Spacious and comfortable, Georgian Colonial architecture reflected therising ambition of a young country. It was the preferred housing style of the prosperous, and its features were reflected in the design of more humble dwellings.

Georgian Colonial homes usually have these features:

• Square, symmetrical shape
• Paneled front door at center
• Decorative crown over front door
• Flattened columns on each side of door
• Five windows across front
• Paired chimneys
• Medium pitched roof
• Minimal roof overhang

Many Georgian Colonial homes also have:

• Nine or twelve small window panes in each window sash.
• Dentil molding (square, tooth-like cuts) along the eaves.

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.

Related Styles:

Colonial Revival
Antebellum Architecture

Text from architecture.about.com