Architectural Styles

Picture Source: Bruce Bomberger, "The Preservation and Repair of Historic Log Buildings," National Park Service.

The log cabin style was first brought to North American by Finnish and Swedish explorers in the 1630s. During the 18th century, immigrants from Central and Eastern Europe flocked to the new world, bringing their own forms of log cabin construction. Log cabins soon after appeared all across North America as settlers moved inland.

Log houses were constructed in multiple ways: single-pen (one room), the "continental" (three rooms organized around a central hearth), the saddle-bag (two adjoining rooms that share a central chimney), and the dogtrot (two rooms separated by an exterior space). Log houses are held together by different types of corner notching ( saddle notching, "V" notching, steeple notching, dovetail notching, and square notching).

Bruce Bomberger, "The Preservation and Repair of Historic Log Buildings," National Park Service.

Picture Source: "Federal Style 1780-1820," Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

The Federal style originated from England and was popular in the United States from the time of the American Revolution until about 1820. The Federal style house contained a side or hipped gabled roof and a center hall floor plan. Some ornamentation features included cornice with decorative moldings, a Palladian window, an elliptical fan light window over front door, double hung windows, and a decorative front door crown.

"Federal Style 1780-1820," Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Picture Source: Regina Cole, "House Styles 101: The Greek Revival, America's First Architectural Style," Forbes.

The Greek Revival style was popular in the United States from the 1830s to the 1860s. This style drew on the classical Greek Temple. Features included a rectangular building with projected front porches supported by columns and a pedimented roof.

"Greek Revival Style 1830s-1860s," National park Service.

"Gothic Revival Style 1830-1860," Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

The Gothic Revival style, popular along with the Greek Revival style, was brought about by the Romantic movement in architecture during the mid-19th century. This style was favored for rural settings. Some features of this style included pointed arches above windows and doors, porches with posts or columns, front-facing gables with decorative and incised trim, and steeply-pitched roofs.

"Gothic Revival Style 1830-1860," Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Picture source: James C. Massey and Shirley Maxwell, " Italianate Architecture and History," Oldhouse Online, June 21, 2021.

The Italianate style was popular in the United States from around 1840 to 1885, and was brought about during the Romantic movement. This style was influenced by farmhouses in the countryside of Italy. Features of this style included tall and narrow windows, curved arches over the windows and doors, window crowns, low-pitched roofs, overhanging eaves, and cornice with decorative brackets.

"Italianate Villa/Italianate Style 1840-1885," Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Picture Source: "Queen Anne Style 1880-1910," Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Popular between 1880 and the early 1900s, the Queen Anne style typically consists of corner towers, expansive porches, decorative wall patterns, steep roofs, large dormers and cross gables, and asymmetrical facades.

"Queen Anne Style 1880-1910," Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Picture source: "Colonial Revival Style 1880-1960," Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

The Colonial Revival style, which took inspiration from the Federal and Georgian styles, was popular in America between 1880 and 1960. Some features of this style include: columned porch, front door sidelights, broken pediment over front door, symmetrical façade, double-hung windows, wood shutters, and cornice with dentils or modillions.

"Colonial Revival Style 1880-1960," Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Picture source: "Classical Revival Style 1895-1950," Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

The Classical Revival Style, popular in America between 1895 and 1950, was more formal, and was inspired by Greek Revival detailing. Features of this style include: front façade columned porch, formal symmetrical design, decorative door surrounds, columns, or sidelights, full height porch with columns, rectangular hung windows, and dentiled cornice.

"Classical Revival Style 1895-1950," Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.