The Colonial Architecture of George Washington’s Life

The building style from George Washington’s time is known as colonial architecture.  It is an architecture style that is a mix from different nations, representing all of the home countries that the colonists were coming from in the 1700s.

Of the more popular colonial styles were the Georgian Colonial, the Federal Style, Spanish Colonial and French Colonial.

Georgian Colonial: The First of the Recognized Colonial Styles

The initial colonial architecture that was used in the 1700s was named after the King of England at the time, King George.  The windows of these large homes were a collection of 9-12 small window panes in each sash.  The rooms were large and perfectly squared, with pedestaled doors and porticos as part of the home, as well.

This specific type of architecture was a sign of wealth during colonial times.

Federal Style: Making it Uniquely American

As the new colonists were declaring their independence from King George’s England they wanted to disassociate themselves with all things British: which included the Georgian colonial architecture.  Instead of continuing to recognize Georgian colonial architecture, they changed the name to Federal style architecture and made some changes to this style.

The large square rooms were left behind for shapes, such as hexagonal, oval and circular.  The window styles still included small panes of glass, but were symmetrical and placed in groups of 3, 5, and 7. Another window type that was heavily seen in the Federal style was an arched window called the Palladian window. This window was not only recognized by its arch, but also by its structure of a center window and two side windows.

French Colonial: Sturdy Cottages with Open Doors

French colonial homes had windows that were narrow and tall, instead of the square or wide rectangles that are seen in other architecture.  And while used in some other early architecture and in many modern homes today, the French colonial was also known for the French doors that were used.

The house itself was basically a multi-story cottage that was raised off of the ground.

Spanish Colonial: Warm Weather Homes

Spanish colonial homes are the type of architecture you think of when you think of buildings in the Caribbean.  They are very open with porches and breezeways connecting different rooms, and there was no glass in the windows.  The windows are instead covered by heavy interior shutters when they need to be closed.

These types of houses have low-pitched roofs and are built completely or partially around a courtyard.