Architecture Through the Ages
By: Chase Armstrong
American Architecture 1600 to 1800 ~ Traditional Architecture
German and Spanish Colonial Architecture 1600-1900
Early Spanish settlers didn't have elaborate fountains and carvings with huge courtyards. Settlers from Latin America, Mexico, and Spain built their homes with wood, adobe, crushed shells, or stone. They had red clay tiles that covered flat roofs. Few houses have survived to this day, but some are still being preserved.
Dutch and French Colonial Architecture
French settlers were different then the English, Germans and Dutch. French settlers mostly settled in the Mississippi Valley their architecture styles were popular in the 1700s to 1800s. French architecture is a wide range of architecture from many different parts. It includes European ideas with practices learned from Africa, the Caribbean, and the West Indies. Due to the very hot and muggy weather in the South the homes were designed differently than the homes in the North. French colonial homes are constructed on tall piers. Along with wide, open porches (they called them galleries) connected the rooms inside. (Picture of a French colonial plantation home shown below).
Contemporary and Modern Architecture 1950s-Present
“Architecture Through the Ages”
I chose architecture as my topic because my dad, my personal hero, studied architecture in school and now runs his own business has an architect. He received a degree in bachelor of science, architectural studies (BSAS). Everyday I see him he gets up early in the morning and jumps right into his car. He then comes home late from work. And on the weekends he spends time doing designs of houses and buildings in his office. What I realize about him most of all is that he always has a smile during work. His work makes him happy. He enjoys working for his clients day in and day out. This was fascinating to me: I couldn’t believe that he actually liked doing work. As being a student, I don’t like tests or quizzes, I don’t like homework or worksheets. This made me want to learn more about the history of architecture and what makes my hero happy every single day. Learning a topic most of people don’t know much about was a very beneficial use of my passion project time.
Works Cited
“Architecture: Ancient and Modern.” JSTOR HOME. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Mar. 2016.
“Contemporary-Modern Style House Plans.” Dream Home Source. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Mar. 2016.
“Guide to Colonial American House Styles, 1600 to 1800.” about home. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2016.