Historic Architecture and Landscapes of Georgia: The Hubert Bond Owens and John Linley Image Collections at the Owens Library

Evolution of Architecture in Georgia

Evolution of Architecture in Georgia

Colonial (1733-1783)

The youngest and poorest of Britain’s American colonies, Georgia’s earliest architecture was comprised mainly of folk forms serving as little more than shelters for their inhabitants. Georgian architecture, a style brought to America from England, was little seen here, and no doubt many of these examples have been destroyed. Grander Georgian examples, a rarity in Georgia even in the colonial period itself, often featured hip roofs, roof balustrades, quoins, and dentil cornices. Vernacular examples of this style in Georgia were typically of frame (rather than masonry) construction, often one story on a raised basement, and featured somewhat steep roofs, dormers, and tall chimneys.

Early Republic (1783-1825)

A period of economic and geographic expansion, the era following the American Revolution saw an increase in the scale and elaboration of dwellings and public buildings in Georgia. High-style residences in this period were typically in the Federal (or Adam) style, a style characterized by light, delicate decoration (as seen on mantels, molding, etc.) and an increased creativity and flexibility with shape, leading to such features as fanlights, circular or elliptical staircases, oval and octagonal rooms, and decorative arches and niches. In Savannah and Augusta, brick as well as frame construction was popular; in rural areas, frame construction remained dominant. Rural vernacular houses were often of the Plantation Plain type, a two-story, one-room deep dwelling onto which various high-style elements could be easily grafted. Toward the end of the Early Republic period, the Classical Revival began to fuse Federal elements with those later found in the Greek Revival, producing subsets such as the Milledgeville Federal which wedded fanlights and niches with more massive classical details.

Antebellum (1825-1860)

The antebellum era, a period of tremendous economic growth, saw the rise of a number of new and more “American” architectural styles, the dominant of these being the Greek Revival, the heyday of which ran from 1830 to the eve of the Civil War. In Georgia, Greek Revival houses often featured temple-fronts with columns and large entablatures (although the pediment was often omitted). Two-story examples ranged from simple structures with square columns to highly elaborate examples with round, fluted columns (typically Doric but occasionally Ionic or Corinthian). Moldings and mantels of the period were generally simple, large, and even severe. One-story Greek Revival examples were also prevalent. On the coast, the Greek Revival was less common and seen primarily in more subtle examples in Savannah; the Greek Revival was most popular in the developing Piedmont region. Outside of large urban areas Greek Revival houses were nearly always of wood construction. In the 1840s and 50s several Romantic styles also developed; the late antebellum Gothic Revival was used less frequently than the Greek, but nevertheless was featured on a wide variety of structures, including the remodeled State House at Milledgeville. Common Gothic revival features include steep roofs, drip molds around windows, Gothic arches, and bay or oriel windows. The Italianate style, characterized by the use of brackets, campaniles, cupolas, arched windows, wide eaves, and elaborate window crowns, also developed during this period. In the late antebellum period, the Greek Revival was often fused with the Romantic styles, thus losing some of its archaeological rigidity. Folk and vernacular architecture of the antebellum period ranged from simple dog-trot log cabins to the two-story plantation plain, which was often embellished with Greek Revival elements. These I-shaped structures often featured rear shed rooms, end chimneys, and could be easily enlarged with rear ells, etc.

Victorian (1865-1900)

Postbellum Georgia experienced rapid and drastic political and economic changes, but by the 1870’s a new wave of construction had begun. The Classical Revival was over, but the Gothic and Italianate styles survived the War to enjoy renewed popularity in the 1870’s. They were joined and quickly eclipsed by several new styles, which merged many features of the older styles with new embellishments made possible by the Machine Age. The first of these, the Second Empire style, takes its name from the reign of Napoleon III in France. The Second Empire was never extensively used in Georgia, and surviving examples are typically found in urban settings. Features of the Second Empire often include mansard roofs, cupolas, cresting along rooflines, hooded windows, and quoins. More popular was the Queen Anne, an architectural style often referred to as “Victorian” but in reality only one of several Victorian era styles. Examples of Queen Anne are found throughout Georgia in both urban and rural settings. Typically, Queen Anne buildings have asymmetrical massing, with irregular roof shapes, window placement, etc. A variety of decoration was used, including spindlework, half-timbering, patterned masonry, shingles, and stained glass. Ornamented gables, turrets, and towers were also used producing whimsical effects. Gaining some popularity in the late Victorian period, Richardsonian Romanesque buildings can be identified by their masonry construction, rusticated stonework, and use of arches. These structures are almost always found in urban settings and examples in Georgia often include public buildings. In vernacular architecture, the Folk Victorian was especially common throughout Georgia, blending traditional building types with various features of typically Queen Anne architecture.

Early Twentieth Century (1900-1930)

The turn of the century saw a return to more traditional building types in Georgia. The principal examples of this trend, the Colonial Revival and the Neoclassical, were indicative of a desire for architecture reminiscent of early America. Inspired by pre-Revolutionary examples, the Colonial Revival began pre-1900, reaching its height of popularity pre-1930. Colonial Revival buildings were typically rectangular with side-gabled, hipped, or gambrel roofs. Dormers, broken pediments, Palladian windows, side porches or wings, and symmetrical features were common characteristics. Frame and masonry construction were both common, and examples of both are found throughout Georgia. Emerging slightly later, the Neoclassical style enjoyed wide popularity in Georgia, especially for two-story dwellings. Often mimicking antebellum architectural styles, Neoclassical buildings used two-story columns (often Ionic or Corinthian), balustrades, brackets, and balconies to exude wealth and sophistication. Full-height entry porches with lower, one-story porches beneath were quite common in Georgia, as were two-story full-façade porches, often incorporating square columns in imitation of Mount Vernon. Going a step beyond the more restrained Neoclassical, buildings using Beaux Arts ornamentation, made popular by the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, generally featured grandiose columns, roof balustrades, urns, swags, arcades, and rustication. Also popular in Georgia was the Tudor style, used on both single and double story dwellings. These houses were often built of brick and used half-timbering, front gables, prominent chimneys, casement windows, and patterned stone and brickwork. Also suggestive of the Old World were a number of European-inspired revivals, including Italian Renaissance, Mission, and Spanish Eclectic, all using features suggestive of earlier Mediterranean and Southwestern structures. Joining all of these nostalgic forms were two more modern and American building types. The first of these, Prairie, was the product of Frank Lloyd Wright and the Prairie School of Chicago. These more minimalist structures featured low-pitched (often hipped) roofs, overhanging eaves, and stout porch supports. The Craftsman style, which gained immense popularity in Georgia, was often used for smaller, more modest structures, although larger examples are common. Craftsman buildings, often referred to as “bungalows,” are characterized by low-pitched, gabled roofs, exposed rafters, wide eaves, tapering square porch supports, and knee braces.

Philip M. Herrington