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Architecture Styles of Colonial Times

The buildings of Colonial Williamsburg are true examples of the old adage "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". The structures that Thomas Jefferson described as being "crude, misshapen piles" are often depicted by people of lesser architectural genius as being both simple and elegant. The colonists dwelling in Williamsburg paid close attention to fashion and style. While erecting buildings of function they also built edifices that demonstrated their social class.

Neatness, structure, and order were very important to the residents of Colonial Williamsburg. Symmetry was a style that satisfied all of those qualifications. Symmetrical design was the most common architectural style during the eighteenth century. This style could be h century. This style could be re in Colonial Williamsburg. This genre of design could be observed in the exterior of most edifices, gardens, and in interior decorating.

The roof of a house was so functional and important that during colonial times there were actually laws and regulations on building roofs. Colonial homes were required by law to exhibit a roof with a ten foot pitch. The styles of roofs that satisfied these regulations were gambrel, gabled, hip, and jergin. The shingles on roofs were designed solely for functional purposes. Rather than the square shingles of today, colonial shingles were rounded. Rounded shingles are more effective deflectors of rain water and increase the life span of a shingle.

In addition to shingles colonists went to great lengths to protect their homes. Many of the colonists considered their homes to be one of their greatest assets, therefore precautions were taken against misfortunes that might have occurred. Metal pieces, resembling staples, were placed across the stones of outside steps to prevent the theft of the expensive stone. Colonial buildings had functional features to protect from the decay of buildings. A water table was built between the foundation and the first story, and a belt was placed between the first and second story both helped to deflect rain water away from the building.

Fashion and status were both very important to the residents of Colonial Williamsburg. Colonists were not, however, willing to sacrifice the function of their structures in the name of fashion. The edifices of Colonial Williamsburg incorporate many necessary functional features into their design, but these functions take little away, and sometimes even enhance, the appearance of the structure.

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