Colonial House Styles and Examples

The Colonial house style consists of many styles built during the Colonial period (early 18th Century) in America's history when England, Spain, and France had colonies scattered across what is now the United States.

English colonies closely mirrored housing fashions of England although they were 50 years behind. Early on (pre 1700) the First Period English style houses were based on the building practices of late medieval Britain. After 1700 the English colonies evolved their building style into the Georgian style.

When the American Revolution arrived the architectural fashion evolved into the Federal style and persisted until around 1820. The next housing fashion to develop was based on the ancient Roman architecture that inspired the Renaissance and was labeled the Early Classical Revival Style. This style was popularized in the southern U.S. by popular southern architects such as Thomas Jefferson. Also, during this time the French colonies in Louisiana developed the French Colonial style and further west the Spanish Colonial style evolved. Both Spanish and French Colonial styles are very rare in today's popular Colonial styles.

The American Colonial styles including First Period English, Georgian, Federal, Early Classical Revival, French Colonial, and Spanish Colonial are familiar today thanks to the Colonial Revival and Spanish Eclectic styles which were popularized in the 1876 Philadelphia Exposition and continue to this day.

Colonial Books and Magazines.

Resource No. 311

The Chesapeake House: Architectural Investigation by Colonial Williamsburg

Cary Carson, Carl R. Lounsbury

In this beautifully illustrated volume, a team of historians, curators, and conservators draw on their far-reaching knowledge of historic structures in Virginia and Maryland to illuminate the formation, development, and spread of one of the hallmark building traditions in American architecture.

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Resource No. 183

Colonial House

Jonathon Allen and Julia Fries

PBS Home Video

Resource No. 482

Colonial Houses

Hugh Howard

For anyone who has dreamed of living in a Colonial-style home, this showcase of Colonial Williamsburg standouts is an irresistible wish book. And for the home design do-it-yourselfer, it is even more than that. Domestic design and construction expert and award-winning historic preservation writer Hugh Howard provides a tour of favorite Colonial Williamsburg restorations that will fast become a primary resource of ideas and no-nonsense information.

Resource No. 298

Colonial Style

Treena Crochet

California Cape Cods and 21st-century Colonials proclaim the enduring popularity of colonial architecture. Colonial Style provides both inspiration and practical advice to homeowners looking to increase their home's livability while retaining its classic charm.

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Resource No. 1012

Dutch Colonial Homes in America

Roderic H. Blackburn

This lavishly-illustrated volume provides an unprecedented look at twenty-eight houses (plus eleven barns and other structures) built in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries by Dutch colonists in the north-eastern United States, primarily in upstate New York and along the Hudson River Valley, on Long Island and Staten Island, and in New Jersey.

Resource No. 299

Homebuilding and Woodworking in Colonial America

C. Keith Wilbur

Explores the tools and technology that the American colonists use to build homes that could stand the test of time.

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Resource No. 397

The Philadelphia Country House: Architecture and Landscape in Colonial America

Mark E. Reinberger, Elizabeth McLean

Moving from general trends and building principles to architectural interiors and landscape design, Reinberger and McLean take readers on an intimate tour of the fine, fashionable elements found in upstairs parlors and formal gardens.