Architectural Styles

• Georgian
• Federal
• East Tennessee Vernacular
• Greek Revival
• Gothic Revival
• Italianate

• Queen Anne
• Eastlake/Shingle
• Dutch Colonial Revival
• Colonial Revival
• Tudor Revival
• Neoclassical
• Renaissance Revival

• Spanish Revival
• Prairie School
• Craftsman
• Shotgun
• American Four-Square
• Minimal Traditional
• Ranch

Materials

The earliest buildings in Knoxville and Knox County were log construction, and in many areas, log construction continued into the last half of the 19^th century. Although the first of these log buildings were probably not much more than vertically-erected, closely-spaced pilings that formed an outer wall, others were traditional log construction with half-dovetail or dovetail corners, windows and doors. Examples of these more finely constructed buildings have survived and include the Nicholas Gibbs House on Emory Road and the Peter Keener House, a two story dwelling located on the south banks of the French Broad River in the Seven Islands Community.

Two unique construction forms that can be found in Knox County are the cantilever barn and the nogging house. Cantilever barns were once fairly common in East Tennessee. Taking both single and double pen form, they are built with central cribs that form a base for overhanging beams, which in turn support an upper story. This plan provides a covered space that offers protection from inclement weather for livestock and farm equipment. Four of these barns are known to survive in Knox County—one is located in south Knox County; the others are located on the north and south banks of the French Broad River.

The nogging house is also a unique form of construction. Timber framing is used to provide structural support for the home, with the spaces between the timbers filled with sun-dried bricks. Rather than leaving the bricks and timber exposed on the exterior, they are covered with clapboards, which provides the soft bricks with protection from the weather. On the interior, the walls are usually plaster. Several houses of this construction exist in Knox County, all found along the river system (Tennessee, Holston or French Broad) that provided transportation for Knox County’s earliest settlers.

As the early Knox County settlers became more prosperous, they began to build stone, brick and wood houses in various architectural styles. Those building styles range from the earliest Georgian and Federal styles through the mid-20^th century ranch styles of post World War II suburbia.

Common characteristics are:

• gable roofs
• paneled, centered front doors
• transoms and sidelights
• cornice moldings
• double hung windows with six to twelve lights

Federal
The Federal, or Adam, style was popular in the United States from about 1780 to 1820, but in Knoxville the years of its popularity extended beyond the 1820s. The style was a refinement of the Georgian style, favored by the newly independent United States. It is box-shaped, two or more rooms deep, with doors and windows arranged symmetrically, but it is lighter and more delicate in feeling that Georgian styles. Some houses have projecting wins or rear ells.

A distinctive style found in several counties in East Tennessee these houses are two stories in height, three bays in width and two rooms deep with a central hall. End chimneys flank each side of a gable end roof. A two-thirds or full front porch with a shed or hip roof appears on the front elevation. Simple transoms and little or no decorative ornamentation are original to the structure. The houses have a one story rear addition, usually two-thirds of the width of the front section, which includes a porch that runds the length of the ell. Most of these houses were built between 1840 and the early 1900s.

The Greek Revival style was the dominant architectural style in the United States between 1825 and 1860, following settlers as they moved west. The style grew out of the interest in classical buildings that occurred in the late 19th century, and was encouraged by sympathy for Greece's war for independence (1821-1830) and the War of 1812, which diminished American interest in British influence (Georgian and Federal styles). Features include low pitched gable or hip roofs, a wide band of trim at the cornice line, porches supported by prominent square or rounded columns, transoms and sidelights at the main entry, and small paned double or triple hung wood windows.

The Gothic Revival style began in England in 1749; the first documented American example was designed by Alexander Jackson Davis in 1832. Most Gothic Revival houses were constructed between 1840 and 1870, although a few later examples do exist. The style was also used extensively in constructing churches, because its references to the medieval cathedrals of Europe were favored by many congregations. Features of the style in residential construction include steeply pitched roofs, usually with side gables and cross gables which are centered or paired, decorated bargeboards at eaves and one story porches with arched trim. In larger, ceremonial buildings, crenallated parapets, and arched windows with tracery are also found.

The Italianate style began in England as part of the Picturesque movement, which emphasized rambling, informal farmhouses. They were modified and adapted in the United States. The style was publicized here by Andrew Jackson Downing, and quickly eclipsed the Gothic Revival style. Italianate design emphasizes windows, cornices, porches and doorways. Windows are usually glazed with one or two panes, and may have arched windows tops. Brackets often appear at window pediments, and paired and tripled windows are frequent. Arch eaves brackets are placed on a deep trim to support a cornice with a large overhang. Porches are usually one story, and the porch support is usually square with beveled corners. Paired doors may be present, and the doors usually have large pane glazing. The style generally dates from 1840 to 1880.

Eastlake/Shingle
The Eastlake/Shingle style was popular at the same time as Queen Anne styles and is very similar to it. Eastlake design characteristics are borrowed from the interior design details developed by Charles Eastlake. The style is more vertical than the Queen Anne style, with more massive wood trim, usually formed by a chisel or gouge. Rolls of spindles and beaded trim are common, and upper stories of homes are often covered with patterned wood shingles.

New architectural styles were arriving in Knoxville after the turn of the 20^th century, and many of them were based on earlier design eras. The influence of the East Tennessee marble industry was profound, both in providing materials for houses and commercial buildings, and also in creating personal wealth that made their construction possible. Knoxville architect Charles Barber, son of George F. Barber received his architectural education in Paris, and returned to Knoxville to design many of the impressive residences found in Knoxville’s first automobile suburbs, including Sequoyah and Holston Hills.

Dutch Colonial Revival
Based on the style of houses built by the Dutch settlers on New Amsterdam (New York) in the 1600s, this style acquired popularity between 1900 and World War II. The style can be found in the Park City community, and in Lindbergh Forest, Island Home, Adair Gardens, Gibbs Drive, Fairmont Park, North Hills, Holston Hills, and Sequoyah Hills.

Colonial Revival
Following the Centennial, Americans became interested in colonial history and architecture, and buildings executed in the Colonial Revival style were built between the 1880s and World War II. The style combines both Federal and Georgian architectural elements. Examples can be found in Lindbergh Forest, Island Home, Adair Gardens, Gibbs Drive, Fairmont Park, North Hills, Holston Hills, and Sequoyah Hills and as single examples in Victorian-era neighborhoods.

Tudor Revival
Sometimes called "stockbroker Tudor," this style is based on English domestic architecture from the 1500s and 1600s. It gained great popularity as a residential style in America during the early 20^th century, and can be found in such neighborhoods as Sequoyah Hills, Holston Hills, Fairmont Park and Adair Gardens.

Spanish Revival
This style is based on Spanish colonial and Mexican buildings that were built in California, Texas and the American Southwest between the early 1600s and 1840s. The style gained popularity a second time as a revival style during the 1920s. It can be found in many of Knoxville’s early 20^th century neighborhoods, with Fairmont Park, North Hills and Lindbergh Forest having particularly good examples of the style.

Prairie School
The Prairie style was developed in the late-19th and early-20th centuries by Frank Lloyd Wright and other architects as "a modern architecture for a democratic American society." Only a few examples are found in Knoxville, but the style was so dominant that it influenced later common designs.

Shotgun
The term "shotgun" refers to a floor plan arrangement in which the rooms of the house open in succession from the front to rear without a hallway. The term "shotgun" comes from the description that a shotgun could be fired in the front door and would exit through the rear doorway without hitting any intervening walls. These houses were usually worker housing. Shotgun homes can be found in Mechanicsville, Edgewood-Park City, Old North Knoxville and Fourth & Gill.

American Four-square
This post-Victorian style of single-family house was prized for its ease of construction, practicality, and roomy interior. It was built as four square rooms, with one serving as the entry and stair hall. A front parlor, dining room and kitchen completed the downstairs room arrangement, with the second story rooms mirroring the same arrangement. Stylistic details can be borrowed from the earlier Victorian era, or can be derived from the Craftsman style.

Minimal Traditional
This style, which started in the 1930s but became dominant in the years following World War II, was loosely based on the Tudor style of the 1920s and 1930s. There is often a prominent front gable, but the roof pitch is not as steep as those found in the Tudor Revival style. Traditional detailing is still included, the expansive front porches of earlier styles are not found, and brickwork often included massive chimneys. These houses can be found in many earlier neighborhoods, as vacant lots were slowly filled in. Good examples of the style are also found in North Hills and Fairmont Park.

Ranch