ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY
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From the Empire State Building to the Grand Canyon, America has countless iconic sites within its borders. Gain a greater appreciation for our nation's history, n...
Buildings are more than just piles of bricks and mortar. Buildings tell stories and embody historical periods. Some even incite scandal and arouse controversy bec...
As a youngster, one of the summer's great thrills was "sleeping out," usually on someone’s deck or porch, but sometim...
Q: Why do so many homes in the south have a blue porch ceiling? And what’s the best way to recreate the look on my po...
House museums are an intimate, at times breathtaking, way to experience history. If your next vacation takes you near any of these 15 architectural and historical...
Libraries are magical places, filled with tales of faraway lands, adventure, romance and chivalry, inspiring the imaginations of generations and instilling a life...
When presidents want to escape the hustle and bustle of our nation's capital, they don't check into a nearby bed-and-breakfast. Instead, they head to secluded est...
If you grew up in an American suburb, you’re probably familiar with the Tudor architectural style, typified by homes ...
If America were a brand, it would be one of the most prolific ones on the planet. Over its 242-year life, it has produced, in equal turn, striking skyscrapers, mi...
There’s a lot of folklore surrounding the first Thanksgiving, and plenty of lively debate. When did it actually occur? Was this meeting with the Wampanoags truly ...
The rise of the automobile, the development of the interstate highway system, and the growth of the airline industry signaled the slow death of America's rail lin...
Popular in 17th- and 18th-century America for its ability to accommodate large families, the saltbox house features a catslide roof that extends below the eaves, ...
Landing the plum position of governor comes with the added perk of living rent-free in what is often one of the ritziest residences in the state: the governor's m...
America may have 50 states now, but a little less than 250 years ago it consisted of just 13 colonies. Even today, there are some amazing homes built during the c...
Despite their modest populations, small towns have made their mark on our nation by spawning political or cultural movements, popularizing traditions, and at time...
Do you have an appreciation for historic homes and old-time architecture? Then consider booking your vacation lodging through Airbnb. The virtual hospitality serv...
They say that home is where the heart is, but in a world of wildly divergent landscapes and cultures, “home” looks different for everyone. Here are 13 interesting...
There are the famous houses of America that everyone knows and loves: Fallingwater, Biltmore, the White House, and other venerable residences distinguished by the...
Who doesn’t love an all-American road trip? As automobile travel gained popularity in the early 20th century, a slew of kitschy roadside motels popped up along th...
With their captivating histories and unbroken ties to tradition, these small but fascinating towns bring to life the legends, the lore, and the romance of the past.
For your next weekend getaway or midweek escape from the metropolis, skip past the swanky hotels and hit the hay at one of these 50 small-town inns across the cou...
Have you ever passed by a wow-worthy residence that's had a "For Sale" sign on display for what seems like an eternity and wondered why no one has scooped up the ...
In the early 20th century, a handful of companies, including Sears, Roebuck and Co., sold tens of thousands of mail-order homes. Available in a variety of styles ...
Fame wasn't the impetus behind the construction of America's most eminent estates, yet it has followed them from their creation to the modern day thanks to their ...
Today's pricey, high-tech gadget may be tomorrow's has-been, little more than the seed for some cooler innovation to come. That was certainly the case with these ...
Queen Victoria may have vacated the British throne long ago, but the regal and architecturally distinctive Victorian houses erected during her reign, from 1837 to...
Why demolish an aging edifice when you can transform it into a dreamy dwelling designed for modern living? That adaptive spirit spurred the crafty conversion of t...
What do you get when you bring together forward-thinking architects, exacting engineers, and tireless construction crews? In the case of these 12 iconic buildings...
While the days of the horse and buggy are far behind us, relics of that bygone age remain to this day in the form of carriage houses. Originally built to house ho...
Few architectural structures and details survive centuries of passing trends and technological advances in the way th...
Every house has a story—some more mysterious than others. The peculiar pasts and enigmatic former owners of these mansions have left countless unanswered question...
Whether you’re an avid shutterbug or simply an admirer of regal real estate, you’ll want to save space on your camera roll for these picture-perfect properties, w...
Shotgun houses, traditionally no wider than 12 feet, feature a cascaded floor plan, wherein each room is arranged behind the other. These popular residential arch...
For history lovers, nothing beats the old-time charm and architectural wonder of America’s oldest towns. These settlements are hundreds of years old, dating back ...
Although the memorable speeches, grand state dinners, and other important events that have taken place at the White House have been well documented in history boo...
Who said you had to be a royal to live like one? Everyday house hunters looking for a new place to call home can snag any one of these on-the-market castles and c...
America’s streets are paved with remarkable history. Some of the nation’s earliest historical routes; ones that once wound through quiet boroughs and townships, a...
Can’t find any centenarians on your street? Look again; the oldest resident in the neighborhood may well be a historic home. These ancient abodes around the count...
Planning your next escape? Venture beyond the familiar hotels to uncover the best-kept secrets in vacation destinations. These 20 bed-and-breakfasts around the co...
Across the world, countless historic structures have been converted into hotels whose old-world architecture and antique decor transport guests back to another er...
No matter how underpopulated, unremarkable, or remote they may be, these oddly named American communities are places to see and be seen (at the very least in a se...
In desirable neighborhoods across the United States, the razing of a tear-down is a familiar sight. But this market-driven trend actually has a very long history....
Your house is made up of walls, windows, floors, doors... and a bunch of other thingamajigs and whatsits. Here, a slew of architectural mysteries solved!
For old house enthusiasts, the historic charm of a vintage home can outweigh even the most tempting of today's modern amenities. Whether you’re on the lookout for...
Fans of Ernest Hemingway remember him not only for his classic books, but also for his larger-than-life persona and h...
In a community of volume homes, where most facades are similar, dare to be different. Unlock the secrets to aesthetic appeal with timeless trends and historic fea...
In 2013, Karina and Craig Waters undertook the project of a lifetime: restoring a centuries-old, long-neglected chateau in the south of France.
Five years ago, Karina and Craig Waters—a tax accountant and a urologist, respectively, in Perth, Australia—began loo...
Most owners of older homes eventually come to terms with the fact that they will never know everything about their property. If the last set of homeowners didn't ...
Pushing the envelope always entails risk. But much more often than you might have expected, works of architecture tha...
In La Verne, California, a small, sunny city roughly 30 miles east of Los Angeles, renovation expert Ray Adamyk recen...
There's nothing quite like a trip to the ballpark: the uniform-clad crowds, the salty peanuts, the 7th-inning stretch—and the all-important game, of course. Yet a...
Over the course of watching a television series, you get to know the characters pretty well—and you also learn to love (or loathe) the where they live. Test your ...
Tudor architecture is a style of building that originated in England more than 500 years ago. This style's popularity coincided with the reign of the Tudors, an e...
Take an architectural tour to see some of the incredible buildings that have inspired Bob Vila. Ranging from classical to modern, these landmark structures will p...
We were probably right to leave behind many hallmarks of yesterday's home, but it's time to reconsider these 15 once-popular details, not for their novelty, but f...
Nothing satisfies like solving a good mystery, especially when the mystery to be unraveled is the history of your hou...
With the release of Hyde Park On Hudson, a Focus Features film starring Bill Murray as President Franklin Delano Roos...
In Elkhart, IN, at the Recreational Vehicle/Manufactured Housing (RV/MH) Hall of Fame, resident historian Al Hesselba...
Nearly 140 years ago, President Ulysses S. Grant signed the act that made Yellowstone the first national park in Amer...
The gasp was audible. On entering the dining room at Monticello in late 2011, the chatter abruptly ceased as the tour...
St. Petersburg, the fourth-largest city in Florida, was founded in 1888 and now has 248,000 residents. Set on Tampa B...
Weeksville’s OriginsBefore the city grid was imposed, a Dutch and Indian trade route called Hunterfly Road meandered ...
Billy Blythe’s HopeClose to America’s center is a half-forgotten railroad town called Hope. Located just off Intersta...
Everything’s sparkly and bright at five of America’s historic landmarks—all open for touring this holiday season. &nb...
A walk through the historic districts of many older American cities will reveal a rustic and romantic street standard...
The factory-built home has come a long way from its humble trailer origins to its growing popularity today.
I have the deepest respect and admiration for people who undertake the restoration of historic houses. Our first home...
I recently toured The Biltmore in Asheville, NC—a 250-room estate on 8,000 acres, the largest private home built in A...
Incredible garden inspiration can be just around the corner, especially if you live in a city that is graced with a p...
Beloved for its impeccably researched and beautifully designed architectural history books, Acanthus Press recently i...
In the United States, a dizzying number and array of house styles are to be found, each one unique.
While visitors to Miami primarily come for sun and fun, the city offers a wealth of artistic, cultural and architectu...
Period details are not a thing of the past with today's stylish reproductions.
Bobbye Tigerman, assistant Curator of Decorative Arts & Design at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), i...
Bob explores Harvard Square with architectural historian Brian Pfeiffer, who highlights three centuries of architecture in Cambridge, MA.
Bob takes a tour of the Isaac Bell historic house in Newport, RI, exploring one of the finest examples of the Shingle Style to be found anywhere.
Architectural conservator Brian Powell helps Bob do some detective work to discover the original exterior paint color scheme. They then look at historically appro...
Bob takes us to Stockbridge, MA, to tour Naumkeag, a wonderful example of the grand Shingle Style by architect Stanford White.
Karen Brooks Hopkins, president of the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), gives Bob a peek at the restoration of the main building.
Bob visits Lincoln Road guided by architectural historian Allan Shulman, who chronicles the Lincoln Road saga from its beginning with Carl Fisher, "Mr. Miami Beac...
Bob teams up with Michael Shiels, the project's general contractor, to discuss the foundation prep work that is underway.
Bob tours the Gilded Age cottages in the Berkshire Hills around Lenox, MA.
Bob visits Cape Cod with Dick Wills, who is carrying on the work of his father, architect Royal Barry Wills. Beginning in the 1920s, the senior Wills popularized ...
Dick Wills takes Bob on a tour of the interior of his Cape-style home.
Bob meets University of Vermont professor Tom Visser in Plymouth Notch to visit the birthplace of President Calvin Coolidge. They then go to see the Burtch-Udall ...
Bob looks at the finished wall tile from Shaw in a second-floor bathroom at the Vermont farmhouse project site.
Bob visits Middleton Place, a plantation located outside Charleston, SC, renowned for its exquisite landscaped gardens.
Bob takes a tour of Shirley Plantation, the oldest operating family farm in America, located right on the James River.
Bob takes a walking tour of some of Boston's best-preserved antique commercial buildings in the Leather District with architectural historian Brian Pfeiffer.
Bob tours some of the grand old houses that remain from Roxbury's heyday at the turn of the century.
Bob recaps the entire Elmwood project. It was a community effort involving an array of houses, though great pains were made to adhere to the historic look of the ...
Bob takes a shoreline tour of Miami, his hometown, to introduce the new project.
Bob takes a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House.
Bob takes a tour of Newton, MA. "The Garden City" boasts a wide variety of American architectural styles and is one of the most desirable communities in the Bosto...
Bob is on site to discuss the design of the completed addition with the project architects.
Bob sets out on a carriage tour of historic Charleston, SC to get a feel for the elegant and well-preserved architecture of one of the most beautiful cities in th...
Restoration contractor Richard Marks shows Bob around the elegant, though quite run-down, Federal-style project house.
Bob tours the William Gibbes House, one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture in America.
Bob returns to the William Gibbes House in Charleston, SC for a tour of the one-acre garden of this grand Georgian mansion, one of the nation's best examples of G...
Bob takes a field trip to Millford Plantation, a spectacular Greek Revival governor's mansion with echoes of the Civil War still ringing through its halls.
Bob tours a Georgian architectural beauty with twin octagonal parlors a few blocks away from the project house in Charleston, SC.
Bob tours the mother of all cabins in the woods of upstate New York's Adirondack mountains, a camp once owned by the Vanderbilt family.
Bob tours the town of Osterville, MA, which has a deep background in fishing and maritime activity. And he meets with Bill Koch, one-time America's Cup champion, ...
Bob tours the Old East Mill, a restored post-and-beam windmill, at Heritage Plantation in Sandwich, MA. In its day, the mill produced rye, corn, salt, and barley....
To prepare for the Victorian remodel, Bob takes an inspirational tour of the striking Chateau-sur-Mer in Newport, RI.
Bob tours the lavish interior of Chateau-sur-Mer in Newport, RI. The entrance walls are painted canvas and the ceiling is adorned by a fresco. Hand-carved walnut ...
Painting contractor Mike Suarez sprays water-based stain on the home's exterior, while Bob, accompanied by paint consultant Sherry Hiller, tours the island with a...
Bob visits Drayton Hall, in South Carolina, for a tour of one of the finest examples of Georgian-Palladian architecture in the United States.
Bob tours homes that were designed by Thomas Edison. Built in Maine before being shipped to Florida, the homes are surrounded by indiginous plantings, and the dec...
Bob tours the Art Deco section of Miami Beach. His guide points out many notable sites, including the Bow Hotel, believed to be the oldest building in Miami Beach...
Bob visits Vizcaya, a remarkable Italian Renaissance-style palazzo. Head curator Doris Littlefield shows Bob around the 70-room mansion and 12-acre estate gardens.
Bob and Andrea, a Florida architect, look over some building models and visit examples.
Bob meets with architectural historian Susan Benjamin to tour five buildings in Chicago, the birthplace of the skyscraper.
Bob joins architectural historian Susan Benjamin for a tour of some of Chicago's landmark buildings.
Bob tours the Oak Park, IL studio of the architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Bob goes on to visit several nearby houses designed by Wright at the turn of the century.
Bob visits the historic neighborhoods and parks of St. Petersburg, FL.
