Different Kinds of Colonial Architecture Found in The United States

By StuartOwens

We all know America is a land of mixed culture. The ancient civilization had a lot of people from different parts of the world, from the time of Christopher Columbus, Europeans who came in trade also different occupied parts of the country. Through the 1600 and until the 19th century, a lot of style was involved in construction of houses, churches, government buildings and these were called as the colonial architecture. The colonial architecture mainly developed during the late-medieval period and which was the first period of the English. The architecture of 13 colonies influenced the style and techniques from England. Some of these colonies were French Colonial, Spanish Colonial, Dutch Colonial, German Colonial and Georgian.

The Dutch Colonies arrived at New Amsterdam and settled along the Hudson River which became a part of the New York State. The Dutch colonists were found in Netherlands. They used bricks and stones to build their houses. The doors were divided into two parts, upper and lower half´s which could be opened and closed separately. It had matching chimneys in either side of the house or a massive wishbone-shaped chimney at the front. It had gambrel roofs which is a gable roof with two pitches. The lower section of the roof slopes gently up. The roofline angles in form a steeper pitch as well. The Gambrel roofs are also called barn-shaped as it is often used in American barns.

The New England Colonies were developed during the period after 1600´s. The British who settled in the England colonies built rustic, square homes. It had a huge chimney in the centre. It had a second story protrude over the first story. The windows were diamond shaped and a roof that is in the shape of a saltbox which slopes down the rear. A well preserved of this building is the Stanley-Whitman House located in Connecticut.

The German Colonial architecture is the Schifferstadt Architectural Museum. Most of these building are found in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Maryland. It had a massive wishbone shaped chimney. The walls of this house are made of sandstone which is about two feet in thickness. Generally a two storied building which has a reinforced stone type arches above the first floor windows and doors. More than half of the house is exposed to timbering, flared eaves and hand hewn beams pinned with wooden pegs.

The Federalist architecture of was found in the United States during the 1780´s and until the 1830´s. The Woodlawn house which is near Mount Vernon located in Virginia is a good example of what is called as the Georgian Colonial. The Woodlawn was designed by William Thornton in 1805. The American Federal houses are low pitched roof which is flat. The windows are arranged in a symmetrical manner around the center doorway. It has design over the front door, mainly on the roof top which looks like a decorative crown. The rooms of this house are generally oval shaped and have arches, Palladian Window. Also a fan light window above the front door and so on. However, the modern houses in the United States still follow the style of Federal architecture. Nowadays, security systems like the ADT security systems have also been installed to protect against theft.

The Spanish Colonial was built by the Spanish settlers from North America. Some of these were built by the settlers from Spain and Mexico who came and settled in parts of Florida, California, and in Southwest parts of America. This kind is a one story building with a flat roof or a low pitched roof made of earth, sometimes thatched or a clay tile covering. The walls are thick made of rocks, coquina, or adobe brick coated with stucco. However, later the Spanish colonials came up with two stories building as well.

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About The Author
Stuart a freelance writer who has written articles about the ancient American culture. He now wants to write about the colonial styles used for building houses in US. The fact is that the modern houses are installing security systems like the ADT security systems to alert themselves.