Classical House Styles

The Classical Revival style is inspired by the work of such notable architects as Robert Mills and Benjamin Latrobe. Many houses from the period were constructed using pattern books such as Asher Benjamin’s American Builder’s Companion. Palladian compositions, documented in many English pattern books, were also a principal reference for many of the houses built during this period.

In the first half of the 20th century, the Colonial Revival style emerged in the United States as a recognized “American-born” architectural style. Colonial Revival style houses were derived from Anglo East Coast colonial precedents, which also incorporated eclectic interpretations of classical details on simple massing types.

Although the Louisiana Classical style includes influences from the earlier Greek Revival style, it is primarily based on Classical- and Colonial Revival-style houses from the early 20th century. The houses reflect the renewed national interest in classicism, which occurred in the late 19th Century, as well as the influence of the architecture created for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Significant examples of houses from this period can be found throughout South Louisiana.

Louisiana Classical-style houses have a simple dominant main body (which can be one or two stories) to which side wings, rear wings and pavilions might be added. This building tradition continues to be used today.

Essential Elements:

• Simple volumes with side wings and porches added to make more complex shapes
• Symmetrical composition of doors and windows
• Simplified versions of Classical details and columns, often with robust and exotic Classical orders such as Ionic and Corinthian used in the porch element
• Multi-pane windows that are broader in proportion, usually with 6-over-6 or 9-over-9 pane patterns.