Early American Architecture & Interior Styles (16th–18th Century)

Colonial America Key Characteristics

- vernacular architecture (built using local materials and traditions)

- functional structures rather than decorative designs

- gradual shift toward more refined European architectural styles in the 1700s

Jamestown

- Early colonial buildings used basic construction methods

Stick and Mud Construction

• Also called half-timber construction.

• Wooden frame with spaces filled with mud or clay

• Common in early English settlements

Clapboard Construction

• Wooden siding boards overlapping horizontally.

• Nails were hand-forged

• Roofs were originally wood shingles, often replaced later (ex. tin roofs added in the 20th century)

Why These Construction Methods Were Used

• Limited skilled labor

• Abundant timber

• Need for fast construction

Jacobean Style Influence (Early 1600s)

During the time of King James I of England, furniture styles from England influenced the American colonies

Jacobean Style Influence's Characteristics

• Heavy, solid wood furniture

• Rectilinear (boxy) shapes

• Decorative carving

Ex: Brewster Chair, Wainscot Chair

Georgian Style in America (18th Century)

By the 1700s, American design began reflecting English Georgian style, which emphasized symmetry and order

Georgian Architecture Characteristics

• Symmetrical layouts

• Balanced window placement

• Formal rooms

• Central hall plans

Georgian Interior Features

• Plastered walls

• Paneled walls

• Often only one wall fully paneled

• Dado (decorative lower wall panel)

• Decorative furniture influenced by Chippendale style

• Portrait paintings

Williamsburg, Virginia

• Capital of Virginia 1699-1799.

• Important center of Georgian architecture in America

Governor's Palace

• Designed by Alexander Spotswood.

• Additional wing added by Richard Taliferro (1749)

Governor's Palace's Architectural Features

-Double-Pile Floor Plan

• Two rooms deep

• Central hallway dividing rooms

Governor's Palace's Interior Furnishings

Interior Furnishings

• Pie-crust tables

• Chippendale chairs

• Fire screens

Georgian House Plans Key Features

• Symmetrical layouts.

• Fireplaces located strategically for heating.

• Balanced room arrangements

Ex: Jonathan Hamilton House (1785), Maine

Georgian homes often emphasized

• Order

• Proportion

• Classical inspiration

Late Georgian & Neo-Palladian Style

Key Characteristics

• Classical symmetry

• Columns and pediments

• Inspired by Roman and Renaissance architecture

Regional Architectural Styles

American architecture began developing regional differences due to culture, climate, and colonial influences

Southern Colonial Influences

• Spanish

• French

- These influences created distinct architectural styles along the Gulf Coast

Creole Architecture

Ex: Destrehan Plantation (c. 1790), Louisiana

Creole Architecture's Characteristics

• Raised houses (to protect from flooding)

• Wide porches

• Adapted for hot climates

Creole Architecture's Historical Context

• Built during Spanish rule in Louisiana.

• Plantation economy based on indigo and sugarcane

Creole Architecture's Significance

• One of the oldest documented homes in the lower Mississippi Valley

• Listed on the National Register of Historic Places

Raised Bayou Houses

Characteristics

• Elevated structures

• Built for flood protection

• Often included outbuildings for plantation workers

Palladian Influence in America

- Drayton Hall (Charleston, South Carolina, 1738-1742)

- One of the earliest examples of Palladian architecture in America

- Inspired by Villa Cornaro in Italy by Andrea Palladio (1551)

American Palladian Characteristics

• Symmetry

• Classical proportions

• Central block with wings

• Temple-like elements