AT 5: Daniels House & the National Style

The Daniels House is a typical example of Greek Revival architecture. The name comes from the style’s imitation of classical architecture from ancient Greece. After the War of 1812 against Great Britain, Americans began to turn away from popular English styles found in many early colonial homes. As an alternative, they looked to the classical architecture of a historical era that inspired the ideas of democracy so important to the foundation of the United States: ancient Greece. The style’s popularity in the 1830s-1850s earned it its nickname: the National Style. The Daniels House exhibits many popular characteristics of Greek Revival homes, including: -Square columns on the front porch. -A front entry porch that spans the entire height of the building. -A front-facing gable roof, meaning the entrance is on the triangular end wall in between the sloping edges of the roof. -A wide, divided band of trim emphasizing the roof’s cornice lines (the horizontal decorative element near the top of a building or wall). -Decorative trim, which forms a pediment of triangular shape on the gable-front end.