America's First Period Style
(ca. 1600 - 1700)
Buckle Up Your Hats! Here's Your Guide to America's Post-Medieval English Style.
In this series of blogs, we’ll be exploring the history of America's domestic architecture, starting with the English settlers in the Colonial Era up to the present day’s McMansions and beyond!
Let's get into it!
Why is this Style Called First Period?
First Period is a bit of a misnomer, as indigenous peoples had been building sophisticated homes across the continent long before the Europeans arrived. (Not to mention the Vikings, who had built homes in Newfoundland centuries before the English crossed the pond!)
However, as for the origins of the typical detached American house that sprawl across the continent today, these First Period homes were indeed among the first, and as such, this will be where our journey starts!
Who Built America’s Post-Medieval Homes?
Back in the 17th century, the east coast of what would eventually become the United States was divided into two English colonies separated by a Dutch colony along the Hudson River.
Learn more about the illusive origins of the Dutch Colonial style.
The first homes built by the English in North America were typically just copies of those they built back in Europe, albeit with locally available materials and resources, i.e. a whole lot of wood!
So let’s break down this style of home starting from the top. (And I mean that quite literally!)
Why Do First Period Homes Have Such Steep Roofs?
Although it may look like a bold choice for settlers to build their roofs so steep, the steepness initially served a very practical purpose.
Originally these homes were built with thatched roofs which require a steep slope in order to drain rain water properly—something they’re actually quite effective at doing back in ol' stormy England.
But while a properly maintained thatched roof can last centuries in Europe, the same could not be said in North America—her long winter months reeking utter havoc on these roofs with heavy snowfall and ice buildup.
As such, it wouldn’t be long before English settlers replaced their roofs with the abundantly available wood.
Due to the urgency of replacing these roofs before another winter arrived, wood would become the de facto roofing material before building techniques evolved to allow shallower roof slopes.
How Did English Settlers Protect Their Walls?
Another area where English settlers embraced the abundant supply of wood was to protect their home’s exterior walls.
Back in the United Kingdom, people would protect the exteriors of their homes with a limestone-based paint called a lime wash. This is why English homes of that era have that iconic white color.
However, most settlers in North America didn’t have access to an adequate supply of limestone, thus something else would have to be used instead… What was that something else? You guessed it! More wood.
Unlike the wood siding available today however, walls and roofs were lined in a type of wood siding called shake. This is wood that’s carefully split along the fibres into very thin, textured strips.
Overtime, the shake would naturally darken, giving these homes the dramatic coloring we know them for today.
Was There a Difference Between Homes in the North & South?
As I mentioned earlier, the English colonies were divided by a Dutch colony in the Hudson Valley, and as such, homes above that divide and below it began to differ ever so slightly.
While wood was the dominant means of protecting exterior walls in the Northern English colonies, brick would take on that role in the South.
Southern homes were also generally only a single floor. Northern homes meanwhile tended to have at least 2 floors and an attic.
The front façade of these Northern home’s second floor, would often overhang the floor below—a trait that was sometimes observed in the home’s gables as well.
This building tradition also traces its roots back to Europe where people cantilevered floors above street-level in order to give the home more living space on a smaller footprint.
Decorative wooden pendants were often placed underneath the second floor overhang. These are called pendills.
How Did America’s First Period Homes Stay Warm?
No matter whether in the North or South, the fireplace was an essential part of the colonial home. Not only did they provide much needed heat in the winter, but they also served as the main hub for cooking food and boiling water.
With that said, the difference of climate between Northern and Southern settlements meant different priorities in where to build the fireplace.
Northern English colonies would put them in the center of their homes. This would help to retain heat within the house during the winter.
Southern colonies meanwhile put fireplaces on the side of their homes. Compared to the hot and humid summers of the South, a cold winter was much less of a concern.
And thus during those hot summer months, placing fireplaces on the home’s sides not only released heat from cooking more effectively, but it also allowed for a central passage in the middle of the home to improve air flow.
This central passageway would eventually evolve into the American-style foyer, but that’s a story for a different time!
One exception to this fireplace rule was in the Northern colony of Rhode Island. Due to an abundance of limestone, Rhode Islanders were able to build massive stone chimneys on either side of their homes. Fittingly, these homes are called Stone-Enders.
But one thing that connects all of these Post-Medieval fireplaces is that their chimneys were massive and usually had very decorative tops.
Why Do First Period Homes Have Such Tiny Window?
Another detail of these post medieval homes are their tiny casement windows with diamond-shaped panes.
The reason they were small is twofold, for one; being small means these homes are better at conserving heat, and two; glass was simply difficult to come by in North America at the time.
In the following centuries, these tiny windows would be replaced by larger square-paned, double-hung windows, as was the later style.
Recently however, many of these windows would be restored back to their original style of tiny casement windows.
What Kind of Doors Did Post-Medieval Homes Have in America?
Originally, these homes had batten doors. These are doors made up of several vertical planks held together by a horizontal or diagonal beam called a batten.
Much like with the windows, the original batten doors on these buildings would generally be replaced in the following centuries. But once again, through modern renovations and restorations many of these homes would see batten doors return to their entryways.
Conclusion
The style of America’s Post-Medieval English architecture developed as a practical adaptation of European building traditions for a much less forgiving climate.
When settlers constructed their homes, they’d swap out their old traditions, and embrace using the materials they had locally available.
As the American economy grew, and more building materials entered the market, new styles of homes emerged leaving many of these early homes to fall into disrepair or be lost forever.
Over time however, some of these homes would be lucky enough to get restored to their original beauty—many becoming museums for the public to enjoy for generations to come!
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Next Time…
In our next blog of this series, we explore how the Europeans learned to overcome the long cold winter with a new style of home in the Cape of Cod!
Is there something you want to add about the First Period, a.k.a., Post-Medieval English style? Let me know in the comments!
And if you enjoyed this blog, please consider sharing it on your social media, it’s much appreciated!
Thank you for reading!
These blogs are a companion piece to my YouTube series, Return to Old Town, in which I rebuild the original neighbourhood from The Sims while exploring the history of America's residential architecture. Watch the companion episode for this blog here:
