Greek Revival House Plans

What is a Greek Revival house plan?

For some 30 years until the advent of the Civil War, prosperous Americans indulged a taste for classicism with homes and civic buildings that mimicked the temples of Ancient Greece. Central to this Greek Revival style were low-pitched, hipped roofs commonly resting above a porch entrance on tall white columns, usually finished with imperious cornices and friezes. The style was a natural fit for banks, libraries, and courthouses—to this day it’s how we picture the most traditional examples of those particular structures—but it was also scaled down for home use, flourishing along the East Coast or in the tonier neighborhoods of Southern cities like New Orleans, where two-story Greek Revival mansions with splendid balconies still retain their grandeur.

• Greek temple-style façade with white columns in wood or stucco • Wood, stucco, brick or brownstone • Low-pitched roofs, hipped or with gable fronts, pediments • Elaborate door and window surrounds • Porch entry, portico