Architectural Styles in Rensselaer County:

Federal Style: 1780 - 1830

The style was preceded in the American colonies by the Georgian style which exhibited many of the same details but had a more heavy, medieval form. The Federal style is named for the political period of its popularity, but is also known as the "Adamesque" after the Adams brothers, British architects who studied the classical buildings of Italy and popularized the style in England. Decorative elements represent a mixture of various styles including Renaissance, Palladian, French roccoco and Greek and Roman architecture.

Information about new architectural styles reached designers and builders through manuals and style books. It was during this period that the first professional architects were trained and became known for their designs. Designers during this period were among the the first professional architects in America. They were trained in Europe, however, and Americans were still looking to England and Europe for architectural styles, even after the American Revolution.

Buildings are simple in shape; five-bay rectangular houses are common in rural settings and more square, 3-bay houses are found in urban settings. Gables are most often at the sides of the building and the roof ridge is parallel to the facade (front elevation). Building walls are usually either clapboard or Flemish bond brick. Each row of Flemish Bond has alternating headers (ends) and stretchers (sides). The exterior surface was usually clapboarded and typically painted soft beige, off-white, pale yellow or green.

Rural examples are often rectangular in shape with side gables. This house in the photo above is five bays wide -- a bay is a vertical division of doors and windows. There is a symmetrical arrangement of doors and windows.

Urban examples are most often three bays wide, although there are some houses that have four bays. Notice the dormer windows at the roof, the balustrade (or railing) at the roof line, and the quarter windows at the side gable, in the photo on the left. Stepped gables were a type of fire protection for urban houses. The gable extension would slow the spread of sparks from one roof to another. For interior views and more information on the house in the photograph on the left, visit the Hart-Cluett House section of the RCHS site.

Federal details are delicate and found at the door, windows, and cornice line. Doorways often have sidelights and semi-elliptical fanlights. Egg and dart molding, often placed under dentil molding, was used on the exterior and interior. Windows may be:

Return to previous page