66 TRADITIONAL STYLES IN HOUSES

English Georgian. The English Georgian style developed early
in the eighteenth century. Its beginnings, however, were a cen-
tury earlier, when England's greatest architect, Inigo Jones, re-
turned from Italy, where he had studied the Classic designs of the
Italian Renaissance. Sir Christopher Wren, the worthy successor
of Inigo Jones, continued to develop the Georgian style. The
Georgian house had as characteristic features a central hall and
staircase with symmetrical rooms on each side, both upstairs and
down, hipped roofs, tall chimneys on the end walls, projecting
cornices, brick walls sometimes parapet, with corners of stone,
delicate moldings, large regularly spaced windows, central door-
ways with pediments, and Roman Doric, Ionic, or Corinthian
columns. Georgian houses had restraint, dignity, and beauty, and
also were comfortable. See page 73 for an illustration.

American Colonial. Georgian-type houses appeared in Amer-
ica soon after the style developed in England. These Colonial
houses were built by amateur architects and skilled carpenters, who
often made changes ip the style although they studied the English
books of Classical designs. Samuel Mclntyre was one of the best
American master builders of the period. Impressive Colonial
houses were constructed for prosperous ship owners, merchants,
and plantation owners from Massachusetts to Virginia. Distinct
characteristics developed in the architecture of various sections
because of climatic conditions, materials available, and social and
economic factors. The three most definite types of houses were
the New England Colonial, the Middle Colonial, and the Southern
Colonial See page 73 for good examples.

New England Colonial houses were usually built of wood al-
though stone and brick were sometimes used. The houses were"
rectangular and symmetrical like their Georgian models. At the
edge of the low gable or hip roof was a Classic molding or a balus-
trade. One central chimney or two end chimneys were used. The
front doorways, which dominated the fagades, were of the Classic
temple front pattern, with slender columns, pilasters, and pedi-
ments- The large double-hung windows on the front were evenly
spaced in relation to the door, which was in the exact center* The
ornamentation, copied from Renaissance design books, was more
delicate in wood than the originals, which were in stone*