| Styles of Homes: Eclectic Period 1880–1940. Neoclassical 1895–1950. |
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| Style |
Material |
Orientations of structure |
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| Refined |
Brick,
wood,
stucco |
Vertical |
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| Key features |
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Symmetrical windows; full-height porch; Ionic columns
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| Architectural Features |
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| Entrance Door |
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- Elaborate panel doors with equally • elaborate surrounds
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| Garage Door |
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- Vertical orientation of surface material
- Raised panels
- Layered trim boards
- Symmetrical multi-pane windows
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| Style Summary |
Neoclassical was the dominant style for domestic building
throughout the country for the first half of the 20th century.
Never quite as abundant as its closely related Colonial Revival
contemporary, it had two principal waves of popularity, from
about 1900 to 1920 and from about 1925 to the 1950s. During
the 1920s, the style was overshadowed by other Eclectic
fashions.
The revival of interest in classical models dates from the
World’s Columbian Exposition, held in Chicago in 1893. The
exposition’s planners mandated a classical theme, and many
of the best-known architects of the day designed dramatic
colonnaded buildings arranged around a central court. The
exposition was widely photographed, reported, and attended,
and soon these Neoclassical models became the latest fashion
throughout the country.
The central buildings of the exposition were of monumental
scale and inspired countless public and commercial buildings
in the following decades. The design of smaller pavilions
representing each state of the Union were more nearly
domestic in scale and in them can be seen the precedents for
most Neoclassical houses.
Excerpted from A Field Guide to American Houses, Virginia and
Lee McAlester, Alfred Knopf, New York, © 2000. |
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