal. Craftsman style homes are built with recessed covered porches, accompanied by tapered square columns, eaves that extend out using decorative braces, and vitiable wood beams.

Colonial

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The Colonial style home emerged on the scene in the 1600’s as settlers began to migrate to the New World, or as we now call it, the United States.  The diversity of European immigrants moving to the East Coast gave rise to many different variations of the Colonial style, including English Colonial, Dutch Colonial, German Colonial and Georgian Colonial.

Each Colonial style has elements that distinguish it from another, but usually the style is halmarked by a rectangular symmetrical facade, with small recessed entries and hip roof dormers. Quite often a Colonial home has double-hung windows with several small square panes. Keystone trim and flanking shutters are also common place accents on this home style.

Check back next week for Popular Home Styles Part II…