French provincial architecture also known as French Eclectic architecture include

Manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

s or chateaux homes which were built by French aristocrats beginning in the 1600s. The homes are characterized by arched doorways and symmetrically placed elements. They are usually two stories tall with steep hipped roofs. The design came to the United States after American servicemen returned from fighting in France during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

History

French provincial architecture began in rural France the 1600s. The architecture was inspired by the stylings of

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...

during the reign of

King Louis XIV Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...

. Homes found in

Normandy, France Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

are often known for the style. The first homes to be designed in the style were manor houses. French nobles built chateaus or manor houses with steep hipped roofs and an overall formal appearance. Architectural journals also refer to the style as French Eclectic architecture.

United States

In the United States following World War I the style became popular. American soldiers admired the architecture of rural France and who returned from the war they built homes in the style. In the United States the style remained popular though the 1920s. By 1932 nearly one in three homes in America had French Provincial design elements.The style fell out of favor in the 1930s, but had a resurgence in the 1960s. In the United States architect Frank J. Forster promoted the style. He was recognized by his peers as a master of French provincial architecture in 1927, 1928, and 1929.

Design

Elements of French provincial architecture include narrow tall windows with shutters,

slate roof Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...

, copper gutters and symmetrically placed chimneys. The homes usually feature a rectangular floor plan. Exterior is usually brick or stucco with symmetrically placed exterior components. The design of doors is rectangular with an arched opening. The French provincial homes are two stories tall. The original modest designs ranged from modest farmhouses to wealthy aristocrat country estates.

References

{{commons category Architectural styles Architecture in the United States Architecture in France 1600s architecture