After America had broken its dependence from England, there was a strong national desire to create a distinctly American identity in architecture. As more people prospered, there was a desire for comfort, quality and dignity. As democracy became the national issue, the class structure brought from England began to disappear and the American identity belonged to everyone.
“Architecture is worth great attention,” Jefferson declared, “As we double our numbers every twenty years, we must double our houses . . . It is then, among the most important arts; and it is desirable to introduce taste into an art which shows so much.”*
President Jefferson was a student of architecture.
The Federal style reached further than Georgian for elegance and refinement. Brick or clapboard, delicate brass or iron hardware, white or pastel colors and fences of wood or iron were combined to create structures with balance and symmetry. The four room plan was usually rectangular. Straight lines, harsh angles of early Colonial designs were replaced by curved stairs, oval or elliptical shapes seen as projecting bay windows. Fanlights over doors framed with sidelights all flanked with classical columns and finished with detailed moldings created an entrance which announced a grand home occupied comfortable, refined people. Windows were larger, six over six, more elaborate with ornament above detailed lintels. Arches appear over windows. Roofs were low, surrounded by an elegant balustrade. Chimneys were placed at end walls.
The Federal style was especially popular in the South and far more elaborate than the New England version which tended to be modest. The grand homes in the South were built by wealthy people who hired architects from Europe and considered themselves aristocrats as in the English social structure. Massachusetts also followed the English social model.
In most of New England however, there was a conscious effort to create a new society of equality for everyone. The wealthy and educated hired local architects and builders. They did not attempt to set themselves as far apart from the rest of the people as those in the South.
