Architectural Design

Chapter 5 Early Homes

Links from the Past Question to Ponder: What do you think newcomers found when they first came to North America? How did the geography, vegetation, and climate impact housing?

The Growth of Traditional Styles The history of American housing started with the first homes in North America occupied by the Native Americans.  Influenced by Environment & Culture (Religious, Social, Size of Family, Food)  Each tribe’s housing was distinct to their way of life, but there were similarities across tribes (All were simple with dirt floors, and no windows)

The Growth of Traditional Styles (cont.) The First Colonists  Many early settlers found the living conditions to be too difficult and returned to England.  There were few tools and materials, so they lead by example of the Native Americans and made simple homes made of clay, bark, and branches.

The Early American Period When the colonists started to create their permanent houses they modeled them after the homes they had left behind, but adapted them to fit the weather conditions and terrain. As more people arrived the workforce became more specialized and began to advance.

English Settlement Many of the first houses constructed by English colonists were patterned closely on the half- timbered houses found in England. Cape cod houses were also popular, and can still be seen today. The chimney was placed in the center of the house to heat evenly, but since an ell (extension) was often added as the family grew, the fireplaces were sometimes put on the end of the house so that when the addition was added the fireplace would then be in the center of the house.

German & Dutch Settlements The German built large, durable houses of wood and quarry stone. They typically had an entry into the first floor kitchen, a large family room, and a central fireplace. The Dutch used stone and brick to build their houses. Their homes were noted for their decorative brickwork, and intricate stepped gables.

Swedish Settlements Settlers began to move westward into unexplored areas. They had to clear land for their houses, and used the cut down trees to make log cabins. Some cabins were divided into two rooms with an attic, but most were comprised of one single room.

Spanish Settlements The first Spanish houses were rectangular with balconies facing the street. The kitchens were separate so that the fires used for cooking would not impact the rest of the house. The interior was simple with whitewashed walls, plaster ceilings, and earthen floors. Later Spanish houses had rounded archways, windows, and red tiled roofs.

French Settlements Early French colonists built their homes of stone or wood, with high steep roofs (common in French country cottages). Typically they had small windows, and heavy wooden shutters. If in a hot and humid climate, a porch was added to keep the house cool. Often the house was raised by posts to help prevent flooding. The houses were usually painted white.

Terms to Know Pueblos (Built by the Native Americans, named by the Spanish): houses built on top of each other into cliffs and caves and on the level ground. Adobe: Sun-dried bricks used to build Pueblos.

Terms to Know (cont.) Half-timbered House (English): A style of house built by English colonists; the wood frame of the house formed part of the outside wall. Thatch (English): Bundles of reeds or straw. Shingles (English): Thin, oblong, pieces of material, usually wood that are laid in overlapping rows to cover the roof and the sides of a structure.

Terms to Know (cont.)  Clapboards (English): Boards with one edge thicker than the other laid in overlapping rows to protect the walls from the elements. Cape Cod House (English): House with a simple rectangular design, a central chimney, and a pitched roof. Pitched roof (English): Two-sided roof with steep angles.

Terms to Know (cont.) Gable Roof (English): A pitched roof with two slopped sides. Gables (English): Triangular end walls formed by a gable or pitched roof. Ell (English): An extension built at right angles to the length of the structure.

Terms to Know (cont.) Gambrel Roof (English): A roof with two slopes on each side, the upper slope being flatter than the lower slope. Saltbox House (English): A two-story, pitched-roof house in which the rear portion of the roof is extended down to cover a first-floor addition (see page 114).

Terms to Know (cont.) Garrison House (English): A house with a second story that overhangs or projects from the first story. Dormers (Dutch): Structures projecting through a steeply sloping roof.

Terms to Know (cont.) Coquina (Spanish): A soft porous limestone composed of shell and coral. Stucco (Spanish): A plaster material made with cement, sand, and lime.

Please… Silently read the “Career Close-Up” on pages 118 and 119. Find magazine examples for as many of the chapter 5 terms as possible. Cut them out, paste them onto a separate piece of paper and write the definitions by the picture.

Chapter 6 Homes from the Eighteenth Century to Today