Starting with this issue, NAHB HouseKeys will examine a different city or area to discover a defining characteristic of which we’re particularly fond — its vernacular architecture. From the brownstones of Brooklyn to the colorful Victorians of San Francisco, architecture can distinguish a city as well as any Chicago-style pizza or New Orleans po-boy.  We start with the unique and cultural hodgepodge that is the architecture of the Gulf Coast.

Acadian-Creole homes have many different influences.

When Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in the fall of last year, not only did it devastate lives, it destroyed hundred of years of architecture. Many discussions and commissions are centered on rebuilding the Coast in a time-honored way.  From the earliest days of settlement, a mix of Spanish, French, English and Caribbean cultures have been present in the coastal area of Louisiana and Mississippi. While these element bring diversity to the region, there are common themes in much of the architecture. These styles have evolved from early influences and adapted to local traditions and building environments over time. In particular, four architecture styles are prominent in Gulf Coast neighborhoods.

Gulf Coast Victorians are less ornate and more organic than other Victorians of the era.

Acadian-Creole

This style is a true testimony to the diversity of the Gulf Coast. It’s a mix of English and Spanish colonial architecture, with a hint of Caribbean influence and a strong flavor of the French immigrants who first settled in the area. Featuring deep one- or two-level porches running the entire length of the front facade, many of these homes have first floors that are raised above ground. Acadian-Creole homes also have high ceilings, French doors and full-length windows with tall shutters on the ground floor. 

Victorian

Gulf Coast Victorians build on the Carpenter Gothic cottages found in many early coastal resorts areas. Adapted to smaller homes, the Victorians feature prominent porch elements and wood ornamentation influenced by organic elements such as leaves and vines. Windows and doors are vertically proportioned, and while many Victorians incorporate elaborate and exotic detailing, the Gulf Coast Victorians include simple, folk-based forms.

Classical-styled homes evolved from the Federal and Greek houses popular in the mid 1800s

Classical

Classical-styled homes evolved from the Federal and Greek houses popular in the mid-nineteenth century. Beginning as a one- or two-story dominant center structure, Classical houses expand into more complex shapes through the use of side wings, rear wings and pavilions. Classical forms such as Ionic and Corinthian columns, detailed in wood, fiberglass, cast stone or composite material, are simplified and often incorporated into elements of the porch. Front yards are often enclosed with wood or iron picket fences. Doors and windows are symmetrical, often with multi-paned windows. Before Hurricane Katrina, the region had a significant number of these styled homes.

Craftsman homes are expressive structures, often with assymetrical layouts and exposed rafters.

Arts & Crafts

Craftsman homes were found throughout the United States in the early 1900s, in response to the Arts & Crafts movement in England a few decades before. Like the Gulf Coast Victorian, the Gulf Coast Arts & Crafts home is adapted from this original style to fit local building traditions. It is characterized by shallow-pitched roofs with deep overhangs and a deep (minimum eight-foot) porch. The Arts & Crafts house is expressive, with structural elements such as exposed rafters and an asymmetric layout. Distinguishing itself from other craftsman homes is the Gulf Coast’s preference to longer, vertical columns versus the shorter and wider columns found in other regions.

The architecture of the Gulf Coast, despite the destruction of Katrina, is full of charm and character. By keeping its vernacular architectural part of the rebuilding process, future visitors and residents can continue to enjoy the Gulf Coast as an important part of America’s architectural heritage.

All photos are courtesy of Urban Design Associates.

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