Colonial and Pre - Colonial American Architecture

Pre - Columbian  or Pre - Colonial American architecture consists mainly of Mesoamerican architecture and Incan architecture. The architectural character of this period varies from region to region this was due to the exchange of cultures all throughout the period. It was constantly evolving and changing since this was a span of at least a thousand years.   

American Colonial Architecture is not necessarily one period but it is named as such to summarize all sub periods under it. Since there were several design types that were developed during this period and those period were named after the colonizers. These periods were the French Colonial, Spanish, Georgian, Dutch, Saltbox, Cape Cod, Southern, New England, Garrison, Federal also there the New Colonial styles which are the Colonial Revival and Neo - Colonial.

Each of these sub periods have their own architectural character. French Colonial homes have stucco-sided homes with expansive two-story porches and narrow wooden pillars tucked under the roof line. The porch was an important passageway because traditional French Colonial homes did not have interior halls. Spanish Colonial were most commonly sided in adobe or stucco. The roofs were flat or slightly pitched and finished with red clay tiles. Some Spanish Colonial homes featured a Monterey-style, second-story porch. Georgian Colonists built sophisticated brick and clapboard homes that imitated British architectural fashion. Georgian Colonial homes were highly symmetrical with multi-pane windows evenly balanced on each side of a central front door. This façade was modestly ornamented with dentil moldings or decorative flat pilasters. Garrison Colonial homes imitated the houses of medieval England. Many of these homes had steep gabled roofs, small diamond paned windows, and a second story overhang across the front facade. Garrison Colonials usually were sided in unpainted clapboard or wood shingles. New England Colonial homes were two stories high with gables on the side and an entry door at the center. To conserve heat, a massive chimney ran through the center and sidings were not painted. Southern colonial homes were symmetrical in shape. The siding, however, was often brick and the chimneys were placed at the sides instead of in the center.
Cape Cod colonial houses had one-story or one-and-a-half stories with no dormers. They usually were sided with shingles or unpainted clapboards. Dutch Colonists  often built brick or stone homes with roofs that reflected their Flemish culture. Sometimes the eaves were flared and sometimes the roofs were slightly rounded into barn-like gambrel shapes. Colonial Revival Style is as is a revival of the Colonial styles while Neo Colonial was like mash up of the Colonial Styles but with improvements