Philadelphia is a city with many impressive architectural styles. Due to its rich history as one of the first areas of the United States to be settled and developed, there are many impressive early architectural styles in homes. One of those impressive historic home styles is the Federal Style House.
What is a Federal Style House?
A Federal house does not refer to the nation’s government. It refers to an architectural style popular in the northeastern portion of the United States.
The Federal Architecture style draws inspiration from Greek and Roman architecture. The most famous example of Federal Architecture in the United States is the Oval Office in the White House.
Federal homes are most recognizable for their square or rectangular simple shape paired with columns and Palladian windows. Federal homes can often be mistaken as Colonial, but these are the distinct features that set them apart.
Federal Home Exterior Features
A Federal home has a simple yet stately and impressive exterior design. Most federal homes include a brick facade in a clean square or rectangle shape. The detail is located in the trim work around the edges of doors, windows, and columns. it is common to see what is called a fanlight front door with a half-oval window set at the top of the door. Many Federal homes also have rooflines with one single peak at the center.
Another distinctive feature of Federal-style homes is that all windows line up to create neat and tidy liner formations. Everything on the exterior of a Federal home is symmetrical with strong geometric shapes.
Federal Home Interiors
The outside of Federal homes include several strong and minimal straight lines while the interiors are intricate with curved lines, detail, and interesting shapes. The molding and cornices inside Federal homes are incredibly detailed. Homes include festoons, decorative ceilings, and wall niches.
Are All Federal Homes Designated As Historic Homes?
A majority of Federal Style homes are homes that have been in Philadelphia for centuries. However, not every Federal-Style home is designated as a historic home. This could be due to the home being constructed fairly recently by someone who really loves the architectural style or someone who wanted to build a home that fit in with surrounding homes and structures. It could also be that the home is actually historic but not officially designated as historic because it is not in a historic district or the owner never petitioned to have it designated.
It is not a bad thing if a Federal home is not officially designated as historic, because owning a designated home means taking more steps to receive permission for upgrades and remodeling.