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. Glossary

Georgian

Georgian Style Defined

c. 1720s – 1780s
Named for the British monarchs George I-IV, who reigned from 1714 through 1830
A one- or two-story box (often with an additional attic level), one- or two-rooms deep, arranged symmetrically
Multi-paned windows aligned in symmetrical rows
Central entrance and hall
Central or paired chimneys
Paneled front door, often topped with rectangular windows
Topped with a gabled, Gambrel, or hipped roof
Pediment, pilasters, and transom around doorway

The Tate House, built for a senior mast agent to the Royal British Navy and his family in 1755. The home features many of the hallmarks of Georgian architecture: a paneled door surrounded with a classical pediment and pilasters, multipaned-windows symmetrically placed in five bays, a Gambrel roof, and a central chimney. The Tate House stands out against other area Georgian homes with its clerestory level of windows rising above the adjoining roofline. 1267 Westbrook Street in Portland’s Stroudwater neighborhood. Open to the public.

This house was built as a farmhouse or caretaker’s residence for James Deering’s estate in 1804. Note the classical pediment and pilasters around the doorway, and the transom of rectangular windows over the door. 23 Brighton Avenue, on the University of Southern Maine’s Portland campus.

This house was built for blacksmith Thomas Delano in 1800. Mostly Georgian in style, with its gable roof, two chimneys, and balanced arrangement of windows; the Delano House’s doorway features Federal-style elements. Instead of a transom with rectangular windows and classical pediment, the door is topped with a fanlight, flanked with sidelights, and protected with a Federal-style portico. 127 Pleasant Street.

Note the Gambrel roof, symmetrical rows of windows, pair of chimneys, and rectangular windows over the paneled door. 1365 Westbrook Street in Portland’s Stroudwater neighborhood.

Detail of Georgian doorway at the Tate House.

Detail of Georgian doorway at 1365 Westbrook Street, Portland. Note the arched crown over the door.

Detail of Georgian cornice, featuring decorative dentilwork. 1365 Westbrook Street in Portland.

Side view of Gambrel roofline at 1354 Westbrook Street, Portland.

Multi-paned Georgian window at the Tate House.