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Dutch Colonial

Walk by any Dutch Colonial and you'll recognize the flaring roof eaves that form a bell shape. The roof lines resemble that of a barn, as the style hails from rural parts of the Northeastern United States during the 1600s.

The Dutch settlers who inhabited that area built brick and stone houses with ground level porches, double hung windows, and a chimney at one or both ends. Unlike other Colonial styles, the Dutch Colonial has some asymmetrical features, such as side entrances.

Some older Dutch Colonials feature front doors divided horizontally, which makes it easier to keep livestock outside and still let light in. This popular style saw a resurgence in many parts of the United States during the 1920s. Many of those homes, scattered throughout the Northeast and Midwest, lean toward the Dutch Colonial Revival style, which took the original style and added larger entrances, larger floor plans, and fancier windows. The classic barn style roof remains.