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Colonial Revival

The Colonial Revival was a nationalistic architectural home style style in the US derived from the earlier traditional colonial home. During the early 1890s Americans really started to cherish and value their own architecture and heritage. This new love came after the Centennial Exhibition of 1876 which reawakened Americans to their colonial roots. Colonial Revival sought to follow the traditional Colonial home style of the era dating to the Revolutionary War, normally being two stories in height with the ridge of the roof parallel to the street, a symmetrical front facade with an accented entryway and evenly spaced windows for natural light on either side of it.

Features that make colonial revival homes different from colonial period houses during the early 1800s are elaborate front entrances, often with decorative crown pediments and overhead fanlights and sidelights. Windows, while balanced on either side of the front door, were usually hung in adjacent pairs or in triple combinations rather than as single windows. Side porches or sunrooms were common to these homes, introducing modern comforts. Also unique to this style are multiple columned porches and doors with fanlights and sidelights.