Greek Revival: 1835 To 1860
Greek Revival: 1835 To 1860
Greek Revival houses are usually symmetrical, simple in detail, and constructed of brick or wood. Roofs are low pitched. The gable end of the roof (where it comes to a point) may be on the front and detailed in imitation of a temple pediment (the triangular shape over the front): thus the descriptive term "pedimented gable".
Porticos (columned porches) are sometimes included. Attic windows are often incorporated in the frieze (part of the entablature, a decorative horizontal band), as roofs are generally too low to accommodate dormer windows. Doorways may be recessed and have sidelights and rectangular transom windows. The popular color for high style Greek Revival houses was white, which was assumed to be the appropriate color for Greek temples.
The Greek Revival style originated in the United States in the early 19th Century. With its monumental proportions and simple forms, the style was best suited for public buildings and churches, but was soon adapted for residential buildings. Pattern books, including The American Builder’s Companion (1827), by Asher Benjamin, showed plans and construction details, and were helpful in spreading the new fashion of building based on the architecture of classical Greece.
Greek Revival was popular in Cincinnati, and several variations of the style exist here. The most common is a simple, two-story brick row house with little detailing. Houses of this type are found in Over-the-Rhine, other basin areas, and Prospect Hill.