History of American architecture from colonial times to the
present. Emphasis is on the development of both built form and
the intellectual and social currents influencing that form.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students: All students are required to complete evolution of American
Architecture lectures, readings, three exams, and participate in
class discussions. All students will also complete a 15-20 page
research paper on a subject related to American architecture.
Undergraduate student papers may be from secondary sources only;
graduate students will be expected to include primary source
research in their paper. Graduate students will additionally do
a class presentation and discussion on their research topic.
Athena Title
American Architectural History
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall and spring
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
Readings (2 books at Bookstore and a reader from Bel-Jeans); midterm and final; paper; 10-minute presentation (with slides) from your paper
The Paper (15 pages, double-spaced, not including pictures) will be on a topic of your choice -- e.g., an
architect, some aspect of theory, a building type, a city or region in a certain period -- and should have as a significant focus one or two projects or building that you describe and analyze in detail. Talk to instructor about a topic by week 3. We will schedule student presentations depending on the topics and how they fit into the course of lectures. A PowerPoint presentation will be required.
Readings from Roth, American Architecture: A History, are to supplement and reinforce lectures. Handbook readings deal with architectural theory and will be discussed in class. Poppeliers and Chambers, What Style is It? A Guide to American Architecture, is also required reading.
Topical Outline
Architectural terminology
Styles in American architectural history
Early Colonial architecture
18th-century architecture in American south and New England
Federal style architecture
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Henry Latrobe
The pupils of Latrobe and the Greek Revival
The Gothic Revival in churches and houses and the Italianate
Experiments from England and France (and a little Germany)
