Building Types and Construction

In colonial times, European precedents were followed in building types, architectural styles and construction methods; these were adapted as necessary, or desired, to local materials and geographical and climatic conditions. ¹ This was true of both housing and public buildings. During the nineteenth century, though European influences and precedents remained important, the urgency of population growth and urbanization in the individualistic, private-enterprise economy of the USA, led to new, locally derived vernacular forms and recognizably ‘American’ cities.