The "Lancaster's Colonial Architecture" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Searching for a few photographs to share with you to illustrate what Lancaster architect and historian Gregory J. Scott, author of the "Design intervention" articles in the Lancaster daily newspaper, had written about a few days ago in the Home and Garden Section of the newspaper.  Greg's half page article told of Lancaster, Pennsylvania's architectural style when it was first incorporated as a borough in 1742 and then a city in 1818.  The town was designed by James Hamilton in 1734 and was the Capital of the United States for one day, September 27, 1777, when the Continental Congress fled Philadelphia during the American Revolutionary War after it was captured by the British.  The main architectural style in the growing town, and later city of Lancaster was the Georgian style which is a regal style that takes its name from being the most popular architectural style between 1714 and 1830, a time period during which the first four British monarchs ruled.  

Lancaster's original city hall with the Masonic
Hall on the left side of the building.  This is
an example of Georgian architecture.

The style carries the name that it does since it began with the coronation of King George I and began to fade in the New World after the reign of King George III in January of 1820.  Many of the buildings of the original 13 colonies were built using the Georgian Style of architecture.  Even though the United States rebelled from being under the political hand of King George in 1776,  they still continued to use the architectural style named after the Kings of England.  The style is heavily influenced by mathematical symmetry with design accents that trace back to Ancient Rome and Greece.  The style was very organized and uniform, with mathematical ratios used to determine the exact cube-shape of a room and the correct height of a window in relation to its width.  

 A half-Georgian home in Lancaster which is the
Sehner-Ellicot-von Hess home in downtown Lancaster.

The first floor usually had high ceilings with the second floor having lower ceilings.  The high ceilings were thought to project high wealth and status.  The houses were typically constructed of brick or stone with central fireplaces with two chimneys inset on the gable ends.  A central entranceway with a grand staircase would highlight the entrance to the home.  Exterior walls would be in brick or stone with oversized windows with 12 panes or more of glass.  

Lancaster Mayor Passmore's home on East Orange Street
is another half-Georgian style home in the city.

The use of the keystone was used on both doors and windows.  The keystone was a central stone at the summit of the window or door arch that locked the unit together.  Pennsylvania is known as the Keystone State since it was central to the thirteen original colonies and held them together.  There is usually no front porch but the door would have panels with a transom window above it and perhaps pilasters abutting the front entryway.  Some of Lancaster's better known structures employ Georgian architecture.

This beautiful Georgian building was home to General
Edward Hand.  It is known as Rock Ford Plantation.

 The original City Hall and adjoining  Masonic Hall in Lancaster's central square is one example while General Edward Hand's home on the outskirts of Lancaster was also built using Georgian architecture.  There are  many homes in Lancaster city that employ the Georgian architecture, but there are two that are referred to as half-Georgian since they don't have the main entranceway in the center of the first floor.  This is typical in homes that are more narrow.  What style of architecture was used in the city or town in which you live?  Interesting to find out what style it might be and why it was used when the town or city was developed.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.