Chronology
- 1820-1860 (Whiffen)
- 1820-1860 (Blumenson)
- 1820-1850 (Baker)
- 1825-1860 (McAlester)
- 1818-c.1850 (Roth)
Description
The Greek Revival style is an adaptation of the classic Greek temple front employing details of either the Doric, Ionic, or Corinthian order. Often would have a low-pitched gable (or sometimes hipped) roof, insignificant chimneys, and bevel siding. Often had a porch or portico usually with non-fluted columns that support a full entablature with low-pitched pediment and a frieze. Many houses were built without the colossal temple front.
The rectangular transom over the door was popular and often was broken by two engaged piers flanked by side lights that surround the door. The shouldered architrave trim was widely used for doors and windows. Upper floor lighting is incorporated ingeniously into the enlarged frieze of the entablature. Elongated six-over-six double hung windows, and four-panel doors flanked by sidelights and a transom above were common.
Variations

Leading Examples
Glossary
- Doric order
- pediment roof
- raking cornice
- tympanum
- Ionic order
- shouldered architrave trim
- tall first floor windows
- dentils
- entablature
- attic story windows in frieze
- transom
- side lights
- corner lights
- pilaster corner boards
- return
- pediment-shaped window head
- Classical columns, one-story
- Classical columns, two-story (colossal)
- Full-façade porch
- Full-height entry porch (commonly with pediment)
- Porch on three or more sides (verandah)
Sources Cited
- Foster, Gerald. American Houses: A Field Guide to the Architecture of the Home. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004.
- McAlester, Virginia. A Field Guide to American Houses: The Definitive Guide to Identifying and Understanding America’s Domestic Architecture. New York, NY: Knopf, 2015.
- Poppeliers, John C.S., et al. What Style Is It? A Guide to American Architecture. Washington, D.C.: The Preservation Press, 1983.
- Roth, Leland M. A Concise History of American Architecture. New York, NY: Harper & Row, 1980.
- Whiffen, Marcus. American Architecture Since 1780: A Guide to the Styles. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1996.
Also see Architecture / Style index.