Georgian Colonial

This stately style was the rave in New England and the Southern colonies during the 1700's. Article by Jackie Craven

Shortly after we launched our Mystery House page, a reader sent this photograph:

"We just recently bought this brick home and would like to know more about the architectural style and features of homes of this period," said the proud new owner.

Architect Doug Julien of Julien Associates in St. Louis, Missouri was the first to come forward with an answer. "The house," Julien wrote, "is a classic five-rank Georgian Colonial."

Georgian Colonial became the rave in New England and the Southern colonies during the 1700's. Stately and symmetrical, these homes imitated the larger, more elaborate Georgian homes which were being built in England.  But the genesis of the style goes back much farther. During the reign of King George I in the early 1700's, and King George III later in the century, Britons drew inspiration from the Italian Renaissance and from ancient Greece and Rome.

Georgian ideals came to New England via pattern books, and became a favorite of well-to-do colonists who wanted their homes to convey a sense of dignity and prestige. But in America, Georgian homes were less ornate than their British cousins, and there were many variations in the style.

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