8 minute read
A Guide to New Jersey Architectural Styles
BY DINA CHENEY
The homes in New Jersey reveal its history. From early Dutch settlers to British Colonists to the first Americans, residents left a rich and varied architectural legacy. It remains, thanks to the state’s many historic preservation commissions and groundbreaking Rehabilitation Subcode, which make it less onerous to renovate older homes.
“New Jersey is a microcosm of all the styles that have been popular nationwide,” said Cape May-based Michael Calafati, AIA, Michael Calafati Architect, LLC. For proof, just visit towns full of well-preserved older homes, like Montclair, Trenton, and South Orange.
For the lowdown on the state’s most prevalent styles, from oldest to newest, here’s a primer. Just be aware of one caveat: “very few houses are purebred examples of specific styles,” notes Montclair-based Steven Smolyn, AIA, Architectural Heritage Consultants, LLC. Instead, many are “vernacular,” or built following whichever building practices were current at the time, he explains.
Colonial
Colonials were built during the Colonial period: from 1600 until the Revolutionary War in the late 1700s. Box-like and symmetrical, they include evenly spaced windows, a central front door, and one or two chimneys, according to A Field Guide to American Houses by Virginia Savage McAlester. For examples, visit Cresse Home and the Memucan Hughes House, both in Cape May. Here are a few specific types:
New Jersey Dutch Colonial:
The Dutch were among the first European settlers in the state, which is why it was once called the “New Netherlands.” Built from 1625-1840, Dutch Colonials feature side-gabled or gambrel roofs and flared overhanging eaves. The Campbell-Christie House and Demarest House Museum in River Edge and the Laroe-Van Horn House in Mahwah are still-standing examples.
Georgian:
Named after Kings George I through IV in Britain, this British architectural style flourished from 1714 until the late 1700s. Originally, it was inspired by 16th century Italian architect Andrea Palladio, and Italian Renaissance buildings. Later, the style became more Neoclassical, in line with Classical Greece and Rome. Overall, Georgian homes tend to be elaborate, featuring paneled doors, decorative crown molding and pilasters, and tooth-like dentils. Sometimes, they also include Palladian windows, named after Palladio. To see these homes firsthand, visit the Dey Mansion in Wayne, Shippen Manor in Oxford, Ford Mansion and The Schuyler-Hamilton House in Morristown, and The Nathaniel Drake House in Plainfield.
Patterned Brick:
Admittedly no longer popular in the state, these Colonials were prevalent in Salem and Burlington Counties from the late 1600s through the late 1700s. Brought from England by the Quakers, the building technique was a status symbol at the time. To see it, visit the Abel Nicholson House in Salem.
Federal
Many Federal homes are identical or nearly identical to Georgians. What distinguishes them is they were built after the Revolutionary War, making them “American.” Picture Georgian style, but more delicate, formal, and refined. Constructed from 1776 until 1820, these homes tend to include Palladian windows and elaborate front entrances. Think: front doors accented with semicircular or elliptical fanlight windows. To experience this style, visit Ringwood Manor in Ringwood, Macculloch Hall Historical Museum in Morristown, and Bainbridge House and Maclean House in Princeton.
Greek Or Classical Revival
As its name suggests, this style was inspired by classical architecture and flourished from 1830-1850. These homes include symmetrical façades, low-pitched gabled or hipped roofs, porches, square or rounded columns, and friezes and architraves. For examples, visit The Walt Whitman House in Camden, The Drumthwacket Foundation in Princeton (the New Jersey governor’s official home), Smithville Mansion in Eastampton Township, and the Dr. Sylvester Van Syckel House in Clinton.
Victorian
Named after Britain’s Queen Victoria, this elaborate style is characterized by asymmetrical facades, bay windows, decorative gingerbread trim, wraparound porches, and turrets. It was popular in the U.S. from about 1860-1900. Although Victorians might appear old-fashioned now, they were modern at the time. That’s because these homes were constructed using a balloon frame. Employing light two-inch boards and wire nails, the technique freed architects from the boxiness of heavy timber frames. Plus, thanks to industrialization and the growth of the railroads, more ornate construction materials were suddenly more widely available.
Within this category, you can find the following styles:
Folk Victorian:
This plainer, more modest version is the most common in the U.S.
Gothic Revival:
Inspired by medieval architecture, these homes include pointed arches.
Italianate:
These Victorians from the early 1800s were inspired by the Italian Renaissance. Features include round-arched windows, lower-pitched or flat roofs, and columned porticoes.
Queen Anne:
Built in the late 1800s, these dollhouse-like homes with corner towers and colorful shingles are quintessential Victorians.
Second Empire:
These French influenced Victorians from the late 1800s feature mansard roofs (foursided, gambrel-style hip roofs).
New Jersey is home to many well preserved Victorians, especially in the towns of Cape May and Ocean Grove. Visit the Emlen Physick Estate Museum in Cape May, Strauss Mansion in Atlantic Highlands, Liberty Hall Museum in Union, Glenmont Estate in West Orange, Acorn Hall in Morristown, and Batsto Village Mansion in Batsto.
Colonial Revival
In 1865, the first architectural program in America was established, at MIT in Cambridge, Mass. From then on, homes were sometimes designed by professionals. Many of them created “Colonial Revival” homes, inspired by the one-hundredth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. These copies of Colonials were popular from 1880-1955—so much so they characterized 40% of American homes built from 1910-1930. Most Colonial Revivals include decorative entrances, with pilasters or columns and doors with fanlights or sidelights. For an example, explore the Morven Museum and Garden in Princeton.
Tudor Revival
Inspired by English late medieval and early Renaissance architecture, these homes were built between 1890-1940. In the 1920s, they were so popular in the U.S., they comprised about 25% of new houses then. Typically, Tudor Revivals include steeply pitched roofs, prominent frontfacing gables, tall narrow windows, large chimneys, and entrances with round or Tudor arches. Many also feature decorative half-timbering. For examples, visit Rutherfurd Hall in Allamuchy Township and Skylands Manor in Ringwood.
Modern
Although many associate the term, “modern,” with the 1960s, it began in 1900. From then until the 1940s, many homes were built using house kits or plans from Sears, Roebuck and Co., which introduced its first home catalog in 1908.
Craftsman or Bungalow:
From 1905-1920, this American style was the most common home style in the country. Hailing from California and inspired by the British Arts and Crafts movement, it’s defined by one or one-and-a-half stories, low-pitched gabled roofs, exposed roof rafters, beams or braces under gables, porches, and tapered square columns. For an example, visit The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms in Morris Plains. This museum was once the home of the late furniture maker, Gustav Stickley, who helped popularize these types of houses.
Minimal Traditional:
After World War II, aesthetics took a backseat to utilitarianism. To accommodate a growing population, many homes needed to be built quickly and economically. Enter large developments of small, basic, single-family homes (like Cape Cods), which sprang up from 1935-1950. These homes typically feature low or intermediate-pitched roofs (usually gabled).
Ranch:
Subdivisions of these onestory rectangular homes were built en masse between 1935-1975. The structures usually include open floor plans and off-center entries, plus low-pitched roofs, attached garages, asymmetrical façades, and large picture windows.
Bayonne Box:
Unique to New Jersey and Staten Island, this economicalto-build style was introduced in the 1990s and is especially prevalent in Newark. Homes tend to feature firstfloor garages, sets of stairs leading to the living space above, gabled roofs, and vinyl or brick face siding, explains Andrew E. Thompson, AIA, 2024 President-Elect, AIA New Jersey and County Architect at Passaic County in Paterson.
Contemporary:
From 1945-1990, these asymmetrical homes with flat or low-pitched gabled roofs, tall windows, and widely overhanging eaves became popular. Free of ornamentation, they’re made of wood, stone, brick, or concrete. If they include two or three separate levels, separated by partial flights of stairs, they’re known as splitlevels.
WHAT’S NEXT?
More recently, sustainability and affordability have been driving home design. Many architects in the state are updating existing housing stock with modern systems and converting non-residential spaces into homes. For instance, they might transform an office building into apartments. Accessory Dwelling Units should also become more prevalent, predicts Thompson. Since they can mesh with the style of the main home, they’re a way to provide more housing without changing the aesthetics of a neighborhood.
