Every house in America is unique. Whether built in 1620 or 1990,
it may reflect merely a need to provide cheap basic housing or more interestingly
an understanding of design in a particular time by its architect or builder.
Here we are interested in design styles, where they came from and how they
developed into the mainstream of American housing. The house you live in
fits somewhere in this continuum, which is not a progression from basic
to stylish, but merely a story of change and new ideas. Major trends are
explored here: Aborations and variations can be researched further in the
many resources described in the media section of this site. We hope you
will enjoy this journey of exploration and will find your travels through
America more interesting because of knowledge you have gained here.