Classic Architectural Styles of Los Angeles

This is indeed a true Los Angeles style, devised in the early 1930s, and flourishing and evolving through the 1960s. As an architectural style (as opposed to interior design), it is a “modernized” neo-Georgian/Colonial style. There can [...]

Italian Renaissance Revival was, and is, very popular in Los Angeles. Often this style is erroneously labeled, “Spanish” or “Mediterranean.” Both styles are characterized by the use of stucco, low-barrel tile roofs, and arched windows. The distinction [...]

Tudor revival architecture was probably the most popular of all period revival styles across the United States during the “Roaring 20s.” Sometimes referred to as “Stockbroker Tudor,” the expense of building these houses was always great, [...]

The French Norman style draws it’s inspiration from rural vernacular architectural forms of medieval Europe. As the name implies, the style borrows its design cues directly from the Normandy region of France. In the region, barns were attached to [...]

The Mediterranean style of architecture, appropriate for the southern California climate, has always been the most popular of all historical revival styles in Los Angeles. Relying on an eclectic mix of classical and medieval precedents, the variety of ornament on [...]

French provincial homes take their design cues from the country manors of the nobility beginning in the 1600’s. They are generally balanced and symmetrical, with very steep roofs of slate. They lack the towers commonly found on Norman style [...]

All Colonial or Georgian style houses are based on the domestic architecture of the 18th Century. The widespread revival of these homes happened in the 1930s. During the 1920s, Mediterranean, English, and French derived styles dominated. The world [...]

The mid-century modern house is extremely well-suited to the very temperate climate here in southern California — flat roofs, walls of glass, and simple geometry are not the best choices where cold, rain and heavy snows are common. Pictured [...]

Craftsman style homes were part of the larger Arts & Crafts design movement of the second half of the 19th Century. The movement originated in Britain during the 1860’s in response to the dehumanization associated with the industrial [...]