Broadacres – Architectural Styles

Architectural Styles

Most of the buildings in the Broadacres Historic District are two-story houses built in the Revival styles that were popular during the 1920s and 1930s. These include Tudor Revival, Spanish Eclectic, Colonial Revival, Italian Renaissance, French Eclectic, and Neoclassical.

Some of the earliest homes built in Broadacres were designed in the Spanish Eclectic style. Stuccoed walls, balconies, and arched entryways are common features. This style of house typically has very shallow eaves, which differentiates it from the similar Italian Renaissance style.

The Colonial Revival style became popular in the early 1900s. Around that time, historical accuracy was fashionable in architecture. Several books and magazines were published with drawings and photographs of early Colonial buildings. As a result, the Colonial Revival buildings constructed during those years tended to be faithful reproductions of colonial architecture. The Colonial Revival houses are rectangular in shape, with symmetrical facades. The front doors are emphasized with small porches or scrolled pediments.

The style known as Tudor Revival includes details from several different types of English architecture. Some typical features —prominent front gables, steeply pitched roofs, and massive chimneys — are medieval. The decorative details often found on Tudor houses are based on more recent buildings from the Renaissance period. These include decorative brickwork, stone accents, and half-timbering. Half-timbering is a type of wall surface that looks like massive beams, with brick or stucco in between the wood.

Italian Renaissance houses have low-pitched roofs made of clay tile. The eaves are wide and often decorated with brackets or braces. Walls may be covered with stucco. Arched windows and doorways are common. The front door of these houses is often in a central wing that either projects forward, or is set back from, the rest of the house.

A small number of houses on the boulevards show a French Eclectic influence. They are usually made of brick, with massive chimneys. In that way, these French houses are similar to the Tudor Revival style. However, unlike Tudor houses, French Eclectic houses do not have prominent front gables that showcase the front door. Instead, the doors are set into modest openings in the front façade.

A few homes in Broadacres were built in the Neoclassical style. Full-height front porches, supported by classical columns, make these houses easy to identify.

Important Features of Historic Buildings

This Historic District Profile was developed to help property owners. It explains the typical features of buildings found in Broadacres. This can be helpful when you are planning a project that would change your home’s exterior.

The historic homes in the Broadacres Historic District are formally designed. They suggest houses built in times gone by, both in the American colonies and other countries. In Broadacres, those influences are toned down, to varying degrees. This helps make the neighborhood fairly consistent, despite a variety of stylistic influences.

When Broadacres was developed, automobile ownership was common among well-to-do Houstonians. This neighborhood differs from earlier developments in its treatment of garages, which are accessed via driveways at the side of the house, rather than via rear alleys or service streets.

Historic District designations are used to maintain the character of a neighborhood. Once an Historic District is created, certain rules apply to the entire neighborhood. These rules require that changes to properties in the District must be appropriate. In other words, the historic character of the property must stay the same.

Exterior changes must be approved in advance. The Planning Department can help with this process. If the project is approved, the property owner receives a Certificate of Appropriateness. In many Houston neighborhoods, deed restrictions require that the neighborhood civic association also approve changes to a property. The civic association’s regulations and standards may differ from those of the City. The information shown here refers only to City requirements. Property owners should check with their neighborhood association before beginning any project.

When planning a building project within the Broadacres Historic District, please refer to this chart. It shows which building elements are compatible and which are not. Definitions of common architectural terms can be found in the glossary.