Video:Characteristics of the Colonial Revival Style Home

Transcript:Characteristics of the Colonial Revival Style Home

I'm Eric Wheeler with About.com and today we'll be sharing with you characteristics of a Colonial Revival style home.

Origin of the Colonial Revival Style

The Colonial Revival style with roots in the 18th and 19th centuries continues to be one of the most popular residential styles in the U.S. Colonial Revival homes reflect many of the design features of early American homes found in the original 13 colonies.

Characteristics of Colonial Revival Homes

Most Colonials have two stories, with a gable or hip roof, and are rectangular shaped with the long side facing the street. The front door is placed right in the middle and the windows are evenly spaced singly or in pairs on both the first and second floors. Even in modest Colonials, the doorway is often ornamented with column-like pilasters on either side, and a decorative triangular shaped pediment on top.

Example of a Colonial Revival House

The distinguished Doyle/Albee House, located in northeast Portland, was designed in 1912 by noted local architect A.E. Doyle for the newly elected mayor of Portland, H. Russell Albee. This outstanding two-story brick mansion is an excellent example of the high style Georgian variation of Colonial Revival and is considered one of Doyle's finest home designs.

Like many high style Colonials, the entry of the Albee House leads directly to a grand staircase dividing the two ground floor wings of the interior. A massive Palladian style window on the stairway landing is another Classical element that defines the high style Georgian Revival variant of the Colonial Revival style. The Colonial residence evokes a stability and continuity that appeals to home-buyers across the age and income spectrum.

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