12 Windows and Red Brick: How to Spot a True Colonial Home

Drive through any historic neighborhood in Boston, Philadelphia, or Williamsburg, and you will encounter rows of stately brick homes with an unmistakable rhythm—symmetrical facades, double-hung windows arranged in perfect rows, and a central doorway crowned with decorative elements. These are Colonial homes, and once you know what to look for, you will spot them everywhere.

The Origins of American Colonial Style

Colonial architecture in America developed between 1600 and 1780, as English, Dutch, French, and Spanish settlers adapted their European building traditions to the New World. The style we most commonly associate with the term Colonial—the brick Georgian homes of the Eastern Seaboard—represents the mature expression of English colonial building that dominated from about 1700 onward.

These homes reflected not just practical needs but also social aspirations. As the colonies prospered, successful merchants, planters, and professionals sought to demonstrate their status through architecture that echoed the fashionable styles of London and the English countryside.

The 12-Window Rule and Other Identifying Features

The classic Colonial facade follows a precise formula that makes identification straightforward:

Perfect Symmetry

Colonial homes are rigorously symmetrical. The front door sits exactly in the center, with an equal number of windows on each side. This balance extends to the upper floors, where windows align precisely with those below. The symmetry was both aesthetically pleasing and philosophically meaningful, reflecting Enlightenment ideals of order and rationality.

The Window Arrangement

A typical two-story Colonial home has five windows across the second floor and four on the first floor, flanking the central door—hence the common observation of 12 windows. Larger homes might display a 7-5 arrangement or even more, but the principle of symmetrical distribution remains constant.

These windows are almost invariably double-hung sash windows with multiple small panes. The classic pattern is six-over-six—six panes in the upper sash and six in the lower—though nine-over-nine and twelve-over-twelve configurations also appear in grander homes.

Red Brick and White Trim

While Colonial homes were built in various materials depending on regional resources—clapboard in New England, stone in Pennsylvania, brick in Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic—the red brick Colonial with white painted trim has become the archetypal image of the style.

The brick was typically laid in Flemish bond, where headers (short ends) and stretchers (long sides) alternate in each row, creating a distinctive visual pattern. White or cream-painted wood trim around windows, doors, and at the roofline provided elegant contrast.

Regional Variations

Colonial architecture adapted to local conditions and cultural influences across the colonies:

• New England Colonial: Often wood-framed with clapboard siding, featuring a massive central chimney and steeply pitched roofs to shed snow
• Mid-Atlantic Colonial: Brick or stone construction with side-gable roofs and prominent dormers
• Southern Colonial: Larger scale with raised foundations, wide center halls for ventilation, and detached kitchens to reduce fire risk and heat
• Dutch Colonial: Distinctive gambrel roofs with flared eaves, particularly common in New York and New Jersey

Inside the Colonial Home

The interior layout of Colonial homes was as orderly as their facades. A central hallway ran from front to back, with two rooms on each side—typically a formal parlor and dining room at the front, with more private spaces behind. The center-hall plan provided excellent cross-ventilation in summer and allowed efficient heating in winter.

Fireplaces anchored each major room, their mantels often the focus of the most elaborate decorative woodwork in the house. Wide-plank floors of pine or oak, wainscoting on lower walls, and crown moldings completed the classical proportions.

Colonial Revival: The Style That Never Went Away

Colonial architecture has never truly gone out of fashion in America. The Colonial Revival movement, beginning in the 1880s and reaching its peak in the 1920s and 1930s, brought renewed interest in these traditional forms. Architects reinterpreted Colonial elements for modern homes, and the style remains one of the most popular choices for new residential construction today.

Learning to identify authentic Colonial homes—distinguishing them from later Revival interpretations—adds depth to any neighborhood walk. Look for the telltale signs: handmade brick with irregular coloring, wavy glass in original windows, hand-forged hardware, and the confident proportions that came from builders steeped in classical tradition.