Italianate architecture continues the trend of asymmetrical design, romanticism, and Medieval influence — this time borrowing features from Medieval Italy. Italianate style is common up and down the East Coast and peaked in popularity between 1850 and 1880.
Italianate architecture features:
- Belvederes for natural light and airflow
- Overhanging eaves with decorative support brackets
- Tall and narrow or pedimented windows with rounded crowns
- Cast iron detailing and decor
Pattern books were becoming a popular way for craftsmen to build homes in different styles. This flexibility meant Italianate features were accessible for a variety of homes including large estates and urban townhouses.
Most Dutch Colonial homes you find today are actually from the Colonial Revival period of the early 20th Century. Original Dutch Colonial homes feature flared roof eaves and creative wood and brickwork. They are much more ornamental than classic Colonial homes, though the Dutch Colonial Revival style tends to be more subdued than the original Dutch Colonial homes.
Dutch Colonial Revival houses feature:
- Broad gambrel roofs that are visually similar to barn-style roofs
- Open-floor plans
- Flared roof eaves
- Split doors
The large barn-style roofs are the most identifiable feature of a Dutch Colonial home and even became known as “Dutch roofs.”
Around the 1820s, Americans experienced a renewed interest in classic Greek and Roman culture. This cultural shift was a natural fit for architects, who brought the Greek Revival house style to life.
Greek Revival architecture became popular in homes as well as businesses, banks, and churches. Prominent features include:
- Easy to identify shapes, including a rectangular building and triangular roofs
- Gable-front designs
- Large porches and protected entryways
- Greek-inspired columns both square and round
Greek Revival homes often have decorative trim and moulding around the front door and windows. These ornate features and columns are easy ways to identify Greek Revival architecture.
Contemporary homes resemble the modern homes of the mid-20th century with a renewed emphasis on sustainability. Current contemporary styles are rooted in minimalism, which you can see in these key features:
- Asymmetrical exterior
- Clean lines
- Open floor plan layout
- Geometry highlighted in its structure
- Sustainable building materials and features
Contemporary homes aim to find beauty in a simple and appealing design with ties to nature and more warmth than modern home styles offer.
The Parthenon in Centennial Park, in Nashville, Tennessee, is a full-scale replica of the original Parthenon in Athens. It was designed by architect William Crawford Smith and built in 1897 as part of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition.
Today the Parthenon, which functions as an art museum, stands as the centerpiece of Centennial Park, a large public park just west of downtown Nashville. Alan LeQuire's 1990 re-creation of the Athena Parthenos statue in the naos (the east room of the main hall) is the focus of the Parthenon just as it was in ancient Greece. Since the building is complete and its decorations were polychromed (painted in colors) as close to the presumed original as possible, this replica of the original Parthenon in Athens serves as a monument to what is considered the pinnacle of classical architecture. The plaster replicas of the Parthenon Marbles found in the Treasury Room (the west room of the main hall) are direct casts of the original sculptures which adorned the pediments of the Athenian Parthenon, dating back to 438 BC. The surviving originals are housed in the British Museum in London and at the Acropolis Museum in Athens.
Modern home design became popular in the early 20th century and has a heavy influence on today’s contemporary designs. The core of modern designs can be seen in their:
- Use of geometric shapes
- Large, floor-to-ceiling windows
- Clean lines and flat roofs
- Open floor plans
These styles attempt to connect with nature through minimalism and fluid design between outdoor and indoor spaces. Modern house styles branch into a few key sub-styles.
Despite the car initially being built in 1885 in Germany, American manufacturers completely dominated the automotive industry of the mid-twentieth century. Applaud be to Henry Ford, who established the first conveyor assembly line for his Model T on December 1, 1913. This creation reduced the production time of one vehicle from 12 hours to an hour and 33 minutes, making it a lot cheaper. Ford’s goal was to make automobiles accessible to everyone, and he achieved it. Nowadays, around 91% of American households own at least one car.
Suburbanization
Before vehicles became widely available, people who lived in the city worked in the city, while most of those who settled in the country were farmers. Now that it was possible to travel vast distances in a short amount of time, the thought of dwelling away from the bustling downtown while still being able to work there looked tempting. After World War II, many soldiers received an opportunity to live on their property in a single-family home, resulting in a baby boom and a surge in demand for tract houses. Seventy-seven million children had been born by the end of 1964. At that time, the suburbs were booming, with over a third of the population residing there.
The American Road Trip
Cars turned into a symbol of personal freedom and independence, allowing us to travel throughout the nation at will. For many families, the famous American road trip is a ritual. The destination itself, often overlooked, holds little value, as that feeling of liberty and the ability to travel to any desired location in the country alongside your family and friends is what brings immense joy. The complex infrastructure designed around your car makes this activity even better.
New Business Categories
Many new businesses started along with the development of automobiles. Getting hungry in the middle of the trip stopped being a problem. Just hit the local drive-in or drive-thru where carhops, sometimes on roller skates, will take care of the food orders, letting you stay inside the car. After everyone is full and satisfied, the desire to watch a good movie kicks in. So, our next destination is the drive-in theater. This gigantic outdoor screen with a parking area next to it was popular in the 1950s, romanticized by TV series such as Happy Days, American Graffiti, and Grease. Once again, there was no need to leave the vehicle unless you wanted to get some snacks from the concession stand. On the way home, let’s stop at a mall for some shopping. It is convenient to have many different stores gathered for us in one place. However, the distance from the downtown is reasonable. That is why we have cars; otherwise, such shopping centers wouldn’t exist.
Hot Rodding, Drag Racing, and NASCAR
Coming back home from a heartwarming, peaceful family trip, it feels like there is a need for something more out of your car. What if it could go faster? Solely add an enormous engine and get a fancy paint job, turning it into a hot rod. Hot rodding and drag racing are motorsports that gained popularity in the 1950s and remain relevant. Another is NASCAR, where racers compete on slightly tilted speedways using stock cars. It is, by the way, the second most spectated sport in the USA behind the NFL (National Football League).
We could write a book on the tremendous impact cars made on American culture and society. However, a piece of paper could never fully convey all the experiences, as every automobile becomes unique in our hands. At Tempus Logix, we offer auto transportation across the nation, no matter if it is a hot rod, a family van, or a tractor: so that your motor vehicle can always stay by your side. (Quelle:tempuslogix.com)
Second Empire homes were a modern Victorian-era style that started in France before spreading through the Northeastern and Midwestern United States. Second Empire architecture features similar ornate Victorian trends, though generally offers a simplified Victorian aesthetic.
These elements help identify a Second Empire home:
- Uniquely shaped Mansard Roof
- Decorative window framing and dormers
- Decorative rails or balustrades around terraces and staircases
- Iron roof crest and eaves with support brackets
Second Empire homes are also easy to identify since they’re the only Victorian-era style that often features a symmetrical, rectangular floor plan.
1. From this valley they say you are going, I will miss your bright eyes and sweet smile, For they say you are taking the sunshine, that brightens our pathways awhile. (CHORUS) Come and sit by my side if you love me, do not hasten to bid me a-dieu, but remember the Red River Valley, and the cowboy who loved you so true.
2. I’ve been thinking a long time, my darlin’, Of the sweet words you never would say, now, alas, all my fond hopes must vanish. For they say you are going away. Repeat Chorus: Come and sit by my side if you love me, do not hasten to bid me a-dieu, but remember the Red River Valley, and the cowboy who loved you so true.
3. Do you think of the valley you’re leaving? Oh, how lonely and sad it will be! Do you think of the kind hearts you’re breaking, and the pain you are causing to me? Repeat Chorus: Come and sit by my side if you love me, do not hasten to bid me a-dieu, but remember the Red River Valley, and the cowboy who loved you so true.
4. I have promised you, darlin’, that never, will a word from my lips cause you pain; And my life, it will be yours forever If you only will love me again. Repeat Chorus: Come and sit by my side if you love me, do not hasten to bid me a-dieu, but remember the Red River Valley, and the cowboy who loved you so true.
