Old House Styles

Old House Styles

International Style, 1923–1970

Rare residential examples of International Style are an expression of early Modernism.

Old House Styles

Garage & Outbuilding Styles for Old Houses

A well-designed garage does more than stable automobiles. It may by its placement create a private courtyard. It can block noise or a neighbor, or add balance if it’s part of the house. Today’s garages are also storage units and potting sheds; they may accommodate a home office or guest suite. Because a garage is new construction requiring everything from permits to utilities, it’s worth taking time to design one that works now and for the future—say, when electric-vehicle charging stations are a common requirement.

Old House Styles

Dutch Colonial Revival

Nostalgic and beloved, the Dutch Colonial Revival style evolved between the 1880s and 1940.

Old House Styles

The Shingle Style

A rarefied style in the 19th century, the Victorian-era Shingle Style is one beloved today.

Old House Styles

Victorian Brownstones

Many brownstone interiors are a Victorian wonderland.

Old House Styles

Houses of the 1920s-40s

Houses of the 1920s–40s, and how to treat them.

Old House Styles

Kit Houses from Sears, Roebuck

A bungalow built from a pre-cut kit sold through a catalog.

Old House Styles

Spanish Colonial Revival

A well-crafted, enduring style: 1882–1940.

Old House Styles

The Mania for A-Frames

From its rediscovery in the 1930s to becoming the quintessential American vacation house in the 1950s, the A-frame represented the fun side of mid-century modern architecture.

Old House Styles

Queen Anne, 1874–1910

Queen Anne houses are asymmetrical, medieval, and delightfully ornamental.

Old House Styles

Royal Barry Wills

The Cape Cod house was revived in the 20th century by Royal Barry Wills, who found the simple plan “almost as modern as Modern.”

Old House Styles

A Prairie Home Library

Prairie style books recommended by OHJ editors.

Old House Styles

The Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS)

Born during the Great Depression, HABS is an essential research tool.

Old House Styles

Beaux-Arts Style

Architecture and opulence of the American Renaissance, 1885-1930.

Old House Styles

The Bungalow, 1890–1930

The bungalow is a beloved type aligned with American Arts & Crafts.

Old House Styles

Tudor Architecture and The Many Faces of Tudor Houses

These English-inspired houses are part of the same architectural movement that spawned the English Queen Anne style, the Shingle Style, and American Queen Anne houses. They mark a transition between late Victorian sensibility and the beginning of modern architecture, including Arts & Crafts.