A Field Guide to American House Styles
How to recognize common American house styles, from Victorian and Craftsman to Prairie, mid-century modern, adobe and A-frame, with examples from Market Match.
A home's style says a lot about when it was built, what it's made of and how it lives. Style can also affect value: well-preserved examples of popular styles often sell at a premium, while some styles fall in and out of fashion. Here is how to recognize the styles you'll meet most often, with homes from Market Match as examples.
Greek Revival
Popular in the early to mid 1800s, Greek Revival homes borrow from classical temples: tall columns, a wide front porch or portico, symmetrical windows and a low-pitched roof. Grand Southern examples have high ceilings for summer heat. Example: the Greek Revival mansion in Natchez.
Victorian and Queen Anne
Victorian homes (roughly 1860 to 1900) love ornament: steep roofs, towers and turrets, wraparound porches, decorative "gingerbread" trim and bold colors. Queen Anne is the most exuberant Victorian style, with irregular shapes and textured shingles. Examples: the painted lady in San Francisco and the Victorian in Detroit.
Brownstone and row house
Urban row houses share side walls with their neighbors. Brownstones, faced in brown sandstone, line many blocks of New York and other East Coast cities, usually with a high front stoop and a garden behind. Example: the Park Slope brownstone.
Regional classics
- Charleston single house: one room wide, turned sideways to the street, with long side porches called piazzas to catch the breeze (example).
- Shotgun house: a narrow New Orleans home with rooms lined up front to back (example).
- Conch house: Key West's wooden homes with tin roofs, raised floors and deep porches (example).
- Pueblo Revival adobe: thick earthen walls, flat roofs, rounded edges and log beams called vigas, common in New Mexico (example).
Craftsman bungalow
Built mostly from about 1905 to 1930, Craftsman homes celebrate handwork: low-pitched roofs with wide eaves, exposed rafters, tapered porch columns, built-in cabinets and natural wood. Example: the Pasadena Craftsman.
Prairie School
Developed by Frank Lloyd Wright and others in the Midwest in the early 1900s, Prairie homes emphasize horizontal lines: low roofs with very wide overhangs, bands of windows, and an open plan around a central hearth. Example: the Oak Park Prairie home.
Mid-century modern
After World War II, architects embraced simple forms, flat or butterfly roofs, walls of glass and an easy flow between indoors and outdoors. Palm Springs is famous for them. Example: the Palm Springs mid-century home.
A-frame
A steep triangular roof that reaches the ground, popular for vacation cabins in the 1950s to 1970s. Cheap to build, cozy inside, with a sleeping loft under the peak. Examples: the Asheville and Big Bear A-frames.
Today's experiments
Newer homes push in many directions: desert modern homes of concrete and glass, shipping-container homes, earth-sheltered "hobbit" houses and off-grid earthships built from recycled materials. Explore them all in the Market Match home gallery.
More guides
- How to Estimate What a House Is Worth
- Price per Square Foot, Explained
- What Adds Value to a Home (and What Doesn't)
- How to Read a Real Estate Listing Like a Pro
These guides share general background for fun and learning; they aren't financial or real estate advice. For a real purchase, talk to a licensed agent or appraiser.