Architectural Styles

Regional Adaptation

North America: 1607-1695

Regional Adaptation Features of Regional Adaptation include timber construction, usually logs with rounded ends or planks notched together at the corners, wooden chimneys covered in clay, and a lack of imported materials such as nails, glass, or paint.

North Carolina: 1650-late 19th century

Early structures built in North Carolina combined available resources with simple, functional building techniques brought from Europe. Lacking affluence and skilled artisans, early settlers constructed homes to provide basic shelter rather than to offer permanence. These traditional building techniques persisted in the state throughout the nineteenth century.

Example of Regional Adaptation from Built Heritage

Newbold-White House, circa 1730, Perquimans County

Pre-Georgian elements of the house include a steep, parapeted gable roof, small, arched windows, a hall-parlor plan, and Flemish-bond brick walls with glazed headers. The house was constructed for Quaker farmers Abraham and Judith Pricklove Sanders. A compact brick structure, the house is an example of the first generation of solidly built architecture in the region. The structure exemplifies older English traditional styles adapted to the new environment of North Carolina. The house underwent extensive restoration in the 1970s, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Georgian

North America: 1695-1799

The Georgian style came to America from England, and was named for the British monarchs George I - III. Features of the Georgian style include bilateral symmetry, heavy classical moldings and paneling, gabled or hipped roofs, pediments, and modillion cornices.

North Carolina: 1750s-early 19th century

North Carolina, like the rest of the colonies, adapted a simplified form of the Georgian style due to the lack of experienced designers in the country.

Examples of the Georgian style from Built Heritage

Chowan County Courthouse, 1767, Edenton, Chowan County

The Courthouse was begun in 1767. Georgian features of the courthouse include symmetry, Flemish bond brick construction, an English bond water table, and a central pedimented pavilion. The courthouse was possibly designed by British architect John Hawks and houses an assembly room that was said to be the largest fully paneled room in the American colonies. The Chowan County Courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and as a National Historic Landmark.

John Wright Stanly House, 1779/1783, New Bern, Craven County

Georgian features of the John Wright Stanly House include quoins, a cornice with modillions, and pediments above the entrance and first floor windows. Originally owned by trader and Revolutionary War blockade-runner John Wright Stanly, the home provides a glimpse into the lives of the eighteenth century North Carolina elite. Tradition and circumstantial evidence suggest that the home was on the property of Tryon Palace.

Federal

North America: 1787-1820

Inspired by the excavations at Pompeii in the mid-eighteenth century, Scottish architect Robert Adams popularized a new style of interior design focusing on rounded shapes and lighter weight moldings. The Federal style incorporated Adam's designs into Georgian themes, resulting in simpler, more delicate buildings. Features of the Federal style include horizontally and vertically aligned windows, fanlights over doors, low pitched gabled or hipped roofs, rounded rooms and the inclusion of niches, and classically inspired motifs such as sunbursts, fans, and garlands.

North Carolina: 1800-1840s

In North Carolina, the Federal style appeared in conjunction with the Georgian style. Many structures in North Carolina combined elements of both sytles.

Examples of the Federal style from Built Heritage

Shadow Lawn, 1826, Lincolnton, Lincoln County

Federal features of this structure include Flemish bond brickwork, flat arches above openings, a water table and belt course, and a molded brick cornice. Originally owned by merchant Paul Kistler and Ann Smith Kistler, Shadow Lawn was later home to Congressman Charles Raper Jonas. The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Mulberry Hill, circa 1810, Chowan County

Federal features of this structure include Flemish bond brickwork, Adamesque woodwork, and a fanlight in the gable. Mulberry Hill resembles the typical New Bern townhouse of this time period. First owner Charles Blount likely emulated the recently constructed New Bern home of his brother Frederick. Mulberry Hill is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Palladian

North America: Early 18th Century - Early 19th Century

Popularized by British architecture books in the 18th century, Palladian elements include a symmetrical 3-5 part composition with either a large central block flanked by smaller wings, or a central pedimented pavilion projecting from the facade. The approach is based on 16th century Italian architect Andrea Palladio's work.

North Carolina: 1780 - Mid-19th Century

Palladian ideas and forms appeared in both rural and urban settings in North Carolina. The Palladian ideal gained popularity from architecture books as well as Thomas Jefferson's promotion of Palladian forms.

Examples from Built Heritage

Hope Plantation, 1796 - 1803, Bertie County

The house was built for David Stone, first owner, after his marriage to Hannah Turner. The structure has a high brick basement with a deck-on-hip roof and Chinese lattice railings on the deck and porticos. This Palladian-influenced structure contains one of the oldest surviving service stairs in the state, and the structure was inspired by Palladio's Four Books of Architecture. David Stone served as Governor of North Carolina from 1808 to 1810, and as United States Senator from 1812 to 1814. The house fell into decay in the mid-twentieth century and was restored by the Historic Hope Foundation. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Bellair, 1790/1793 Craven County

Bellair was built on land formerly owned by the Speight family for planter Wilson Blount. Since 1838, the Richardson family has owned the property. This Palladian plantation house, unique in the state of North Carolina, has a one-room deep plan, with a central pedimented pavilion, Flemish-bond brickwork, and Georgian finishes. The interior is complete with Georgian features and a full raised basement. Bellair is one of the few 18th century plantation houses left standing in the state. The home's interior woodwork is nearly identical to that found in New Bern's John Wright Stanly and Coor-Gaston houses. Bellair is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Greek Revival

North America: 1818-1860

The shift in design inspiration from Roman to Grecian motifs occurred as part of a broader Western artistic movement that focused on the depiction of ancient monuments. In the United States, the Greek Revival style was often employed to create a temple form for public buildings, visually manifesting American democratic principles. Greek Revival became the first architectural style to reach all regions of the nation. Features of the Greek Revival style include broad, rectangular forms, often featuring a two-story front facade with a pedimented gable supported by columns, wide friezes and pilasters, a heavy cornice, mantels with columns and entablature, and doors with transoms and sidelights.

North Carolina: 1830s-1870

Greek Revival has been considered the most popular style of architecture existing in North Carolina from the 1830s to the Civil War.

Examples of the Greek Revival style from Built Heritage

Dr. David Gillespie House, circa 1858, located in Kenansville, Duplin County

Greek Revival features of this structure include symmetry, a double portico of large pilasters, pilasters at the corners, and pedimented gable ends. The home of Dr. David Gillespie exemplifies local Greek Revival style, including the peaked and crosseted windows and door frames which were popular in Kenansville.

Northampton County Courthouse, 1858, Jackson, Northampton County

Greek Revival features of this structure include the 'temple of justice' form, with an Ionic portico and a raised basement. Built by A. J. Riggs and likely designed by local planter Henry K. Burgwyn, the courthouse is considered one of the state's finest antebellum temples of justice. The courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Kinston architect A. Mitchell Wooten designed the courthouse's 1939 rear addition.

Philadelphus Presbyterian Church, 1860/1863, Philadelphus, Robeson County

Greek Revival features of this structure include a temple form, with a Doric portico set below a pediment. The church was constructed for a rural Scots Presbyterian congregation established in the late eighteenth century. Tradition attributes the church's construction to Connecticut carpenter Gilbert P. Higley. Philadelphus Presbyterian Church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Elizabethan Revival

North America: 1830s - 1860s

The Elizabethan Revival style originated in England, and refers back to the Elizabethan style of the 16th and 17th centuries. Features of the Elizabethan Revival style include gables, octagonal turrets, and lead-paned windows.

North Carolina: Mid 19th Century - Early 20th Century

Elizabethan Revival style structures were not widespread in North Carolina.

Example from Built Heritage

Joseph H. Hinton House, 1912, Wilmington, New Hanover County

The house features brick and curvilinear gables, and is located in a suburb of Wilmington.

Egyptian Revival

North America: 1834-1850

The association with Egyptian history marked by this style held an implication for the viewer of death and mystery. For this reason, Egyptian Revival never gained broad popularity in the United States and was generally used for mortuary structures or Masonic buildings. The style occurred in brief waves, such as between 1840 and 1850, and in the 1920s following the discovery of King Tutankhamen's tomb. Features of the Egyptian Revival style include obelisks, pylons, Egyptian motifs such as lotus flowers, palms, and griffins, and a heavy, monumental appearance.

Gothic Revival

North America: 1839-1930

The Gothic Revival style appeared primarily in church architecture. Much of the public viewed society as lacking piety, and the Gothic Revival presented a connection to medieval virtues. The style provided formality, physically distancing the congregation from the clergy, unlike the earlier box-shaped churches that allowed a close proximity to ritual and an influx of light from wide windows. Features of the Gothic Revival style include pointed arches, steeply pitched roofs, stained glass, buttresses, and pinnacles.

North Carolina: 1840s-20th century

In North Carolina, the Gothic Revival style was used mainly in religious structures. Episcopalian churches were the first to use the style, and as it gained popularity the style became used by other denominations.

Examples of the Gothic Revival style from Built Heritage

Duke University Chapel, 1930/1932, Durham, Durham County

Gothic Revival features of the Duke University Chapel include a tall entrance tower, a high, vaulted sanctuary, stained glass, and flying buttresses. Considered the finest late Gothic Revival monument in the state, the chapel is both the architectural focal point and the iconic symbol of Duke University. The entrance tower was modeled after the Bell Harry Tower of Canterbury Cathedral. The chapel houses statues of the Duke family associated with their sarcophogi.

St. Stephen AME Church, 1880/1888, Wilmington, New Hanover County

Gothic Revival features of this structure include a spired corner tower, steep gables, an exposed truss ceiling, and balconies with quatrefoil lancet arches. The church was constructed for an African American splinter group from Front Street Methodist Church, who established a separate congregation in 1865. Many church members were involved with the building's construction, donating materials and labor. Church trustee Lewis Hollingsworth designed the church.

Italianate

North America: 1837-1860

Similar to other styles of the Victorian era, Italianate offered a romantic interpretation of medieval values in opposition to the societal problems endemic to industrialization. The style became nationally popular as an easier to build alternative to the Greek and Gothic Revival styles. Features of the Italianate style include low pitched roofs with deep overhanging eaves, paired arched windows with hoodmolds, square towers, quoins, and balconies with wrought-iron railings.

North Carolina: 1840s-1890s

In North Carolina, Italianate is often associated with Wilmington, as the city built residences that emulated the urban environments of New York and Philadelphia, two frequent trading partners. Antebellum structures in this style, belonging mostly to the elite, appeared mainly in large towns or developed areas of North Carolina. The style became more popular throughout the state later in the nineteenth century.

Examples of the Italianate style from Built Heritage

Edward Savage House, 1851, Wilmington, New Hanover County

Italianate features of the house include a stuccoed exterior, a low, bracketed roof, ironwork, and a canopy porch. The residence was modeled on the Cubical Cottage in Tuscan Style from A. J. Downing's 'Architecture of Country Houses.' The home was constructed by active Wilmington builders John C. and Robert B. Wood, with woodwork executed by James F. Post. The home lies within the boundaries of the Wilmington Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Blandwood, 1844/1845 Greensboro, Guilford County

Italianate features of Blandwood include a stuccoed exterior, a central entrance tower with flanking wings, and a low roof with deep eaves. One of architect A. J. Davis's first Italianate villas, the home inspired countless imitations and hepled popularize the center-tower villa across the nation. Davis redesigned an existing home for Governor John Motley Morehead, the first owner of Blandwood. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and as a National Historic Landmark.

Renaissance Revival

North America: 1837-1915

Designers used the Renaissance Revival style to refer to the architecture of the Italian Renaissance. The style experienced two periods of popularity, the first occurring between 1837 and 1885, and the second between 1890 and 1915. Features of the Renaissance Revival style include horizontal, box-like massing, arches, symmetry, low pitched roofs, smaller, square windows on the upper story, loggias, and balustrades.

North Carolina: 1845-1920

In North Carolina, this style was used mainly in larger structures, such as public buildings like post offices and banks. The style was also utilized for larger residential structures. The style combined luxury and opulence with an open, light, and airy atmosphere.

Examples of the Renaissance Revival style from Built Heritage

United States Post Office, 1913/1914, Greenville, Pitt County

Renaissance Revival features of the structure include stuccoed walls, a red tiled roof, arcaded loggia, and smaller, square windows on the upper story. The post office was built during Greenville's tobacco boom by Oscar Wenderoth, the supervising architect of the Treasury. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Abel Caleb Lineberger, Sr. House, 1919/1921, Belmont, Gaston County

Renaissance Revival features of this house include a green tiled hip roof, arched first-floor openings, two-story porches on the side elevations, and terraced gardens. Designed by Charles C. Hook, with landscaping by Earle S. Draper, the home is considered one of the grandest mansions in the Piedmont. The house was built for textile magnate Abel Caleb Lineberger, Sr., reflecting Belmont's importance as one of the leading textile towns in North Carolina. The home lies within the boundaries of the Belmont Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Carpenter Gothic

North America: 1840-1870

Carpenter Gothic adapted the Gothic Revival style to buildings of light frame construction erected by North American carpenters. Features of the Carpenter Gothic style include verticality, board-and-batten walls, pointed arches, decorative bargeboards, and steep gables.

North Carolina: 1850s-1890

In North Carolina, Carpenter Gothic adapted the Gothic Revival style to buildings of light frame construction erected by local carpenters.

Examples of the Carpenter Gothic style from Built Heritage

Grace Episcopal Church, 1885, Trenton, Jones County

Carpenter Gothic features of this structure include board-and-batten walls, scalloped bargeboards, and scalloped, triangular heads over openings. Grace Episcopal Church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

St. Mary's Chapel, 1855/1857, Raleigh, Wake County

Carpenter Gothic features of the chapel include board-and-batten walls, thin windows, a steep gabled roof, and a peaked hood at the entrance. The chapel is part of St. Mary's School, an Episcopal school for girls established in 1842. Principal Aldert Smedes chose the chapel's design from Richard Upjohn's 'Rural Architecture' and requested alterations from the architect, who responded with a custom design. The chapel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Romanesque Revival

North America: 1845-1890s

Similar to the Gothic Revival style, Romanesque Revival suggested a return to medieval values and employed a verticality that inspired piety. However, the expense of solid masonry construction delayed popularity of the Romanesque Revival until the latter part of the nineteenth century when the country had further recovered from the Civil War. The style began to replace Gothic Revival in church architecture in many areas of the United States, as church congregations interpreted the Romanesque to be more simplified, and therefore more conducive to worship. Features of the Romanesque Revival style include rock faced stone or brick walls, semi-circular arches, quoins, corbels, terra cotta ornamentation, and window trim in different colored or textured stone.

North Carolina: 1850s-1900

In North Carolina, this style appeared mainly in the Piedmont and Western regions as government or public buildings, libraries, and churches.

Examples of the Romanesque Revival style from Built Heritage

Biddle Hall at Johnson C. Smith University, 1884, Charlotte, Mecklenburg County

Romanesque Revival features of this structure include corbeled brickwork and brownstone and stamped metal trim. Students at Johnson C. Smith University helped build Biddle Hall, which is often considered the finest remaining Victorian building in Charlotte. The hall's auditorium features dark woodwork and colored glass. Biddle Hall is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

All Souls Episcopal Cathedral, 1895, Asheville, Buncombe County

Romanesque Revival features of All Souls Episcopal Cathedral includes a heavy, square central tower, a short nave, a curving apse, a pebbledash exterior, a red tiled roof, brick quoins, and buttresses. The cathedral was designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt, and was one of his last works before his death. Built as the centerpiece of Biltmore Village, the church was designated the cathedral of the Western North Carolina Episcopal Dioscese in 1995. All Souls Episcopal Cathedral is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Second Empire

North America: 1855-1880

Inspired by Parisian design, Second Empire was associated with the ascension of a new wealthy class following the Civil War. During Reconstruction, new money was tied both to the North and to entrepreneurs in industry. These factors made the style rare in the South. Features of the Second Empire style include patterned mansard roofs with dormers, a high degree of ornamentation, one-story porches, U-shaped window crowns, and square towers.

North Carolina: 1860s-1890s

In North Carolina, Second Empire appeared mainly in urban settings.

Examples of the Second Empire style from Built Heritage

Craven County Courthouse, 1883, New Bern, Craven County

Second Empire features of the courthouse include a central tower, a patterned, slate mansard roof, and cast-iron lintels and sills. The courthouse was designed by Philadelphia architectural firm Sloan and Balderston and built by New Bern's John B. Lane. A previous courthouse burned in 1861, but the Reconstruction era economy postponed the construction of the new courthouse until the 1880s. The Craven County Courthouse lies within the boundaries of the New Bern Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Heck-Lee House, circa 1874, Raleigh, Wake County

Second Empire features of this structure include a mansard roof with dormers and a one-story porch. The Heck-Lee house is one of a trio of Second Empire style residences built on the same block for the Heck family between 1872 and 1875. The Heck houses are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Craftsman

North America: 1870s-1920s

The Craftsman style, promoted by Gustav Stickley's magazine, featured an American interpretation of the Arts and Crafts Movement, favoring traditional simplicity and the natural materials. Examples of this style include English cottage forms and bungalows. Features of the Craftsman style include tapered porch posts on heavy bases, exposed rafter and purlin ends under broad eaves, and exaggerated angular eave brackets.

North Carolina: 1870s-1920s

The Craftsman style was especially popular in western North Carolina, where the style blended with local building traditions.

Example from Built Heritage

Little House, 1910/1929, Forestville, Wake County

This example of the Craftsman style was built in the early twentieth century, though some sections date to the early to mid-nineteenth century.

Queen Anne

North America: 1875-1900

The Queen Anne style merged the seemingly antithetical Victorian concepts of romanticism and industrialization. The price of building parts decreased due to the ease of their production in factories, and an extended railroad system allowed the parts to be transported across the country. The availability of components permitted builders to create eclectic, individualized structures considered romantic by the late-nineteenth century viewer. Features of the Queen Anne style include asymmetrical plans, towers, abundant millwork, the use of multiple different window types, wraparound porches, roofs with projecting gables and dormers, and the use of a variety of colors and textures.

North Carolina: 1880s-1910

In North Carolina, the style was associated with industrialists and the advent of urban wealth.

Examples of the Queen Anne style from Built Heritage

William B. Blades House, 1903, New Bern, Craven County

Queen Anne features of this house include towers, multiple gables and bays, broad porches, tall chimneys, an irregular floor plan, and classical detailing. Architect Herbert W. Simpson designed the house for lumber magnate William B. Blades. The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Charles T. Holt House, 1897, Haw River, Alamance County

Queen Anne features of this house include asymmetry, a tower, a broad porch, and a complex roof with dormers. The residence is one of several Queen Anne style homes in North Carolina designed by mail-order architect George F. Barber. Built by James R. Montgomery, the home exemplifies Barber's Queen Anne style. The Charles T. Holt House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Classical Revival and Neoclassicism

North America: Late 18th Century - Early 20th Century

Classical Revival and Neoclassicism are used to describe the revival of ancient Greek and Roman forms in architecture, and can include other styles such as Federal and Greek Revival. Features of the Neoclassical and Classical Revival styles tend to be linear, symmetrical, and severe, in a reaction to the more opulent Rococo styles preceding the renewal of ancient forms. Though the terms are often used interchangeably, Classical Revival generally refers to styles based very closely on the principles and forms of ancient Classical architecture. Neoclassical architecture takes inspiration from the principles, forms, and motifs of Classicism rather than closely mirroring ancient styles.

North Carolina: Early 19th century - Early 20th Century

In North Carolina, examples of Classical Revival and Neoclassical architecture are found mainly as public buildings, such as churches, libraries, and courthouses.

Examples from Built Heritage

Market House and Town Hall, 1832, Fayetteville, Cumberland County

The building, an example of Classical Revival, blends both Gothic Revival and Classical details. The structure is Fayetteville's civic landmark and logo, and is both a National Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Features of the Market include arches, cupolas, pilasters, lookouts, balusters, and columns.

Former Iredell County Courthouse, 1899/1900, Statesville, Iredell County

The Neoclassical courthouse has two- and three-story sections and a dome centered over a Corinthian portico. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Hayden, Wheeler and Schwend (architect) and Nicholas Ittner (contractor) contributed to the structure.

Richardsonian Romanesque

North America: 1880-1895

American architect H. H. Richardson offered a reinterpretation of Romanesque style that incorporated the horizontal focus of the Shingle Style. Massive stonework required larger structures, so the Richardson Romanesque was typically used in the construction of public buildings or churches. Features of the Richardsonian Romanesque style include heavy stone construction, towers, round arches, short, thick columns, and deeply set doors and windows.

North Carolina: 1880s-1900

In parts of North Carolina, this style was used for commercial buildings of the early twentieth century.

Example of the Richardsonian Romanesque style from Built Heritage

Statesville City Hall, 1890/1892, Statesville, Iredell County

Richardsonian Romanesque features of this structure include asymmetrical massing, an arched entrance, pressed brick, a terra cotta, and sandstone finish, a rounded tower, and peaked dormers. Supervisory architect of the Treasury Willoughby J. Edbrooke designed the building, which was built by contractor Peter Demens. The structure was formerly used as Statesville's courthouse and post office. The building numbers among North Carolina's finest examples of the Richardsonian Romanesque style, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Shingle Style

North America: 1880-1900

The Shingle Style evolved from the Queen Anne style as American designers began to incorporate concepts from the Arts and Crafts movement gaining popularity in Europe. The movement highlighted the handiwork of personal craftsmanship and focused on natural materials. The Shingle style paired Queen Anne massing with a shingled, wooden exterior and simplified ornamentation. Features of the Shingle style include an exterior covered in naturally colored wooden shingles, irregular floor plans, a large massing with horizontal visual cohesion, and larger interior rooms.

North Carolina: 1880s-1900s

The Shingle Style in North Carolina followed national trends, utilizing the style in locations distant from urban indistrial life. Examples in North Carolina include resorts, certain neighborhoods, and a series of lifesaving stations along the Outer Banks.

Example of the Shingle Style from Built Heritage

Donald MacRae House, 1901, Wilmington, New Hanover County

Shingle Style features of this house include brick walls with bands of shingles, a corner tower, and asymmetrical massing. Architect Henry Bacon designed the home for family friend Donald MacRae, a businessman and developer. The home is Wilmington's prime example of Shingle style, and is currently being used as the parish house for St. James Episcopal Church. The home lies within the boundaries of the Wilmington Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Colonial Revival

North America: 1876-1920

During the Industrial Revolution, architects looked to the idealized past for design that would embody the principles that they wished to reassert in modern times. America's centennial celebration inspired the Colonial Revival, which simulated early American building styles. Features of the Colonial Revival style include symmetry, classical motifs, entryways with sidelights, transoms or fanlights, clapboard or brick siding, double-hung sash windows with louvered shutters, entablatures with dentils, and paneled wainscoting.

North Carolina: 1880s-early 20th century

Colonial Revival became the most popular residential style in North Carolina during the early twentieth century.

Example of the Colonial Revival style from Built Heritage

Lea Laboratory, 1887, Wake Forest, Wake County

Colonial Revival features of this structure include a pedimented center block with two one-story pavilions connected by hyphens. This early example of the Colonial Revival style was originally part of Wake Forest College. Lea Laboratory, which has been renamed Broyhill Hall, is currently part of the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. The structure is the oldest building on Southeastern's campus and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Art Nouveau

North America: 1890 - 1910

Art Nouveau architecture utilizes organic forms and modern materials such as iron and glass. The style is known for fluid, undulating, or serpentine lines and contours.

North Carolina: Early 20th Century

Art Nouveau in North Carolina features flowing lines and abstract nature motifs.

Example from Built Heritage

Whalehead Club, 1922/1925, Corolla, Currituck County

Edward C. Knight, Jr. (businessman) and Amanda Marie Louise LeBel Knight built the lodge. The Whalehead Club exhibits features of both the Arts and Crafts movement and Art Nouveau detail. The property also includes a bridge and boathouse, and is currently open to the public. Local tradition holds that the Knights built the Whalehead Club after Amanda Knight, a sportswoman, was excluded from local all-male hunting clubs. The club includes copper 'shingles' with seven individual folds each that cover the roof, and water lily motifs. The structure is considered the grandest shooting club in Currituck County and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Beaux Arts

North America: 1890s-1920

An adapted classicism gained popularity following the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago, which was designed according to principles taught in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in France. The new style featured classical elements rendered both academically and eclectically with massive scale. Significant Beaux Arts concepts include symmetry, monumental massing, and hierarchical planning. Features of the Beaux Arts style include massive stone composition, sculpture, arched windows and doors, large paired columns, and classical ornamentation.

North Carolina: 1900s-1930

In North Carolina, the style was typically used to construct public buildings in the early twentieth century.

Examples of the Beaux Arts style from Built Heritage

Jefferson Standard Building, 1923, Greensboro, Guilford county

Beaux Arts features of the Jefferson Standard Building include height highlighted by the use of piers, round arches beneath an entablature, and walls of granite and terra cotta. Company president Julian Price offered the commission of the Jefferson Standard Building to New York architect Charles C. Hartmann on the condition that he agree to move to Greensboro. Hartmann agreed and continued to design in Greensboro for forty years. At the time of its construction, the seventeen-story skyscraper was the tallest building in the state. A bust of Thomas Jefferson tops the building's entrance. The Jefferson Standard Building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Administration Building (Ruffin Building, Court of Appeals), 1913, Raleigh, Wake County

Beaux Arts features of this building include massive composition, pilasters, cornices, balconies, and an inset entrance loggia. The building was designed by P. Thornton Marye and Frank B. Simpson. The building initially held the Supreme Court and State Library along with offices. The structure is considered the defining edifice of the Capitol Square government buildings. The building lies within the boundaries of the Capitol Area Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Tudor Revival

North America: 1890-20th century

Tudor Revival style homes were modeled after medieval English cottages, offering a visual connection between the owner and his English roots. Features of the Tudor Revival style include steeply pitched gable roofs, cross gables, half-timbered walls, massive chimneys, tall, narrow windows with diamond panes, and a brown, white, and black exterior color palette.

North Carolina: 1910s-1930s

This style occurred infrequently in North Carolina, appearing chiefly in costly residences.

Examples of the Tudor Revival style from Built Heritage

Tomlinson House, 1924, High Point, Guilford County

Tudor Revival features of this house include brick walls with half-timbering and a castellated porte cochere. Architect Harry Barton designed the home for William A. Tomlinson, a furniture businessman. The residence is located in Emerywood, a suburb planned by landscape architect Earle S. Draper.

Earle S. Draper House, 1923, Charlotte, Mecklenburg County

Tudor Revival features of this structure include steep gables, diamond panes in windows, and half-timbering. Located in the Myers Park neighborhood, the residence was home to Earle Sumner Draper. Draper, the South's first professionaly trained resident landscape architect, supervised the construction of the suburb. The Myers Park Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Spanish Baroque Revival

North America: Late 19th Century - circa 1915

The Spanish Baroque Revival style was a distinctive trend within the larger Baroque Revival movement in Europe. In North America, the Baroque Revival was closely associated with France and the Second Empire style. Originating in Europe, the Baroque Revival style is seem mainly in large public buildings such as religious structures, commercial buildings, and government or municipal buildings. Features include classical facades, elaborate sculpture, and commodius interiors.

North Carolina: Late 19th Century - Early 20th Century

While the Second Empire style was rare in the South, distinctive examples of Spanish Baroque Revival structures do exist in North Carolina, associated mainly with specific architects such as Rafael Guastavino.

Example from Built Heritage

Basilica of St. Lawrence, 1905/1909, Asheville, Buncombe County

The church was a major work by Catalonian architect Rafael Guastavino, and distinctive features include a self-supporting tiled dome and Catalan style vaulting. The brickwork includes polychrome glazed terracotta inserts as well as carved limestone trim and statuary. Rafael Guastavino, Jr. completed the construction work after his father's death, and Richard Sharp Smith (architect) and Fred Miles (sculptor) contributed to the structure. The church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Norman Revival

North America: Late 19th Century - 20th Century

Originating in England in the 19th Century, the style reflects forms and motifs of Medieval Norman architecture from Normandy and Brittany. Features of the Norman Revival style include round arches, barrel and groin vaults, and battlements.

North Carolina: 20th Century

Associated with the Romanesque Revival style, the Norman Revival style in North Carolina was used in country homes, mirroring similar residences in Philadelphia.

Example from Built Heritage

Graylyn, 1929 - 1932, Winston-Salem, Forsyth County

The house was build for Bowman Gray (president of R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company) and his wife Nathalie Gray, first owners. The home's opulence reflected the wealth of its owners despite the Great Depression, and it featured themed rooms representing the countries the couple had visited. The estate now functions as a conference center owned by Wake Forest University. Graylyn also includes Beaux Arts elements, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Luther D. Lashmit (architect), Northup and O'Brien (architects), and Thomas Sears (landscape architect) contributed to the structure.

Spanish Colonial Revival (Mission Style)

North America: Early 20th Century

Considered a movement within Colonial Revival, the Mission style became popular across the country in the early twentieth century. Reminiscent of Spanish Colonial architecture in Mexico and the American Southwest, Mission style components include Spanish balconies, verandas, columns, arcades, towers, plazas, and courtyards. Features of the Spanish Colonial Revival style include red, pan-tiled roofs, exposed timbers, arched openings, and window grilles. Mission style structures are stuccoed, with wrought iron or turned spindles, no arch moldings, and a great deal of carved or cast ornamentation.

North Carolina: 1910 - 1920s

Relatively rare in North Carolina, the Spanish Colonial Revival style appeared in a few towns, usually as railroad buildings and residences.

Examples from Built Heritage

El Nido, 1920/1921, Shelby, Cleveland County

El Nido was built for Maude Sams Gibbs and her husband E.W. This bungalow, designed by architect Aurelia Swanson, exhibits the stuccoed Spanish Mission style with many exaggerated details.

Hill House, 1910, Durham, Durham County

The house was built for John Sprunt Hill (financier and philanthropist) and his wife Annie Louise Watts. This stuccoed Spanish Revival house features baroque ornaments and a red tile roof. Hill House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Kendall and Taylor of Boston, M.A. (architects), Irving and Casson (woodworkers), and Thomas Meehan (landscape architect) all contributed to the structure.

Egyptian Revival

North America: 1922-1930

North Carolina: 1910-1930s

In North Carolina, the Egyptian Revival style was used primarily for masonic buildings.

Example of the Egyptian Revival style from Built Heritage

Masonic Temple, 1927, Rocky Mount, Nash County

Egyptian Revival features include a limestone facade, a blind loggia with lotus-order columns, and a winged cornice with Masonic symbols. Designed by H. Robert Diehl and constructed by S. S. Toler and Son, the temple exemplifies the Egyptian Revival architecture preferred by Masons.

Art Deco

North America: 1925-1940

In a world of rapid technological developments that included the introduction of aeronautics and radio, architects broke from tradition to develop a style that lacked obvious historical reference. Inspired by 1925's Exposition des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels in Paris, Art Deco architecture represented modernity and an interest in the exotic. The style incorporated contemporary materials such as neon, steel, and aluminum with streamlined forms. Features of the Art Deco style include simplified, geometric forms, vivid color palettes, the use of metal for decorative details, and vertical projections.

North Carolina: 1920s-1940s

Most of the Art Deco structures in North Carolina are public buildings such as schools, government buildings, churches, and commercial buildings rather than residential structures.

Examples of the Art Deco style from Built Heritage

S and W Cafeteria, 1929, Asheville, Buncombe County

Art Deco features of this structure include geometrical Indian and classical motifs, and the use of glazed terra cotta in cream, blue, green, black, and gilt. Designed by architect Douglas D. Ellington, the building functioned as one of S and W's first downtown cafeterias. After disuse in the 1970s, the cafeteria's original Art Deco interiors were removed. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

City Building, 1926/1928, Asheville, Buncombe County

Art Deco features of the City Building include a feather theme based on Indian motifs, the use of different colors and textures such as pink marble and pink-orange brick, and an octagonal ziggurat rendered in pink and green tile. The city building was designed by architect Douglas D. Ellington. Art Deco interiors remain intact, and the orginal mayor's office retains Art Deco style furnishings. The Asheville City Building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

International Style

North America: 1925 - 1970s

Originating in Holland, France, and Germany after World War I, the International style spread to North America in the late 1920s/1930s. The style emphasized non-traditional architecture, utilizing simplified, abstract forms, flat surfaces, and the use of industrial materials such as glass. Rejecting historical allusions, ornamentation, and color, this style emphasized volume rather than mass. Prior to World War II, the style in North America was popular among progressives, and could be found mainly in urban settings. The style became more widespread after World War II, and remained common until the 1970s.

North Carolina: 1930s to 1970s

The International Style appeared first in the mountains of North Carolina in the early 1930s. The appearance of this style coincided with the region's growing desire to keep up with the latest national trends in architecture.

Example of the International style from Built Heritage

Weizenblatt House, 1940, Asheville, Buncombe County

Dr. Sprinza Weizenblatt (Viennese opthamologist) first owned the property. The house is an early example of regional modernism, and architects Anthony Lord and Marcel Breuer contributed to the structure. International features of the house include bands of stone and glass in a clean design, and large blocks of native stone.

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