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Decorative columns, geometric window shapes, and ornate facades typify this type of house. Much of Spain has a hot, humid climate, similar to that of the Caribbean islands, so the existing Spanish architectural styles of the time were well suited for colonial life. Modern cities in Latin America have grown, and consequently erased or jumbled the previous standard spatial and social organization of the cityscape. Elites do not always live closer to the city center, and the point-space occupied by individuals is not necessarily determined by their social status.
Midcentury Ranch House Inspired by Spanish Colonial Architecture
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Often, these homes pull inspiration from Renaissance, Baroque, Puebla, Moorish, and even previous Revival styles all at once, making them truly unique. Spanish-style homes are inspired by colonial architecture under Spanish rule and incorporate many key design elements like stucco and terracotta roof tiles. In the United States, they are most common in areas that were ruled by Spain, like Florida, California, and the Southwest. Even with these regional differences, Spanish Colonial homes share several distinct characteristics. Inside the Banco Hipotecario, there is a wide space with large and curved entryways.
Thick Stucco Walls
Furthermore, the ceiling is supported by large wooden beams, which is a classic Spanish colonial style. Spanish Colonial was the most decorative of the Spanish styles, and its ornament covered a wide range of source material, from Moorish to Renaissance and Byzantine. With hipped or gabled red-tile roofs, Spanish Colonial homes often featured twisted, spiral columns beside door and window openings, with heavy, carved doors and decorative tile trim. The intricate ornamental forms of Old World Spanish buildings, called Churrigueresque ornament, were a hallmark of high-style Spanish Colonial homes. In Coral Gables, Florida, architects Kiehnel and Elliott designed a gorgeous winter residence, El Jardin (1917), for a president of Pittsburgh Steel using such ornament. However, the Spanish Colonial home was not all glitz and glamour, for it extended—in simpler forms—to ordinary suburban buildings as well in every part of the nation.
The Different Types of Spanish-Style Houses
Hallmarks of the style are both aesthetically pleasing and practical, including long or deep covered porches, historically used to connect rooms in a narrow floor plan, as well as arched elements and low-pitched roofs. The roof tiles are red, and there is outdoor space for people to sit and relax. New Mexico builders of the 19th century often chose houses in the Territorial style. Architecturally, the Territorial style is a slightly easternized version of the Pueblo. This rectilinear building type features adobe walls, double-hung window sash, and flat or low-gable roofs edged with a brick frieze. Other features combine design elements from different areas and eras, like the Spanish Baroque and Moorish Revival.
Wood Features
White stucco walls were made of sand, lime, and water, which can be obtained easily in most places. Stucco is still used in home décor todayand is one of the preferred materials for coastal area building. Other areas where wood is used—floors, doors and trim—offer opportunity for creativity. Fiore notes that in some homes you'll find elaborate carvings on the wood doors, used to designate certain rooms of importance. Mexico, as the center of New Spain—and the richest province of Spain's colonial empire—has some of the most renowned buildings built in this style. With twenty-nine sites, Mexico has more sites on the UNESCO World Heritage list than any other country in the Americas, many of them boasting some of the richest Spanish colonial architecture.
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On the west coast, the Spanish did not begin colonizing California or the American Southwest until 1769, and expanded upon the styles first brought to the U.S. more than two centuries before. Though they shared many commonalities with the Spanish Colonials of Florida, these western homes borrowed many building techniques from indigenous peoples, using adobe bricks and other natural materials that reflect the surrounding desert landscape. The stucco walls were made of lime, water, and sand, while the adobe bricks were made of clay and straw. It is hard to tell the difference just by looking as the Spanish had white exterior walls in most of their homes.
Red Tile Roofs
Since wood was a reliable, locally sourced material, the frames of the houses were made of wooden beams. The exposed beams are a popular way to identify Spanish colonial architecture. The Spanish colonial architecture doors are slender, and the windows are tiny. The purpose of this design was to trap the cool air inside and keep the warm air out.
Spanish Colonial Revival
British-inspired homes, for example, are so prevalent in the United States that they're just called "Colonial." But another nation's influence can be spotted throughout the country. Spanish Colonial homes were first built in the parts of America settled by Spaniards—namely Florida, California, and throughout the Southwest—from the 1600s to the mid-1800s. Because adobe walls are best suited for warm climates, you'll often find them in the Southeast, Southwest, and California. Adobe is highly susceptible to cold, damp conditions, and can swell when exposed to too much water. Palm Beach Town Hall is just two stories tall, which is one of the common elements in Spanish settlements.
Irving Gill, the California architect who would become famous for his cubic Modern buildings, experimented first with the Mission Style’s simple lines. One of the most recognizable features is the red, barrel tile roof, which was low-pitched. In the Southwest, homes often have completely flat roofs with castle-like parapets lining the perimeter. Wooden doors accent the light stucco exterior walls and are sometimes arched, mimicked by arched doorways inside the homes. The interiors of Spanish Colonial homes innately have a casual, warm feel to them, since the raw adobe walls may not be covered with plaster or accented with trim, and wooden beams often serve as structural support along the ceilings. Known for their white stucco walls, red clay roof tiles, and rustic appearance, Spanish Colonial homes are popular throughout the Southeastern and Southwestern sections of the United States, including Florida and California.
In colonial times, houses were built from whatever natural resources were found in the region. For the British, German, and Dutch settlements along the east coast, as well as in the French colonies of the South, this meant houses of stone and wood. But in the Spanish settlements found in Florida, California, and the expansive Southwest houses were built of stucco, clay, and plaster, creating a wildly different look than all other forms of colonial architecture. In addition to these resources being abundant, they also helped keep homes cool — an essential element in the furiously hot climates of Spain’s colonies. The Palm Beach Town Hall is an elegant building with almost all its features taking after the Spanish colonial style designs. From the white walls to the curved doorways, small windows, a red roof, and a nearly flat roof, the hall is very Spanish in nature.
The central plaza, the wide streets and a grid pattern are still common elements in Mexico City and Puebla de Los Angeles. It is not uncommon in modern-founded towns, especially those in remote areas of Latin America, to have retained the "checkerboard layout" even to present day. The houses never had too many rooms, but there was the need to have a ground and first floor. Since the Spanish colonial-style homes are found mostly in the coastal regions, it is cooler upstairs compared to downstairs. After all, the top floors are clear of any distractions that might block the sea breeze. A common feature in Spanish revival homes is the flat ceiling supported by large, dark wooden beams.
The Spanish mission architecture involved building a mission complex with a bell tower. The towers provided stairs to access the upper floor and were aesthetically pleasing. The architectural style has distinct features which we can see in most buildings today, as we will extensively discuss. Offering a striking contrast to whitewashed walls, elegant wood features are a central component of Spanish Colonial style. “Inside, you will notice white plaster walls, often with a lime finish, wood trim around passageways, and significant reclaimed wooden beams in main living spaces,” Fiore says. Those exposed wood beams lend a certain gravitas to a room in addition to providing structural support.
Long before this style came to North America, however, it had a long, varied history in both Spain and Mexico. Although some elements of the Spanish Colonial style have changed over the centuries, today's Spanish Colonial homes have retained many of the traditional elements and features. Learn more about Spanish Colonial architecture and how to incorporate some of its characteristics and style into your home. When you think of Spanish-inspired architecture in the United States, nothing is quite as iconic as Spanish Colonial. In the early 1900s, during the Colonial Revival movement for residential architecture, the classic style went mainstream, and it is easy to understand why. Spanish Colonial houses are known for their speculator curb appeal thanks to striking white stucco walls, red tile roofs, and gorgeous landscaping.
The Santa Barbara County Courthouse has some key elements of Spanish colonial homes and buildings. Just like the features that the Palm Beach Townhall has, the Santa Barbara County Courthouse checks many of the boxes of what constitutes a Spanish colonial home. The Spanish colonial-style houses were sometimes built right next to each other, with some rooms lacking access from the inside hence the need for outdoor corridors.
Most Spanish colonial houses were built in an L-shape around a large, manicured patio area; U-shaped and open “box” shaped houses with private, tiled courtyards were also popular, but not as common. These expansive outdoor spaces were originally designed to be alfresco kitchens; by moving the cooking outside, things stayed cool inside. Perhaps the most iconic element of a Spanish colonial house is its red clay-tiled roof. The pitch of the roof will depend on its geography; in rainy regions, roofs will have a slight pitch, and in dry climates, roofs may lie completely flat. Like the foundation and frame, the tiled roof of a Spanish colonial home is meant to absorb and diffuse the heat from direct sunlight, keeping the inside of the house cool.
Mexican architecture movements have had an influence on the development of Spanish-style homes in the U.S. as well. Revival houses, which were built starting in the late 19th century, also include features like exposed beams, wrought iron banisters, and colorful tiles. Inside, many of these homes feature tile as well as exposed stucco walls, though more modern constructions may look otherwise traditional.
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