American Colonial Architecture

A trip through the U.S. will grant you sights of beautiful
architecture, from coast to coast. During the 1780’s though
the most popular style of architecture was the American
Colonial.

Built mostly by wealthy Anglo Americans, the houses
afforded several distinct styles depending on local. Also
known as Colonial Georgian, these homes were the earliest
style to grace the U.S. colonies.

A prime example of early American Colonial architecture is
called a Saltbox. What the Saltbox basically is is a wooden
frame house with a high-pitched roof that slopes down to
the back.

Its flat front has two stories while the back of the house
has only one, making the sides unequal, but distinctly
looking just like an old salt box which was a wooden box
with a lid which salt was kept.

A simple name for a simple style of home. Generally, the
chimney was centrally located, making the house, from a
distance, look like a box with a lid and handle to lift it
off.

Other defining characteristics of American Colonial
architecture are the square, symmetrical shape, the front
door placed directly in the middle of the houses front and
the even, straight line of windows throughout.

Inside the front door are usually an entryway and a
staircase. All rooms branch off these. Typically they were
constructed of brick with wood trim, but with homes like
the Saltbox, they were also timber frame homes constructed
with woodworking joints instead of metal nails, since they
were costly. Saltbox homes were also finished with wood
siding.