The beginning of the Colonial Revival style is often attributed to the Centennial Exposition of 1876. A small number of Colonial Revival style homes were built between1880 and 1910, when the Queen Anne style dominated the U.S. From 1910 to1930, the Colonial Revival style was on the rise, with about 40% of U.S. homes Colonial Revival style was built in the United States. In the immediate post war period (circa1950sto early 1960s), Colonial Revival houses continued to be built, but in a simplified form. Today, many New Traditional homes are modeled after the Colonial Revival style.
The Colonial Revival style is strongly influenced by the Georgian and Federal styles, with some influence from Dutch Colonial and post-medieval English styles. Colonial Revival houses are often eclectic, freely combining aspects of several of these archetypes.
While Colonial Revival is associated with the architectural movement, “Colonial Revival” also refers to the historic preservation, landscape architecture, garden design, and decorative arts movements that imitate or draw inspiration from colonial forms.
What is Colonial Revival Style Architecture?
Although based on the original homes of the 13 American colonies, they are them selves based on the European styles to which the early settlers were accustomed. These early English and Dutch houses are found primarily on the Atlantic Coast. Various movements and waves of the Colonial Revival occurred over the years. The term actually refers to a number of Revival styles, including Georgian, Federal, Regency, Adam, Dutch Colonial, Saltbox, and Cape Cod.