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Period Revival 1890-1940 Building Styles The term Period Revival refers to a wide range of historically based styles favored by the American public for nearly half a century. Such styles as the Colonial Revival and Neoclassical remained popular throughout the entire period and appeared concurrently with the non-historical styles (such as bungalow) of the early 20th century. Following World War I other, more varied styles became popular, such as the Spanish Colonial, English Tudor, and French Norman. A number of these styles—including Spanish Colonial, English Tudor, Mission, Pueblo, and French Norman—were based on the indigenous building traditions of North America and Europe. Various explanations have been offered for the popularity of these Period Revival styles. One opinion is that nationalistic pride following World War I led to an increased use of the Colonial Revival and Neoclassical styles, while another states that doughboys returning from Europe favored the English Tudor and French Norman styles. Whatever the reason, many of these historical styles began appearing in all types of architecture. These designs almost always displayed the architect’s or builder’s familiarity with the external, decorative features of the historical style rather than with the building tradition, its formal features, or plan types. Numerous articles in the architectural press on the “country house” reinforced this return to historicism in the teens and twenties. Surprisingly, “country houses” were usually not large but they generally sat on
