French Colonial Style

The Mississippi River Valley was populated by the French who had settled Canada and the West Indies. Those from the north brought their low houses with steep hipped roofs and memories of French Renaissance architecture, while those settling via the Caribbean responded to the hot, humid climate, building large one-room-deep houses with high ceilings, breeze-aligned openings, and deep galleries shading the walls from sunlight while protecting them from rain.

Raising the main floor provided an airspace, helping protect the house from dampness and insects; while in flood-prone areas having a raised first-level minimized water damage to living quarters. In many cases, the ground level contained rooms for non-living service areas such as the kitchen and storage bins.

French Colonial houses are characterized by simple forms: a rectangular house, one to two stories high with a steeply pitched hipped or double-hipped roof extending 8 to 12 feet beyond the walls to form deep galleries, often on all four sides of the house. The lack of internal hallways, along with breeze-aligned openings, allowed maximum air circulation. High ceilings from 10 to 12 feet on the main floor permitted tall windows and doors to increase airflow. Doors to rooms opened directly onto the outside galleries and most often a door and window were combined.

This style is associated with Antebellum and Colonial eras.

(1699-1840)