American colonial architecture

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A classic Saltbox, a prime example of colonial architecture. This structure is preserved in Minute Man National Historical Park.

American colonial architecture, also called Colonial Georgian, characterizes the style of domestic architecture, church buildings and some institutional and government buildings that were built in America from the earliest colonies until the Neoclassical architectural style locally called "Federal" replaced in for high-style buildings in the 1780s.

High-style houses were built by wealthy Anglo Americans in several distinctively local styles, in New England, the mid-Atlantic colonies and the Southern colonies. The American colonial style drew its influence from the Georgian architecture of Great Britain, with indirect sources in Italian Renaissance style of the sixteenth century. Emigrating craftsmen trained in English building practice and a series of printed builders' guides with engraved illustrations both made their contribution to the building vocabulary that spread to the English colonies.

The term colonial architecture also includes vernacular structures of less refined design.

1 Characteristics
2 External links
- 2.1 Architecture
- 2.2 PBS TV Show

[edit] Characteristics

"Gingerbread House", buit 1855. A blend of Colonial and early-Victorian architecture

The defining characteristics of Georgian architecture are its square, symmetrical shape, central door, and straight lines of windows on the first and second floor. There is usually a decorative crown above the door and flattened columns to either side of it. The door leads to an entryway with stairway and hall aligned along the center of the house. All rooms branch off of these. Georgian buildings, in the English manner were ideally in brick, with wood trim, wooden columns and entablatures painted white. In the US, one found both brick buildings as well as those in wood with clapboards. They were usually painted white, though sometimes a pale yellow. This differentiated them from most other structures that were usually not painted.

A Colonial-style house usually has a formally-defined living room, dining room and sometimes a family room. The bedrooms are typically on the second floor. They also have one or two chimneys that can be very large.