When?
Tudor architecture reaches its peak during this time under Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.
mid-1500s
Developed a style that blended ancient Roman inspiration with elegant, lightweight classicism.
Robert Adam
Grandeur & Monumentality
Rich Ornamentation
Dramatic use of light, space, and movement
Baroque
One of the earliest Colonial buildings designed in a fully classical Georgian style, showing Wren-influenced proportions.
Redwood Library
Revived Classical ideas that became the foundation for Western architecture for centuries
Renaissance
1770-1815
Designed the Tempietto and initial plans for St. Peter's Basilica
Brought classical purity and monumental clarity into architecture
Donato Bramante
Oriel Windows
Steeply Pitched Roofs
Half-timbering
Tudor
The definitive French example that symbolizes royal power, control, order, and extravagance. Influenced palatial design across Europe.
Palace of Versailles
Developed practical, region-specific solutions that laid the groundwork for American vernacular and regional architecture
Colonial
The High/Classical Colonial period of the most recognizable and preserved buildings
1700-1776
Encouraged grand manor house construction among nobles
Elizabeth I
Use of Classical orders and monumental scale
Symmetry, simplicity, and proportion
Influence of Greek architecture
Neoclassical
Located in Florence, Italy
Designed by Leon Battista Alberti, c. 1446-1451
Perfect example of Early Renaissance facade design and classical order applied to a domestic palace.
Palazzo Rucellai
Monumental boulevards, plazas, and axial plans became common (Versailles → Paris → Washington D.C.).
Baroque
The Peak of the High Renaissance in Italy
1500-1525
Known for expressive, complex geometry and innovative spatial design
Francesco Borromini
Locally Available Materials
Two-story structures with a central door
Balanced windows and gabled or gambrel roofs
Colonial
Located in Richmond upon Thames, England
Patrons: Cardinal Wolsey/Henry VIII
One of the finest surviving early palaces; red brick, tall chimneys, arches, and vast courtyards
Hampton Court Palace
Inspired the Greek Revival, Beaux-Arts architecture, and 19th-century civic monumentalism
Neoclassical
Especially in Rome, and later France, this was the high Baroque peak time
1650-1700
Designed Philadelphia's original grid plan (1682)
Promoted orderly settlement patterns that shaped town planning
William Penn
Symmetry, Proportion & Geometry
Use of Classical Elements
Emphasis on Horizontality and Clarity of Form
Renaissance
Located in Charlottesville, Virginia
Designed by Thomas Jefferson
One of the most iconic American Neoclassical homes
Monticello
Tudor