We’re here to help you spot Cincinnati’s popular architectural styles.

Tudor, Colonial, Contemporary, oh my! Cincinnati is full of beautiful homes with unique styles and characters. We’re sharing the basics of architectural styles so you can develop your own unique home aesthetic and recognize it when searching for the perfect home. Don’t forget to share your style with your agent! 

Colonial Style

This residential style is considered one of the most popular in the United States, and you will see it in many Cincinnati neighborhoods.

• Two or three stories with a high-pitched roof and multiple dormers
• Large, often multiple chimneys
• Clapboard or brick siding 
• Double-hung windows in pairs placed symmetrically 
• Decorative crown around the front door

Cape Cod

Cape Cods were first built by English colonists who came to America in the late 1600s. Colonial Revival Cape Cods became very popular in the 1930s. Madeira, among many neighborhoods in Cincinnati, is full of adorable Cape Cods! 

• Steep roof with side gables, chimney usually on one end
• One and a half stories, with one or more dormers on the half story
• Sided with wide clapboards, wood shingles, or brick
• Centered front door, most often plain, but sometimes with a portico
• Multipaned, double-hung windows with decorative shutters

Contemporary

A single shape or style does not define contemporary designs. One reliable clue is the presence of large, tall panes of glass. New construction in Cincinnati can lean toward a more contemporary design. 

• Natural siding materials such as wood or stone
• Odd, irregular shapes
• Plain, lack of ornamentation
• Cathedral ceilings and exposed beams, or flat roofs

Tudor

Tudor homes became popular in the U.S. in the 1920s and ’30s, then again in the ’70s and ’80s. You will find many charming Tudor homes throughout Cincinnati, some favorites in Hyde Park and Mount Lookout.  

• Steeply pitched roofs with broad gables and massive chimneys
• Brick and stucco cladding, combined with stone trim and door surrounds
• Tall, narrow casement windows with multiple panes
• Larger Tudors feature wood and stucco half-timbering

Victorian

19th-century Victorian architectural style homes often have up to eight exterior colors, hence the term “Painted Lady.” Many historic Victorian homes are located at the corner of Tusculum Avenue and Sachem Avenue in Cincinnati’s oldest neighborhood of Columbia Tusculum, which dates to the 1700s.

• Steep gable roofs
• Lacy ornamental woodwork 
• Tall, narrow windows
• Turned columns, turrets, and porches
• Decorative wooden brackets, patterned shingles, clapboard siding

Featured image via cincinnatihistorichomes.org.