Chronology
- 1915-1945 (Whiffen)
- 1915-1940 (Blumenson)
- 1915-1940 (Baker)
Description
The unique feature of the Spanish Colonial Revival style is the ornate low-relief carvings highlighting arches, columns, window surrounds and cornices and parapets. Red-tiled hipped roofs and arcaded porches also are typical. Stone or brick exterior walls often are left exposed or finished in plaster or stucco. Windows can be either straight or arched. Iron window grilles and balconies also may be used. A molded or arcaded cornice highlights the eaves. The facades of large buildings often are enriched with curvilinear and decorated parapets, cornice window heads, and symbolic bell tower (Blumenson, 9). Also known as: Mediterranean Revival, Spanish Mission, Spanish Revival, Spanish Territorial Architecture, The Mission Style.
Variations
Glossary
- enriched compound arch
- iron window grilles
- arcaded cornice
- arcades supported by columns
- carved and molded capitals
- molded cornice
- red tile roof
- enriched classical door surround
- enriched corbels
- curvilinear gable
- bell tower
- niches
- enriched cornice window head
- plastered and arched portal
- iron balconet
- arched window opening
- lintel-type window opening
- loggia
Sources Cited
- Baker, John Milnes. American House Styles: A Concise Guide. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Ltd., 2002.
- Blumenson, John J.G. Identifying American Architecture: A Pictorial Guide for Styles and Terms, 1600-1945. Nashville: American Association for State and Local History, 1981.
- McAlester, Virginia. A Field Guide to American Houses: The Definitive Guide to Identifying and Understanding America’s Domestic Architecture. New York, NY: Knopf, 2015.
Also see Architecture / Style index.