Old House Styles

Old houses come in all shapes and sizes. The style of a house is greatly influenced by its location, when it was built and if it has undergone renovations. Explore Victorians, colonials, Greek and Spanish revivals, foursquares, Federals, bungalows and other design motifs.

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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.

Old House Styles

A History of Cape Cod Design

This early regional house style caught on like wildfire, and Cape Cod design is arguably one of the most recognizable house styles today.

Old House Styles

Row House Glossary

Medium-density, neighbor-friendly houses of the 19th century.

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