Colonial Revival Architecture

If you live in a house built before 1955 that's not a Victorian, bungalow, Italinate, Gothic, Greek Revival or neoclassical, it probably falls into the catch-all category of "Colonial Revival" architecture. Built from 1880 into the mid 50's, these mostly symmetrical, sturdy, boxy, houses borrowed from Georgian prototypes of centuries past to produce homes for the "Every Man" of America.

About the only thing the houses typically have in common is an accentuated front door, usually placed in the dead center of the front facade . Look for crowns, pilasters, columns, fanlights, side lights, anything that makes that front door pop and announce that you are home.

Some feature the gambrel roof that typically identifies a Dutch Colonial, they can have one to three floors. Some have dormers and some don't. Some have borrowed turrets from Queen Anne-style Victorians but their younger age give them away as products of the Colonial Revival.

One our most beloved and ubiquitous forms of colonial revival is the Cape Cod. This archetypical house type has been with us since pre-railroad days. They've been plowed under, bumped-out, added onto and unleashed. Check it out

From an interior design point of view the revivals invite a return to tradition. Think Ethan Allen - the old classic stuff. Natural hardwood floors, white trim, yellow living rooms, brass accents and thick wool rugs. Lean towards cozy, staid furnishing and you can't go wrong. Have a look see.

Because the category is so wide and rooted in tradition, the style also lends itself to transitional interiors that blend old-world looks with contemporary furnishings. Here's a story about a new home designed to look like something from the Colonial Revival period and a look at what can be done going the route of transitional. Take a look.

For more tradition that goes farther back than Colonial Revival architecture