Whole books have been written about architectural styles, so please forgive me if I’ve left a few things out. Ok, maybe a lot of things! But here are a few basics that begin to describe some of the houses we find in our region—and if I’m lucky, their origins.
I don’t need to say much about the ubiquitous stone houses in Bucks and Hunterdon Counties, which all fall under the category of farm houses, or colonials. You will usually find that they were built before 1850, using native stones plowed up from the fields. The earliest stone farmhouses can be almost universally identified by the living room winding staircase (we call them pie stairs) located next a walk-in fireplace with a door in-between. Unless an alteration has been made, the door will lead to the basement. And upstairs, the spiral will continue to the attic.
At the same time, some of the earliest houses were built out of wood. There was a pleasing symmetry to these houses, commonly called Colonials, built during the….you guessed it…Colonial period—and after the Revolution, as well. You can recognize them from the center front door with the window above and two windows on both sides. There will be a foyer inside with a straight staircase directly in front of you, and a room on either side with the kitchen in the rear. Sometimes you will see two front doors. Don’t be mistaken; these are not twins. One door will lead to a formal parlor and the other to the living room, or “keeping room”. This style is so popular, they were commonly built well into the 1980s with little variation aside from adding more windows. By the 21st century, Colonials have achieved grandiose status, but the basic characteristics have remained the same: center hall, grand staircase, flanking rooms.
In the Victorian age, everything got fancier, and houses were no exception. Victorians were largely built from the mid-19th century to the end, and just a few years beyond 1900. Porches are a big factor, with elaborate railings, and you will commonly see pretty cornices or brackets along both roof lines. Late in the period, they embellished even more, with turrets and bay windows, defining the Queen Anne style. Interiors were just as fancy, with decorative crown molding in every room and elaborate woodwork.
As the As the Victorian era came to an end, a new movement was gearing up: the Arts and Crafts period. Starting in England, this was a backlash to all the over-the-top excesses that permeated everyday decorations. The emphasis was on honest, hand-crafted materials and simple design, featuring straight lines and drawing inspiration from nature. In America, the Bungalow was a major Craftsman home, with its wide front porch and low lines. Frank Lloyd Wright made a big contribution with his Prairie Style homes, distinguished by horizontal lines and low pitched roofs. The Craftsman style ran its course through the 1930s.
Originating in the New England area, the Cape Cod was a modest box-like house, originally one story. It reached its height of popularity in the 1930s-50s, and became widely recognized for its pair of dormers which made it a one-and-a-half story residence. The steeply-pitched roof created sloping ceilings in the upstairs bedrooms, which took the place of an attic. They are still very popular.
The Mid-century Modern made a quick appearance in the 1940s-late 60s. These homes are defined by straight, clean lines, open floor plans, very little decoration, and natural materials. Many large windows help define these homes, and the front door can be almost hidden. Low profiles are usually defined by flat roofs. Once again, we can see Frank Lloyd Wright’s influence, and as far as I can tell, they were not built for the budget-conscious.
Popularized after WWII, Ranches and Raised Ranches could easily be thought of as having been influenced by Wright’s Prairie-style homes, though I don’t think he ever envisioned his designs as evolving into long boxes. Single floor living is the mind-set here, though if the house is built into a hill with a walk-out lower level it becomes a Raised Ranch. From the front you can’t tell the difference. They were built well into the ‘70s
Bi-Levels and Split Levels were largely built in the 1960’s-80s, and served well as an opportunity to spread things out, or even satisfy the need for separate living spaces. The Bi-Level can immediately be identified by the staircase inside the front door, half of which goes upstairs, and the other half downstairs. It’s a well-defined two-story house. The Split-level has a staircase in the middle of the house, ascending and descending from a main floor. It almost feels like three stories, though all three are partial levels.
Contemporary architecture is really a catch-all, in an attempt to define late 20th century and current styles. Houses usually stand out as big, irregular-shaped and often angled structures with an open floor plan. Natural exteriors are usually found, and more modern materials such as glass, concrete, and steel are becoming more common. Once again, clean lines and unadorned interiors help define these homes.
More and more often I see houses mislabeled in marketing materials; the term Colonial seems to be everywhere, and I think this does a disservice to the house that seems to have lost its identity! It could be that there are just not enough categories to describe a unique property; on the other hand, that’s one of the things that makes architecture so interesting.