The Colonial Styles
are in fact a conglomeration of seveal different styles. During the seventeenth
century, while Gothic and Medieval elements migrated to a limited degree to
the New World, there was little trace of either Renaissance or Classical elements.
A housing revolution took place in America following elevated living standards
in the English countryside. In New England, the housing style consequently
became that of a two story home with one giant centralized chimney, located
as such to provide heat to the entire house to combat the cold New England
winters. Homes were only one room deep under the main roof (though posterior
rooms did sometimes exist under attached roofs) up until the early eighteenth
century, when double-pile houses arrived to New England. The mid-to-late eighteenth
century welcomed the dissemination of architectural elements and styles from
published books for the first time. James Gibbs was prominent during this
period, notable for his New England religious architecture. He influenced
Anglican structures with his galleried interior and a blend of Gothic and
Classical elements found in the steeple.
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