The tangled streets of Boston helped many residents lose themselves, both figuratively and literally.

But while the streets may not always lend themselves to easy navigation, few cities in the world offer a better setting to let go of a daily itinerary and get lost in the history and culture on display. 

Boston has it all. From waterfronts to narrow cobblestone streets lined with an endless supply of pastry shops, restaurants, and historic New England architecture.

History is the lifeblood of Boston, and many of the houses and buildings that dot its quaint streets evoke the spirit of colonial America. Those streets also host famous cafes, legendary Italian eateries, and lush parks. And if the renowned pastry shops aren’t enough to goad you into a move to Boston, the architectural styles on display throughout the city can cast a spell on anyone considering a home purchase in the City of Firsts. 

From stately colonials to the essentially Boston-born Federal style, homes in Beantown exhibit various styles to satisfy almost any homebuyer. Below, the team at Prevu Real Estate highlighted the top ten housing styles in Boston for buyers to look out for. 

Popular Home Styles in Boston

• Federal
• Queen Anne
• Second Empire
• Cape Cod
• Italianate
• Contemporary
• Colonial Revival
• Tudor Revival
• Ranch 
• Split Level

Federal

Championed by Boston-born Charles Bulfinch, the stately Federal style of post-revolutionary America dominated the architectural scene in the late 1700s and early 1800s, especially in Boston. 

The style’s satisfying symmetry and red brick facades are the distinctive features of Boston’s quaintness and historic charm. After the Revolutionary War, the Federal style emerged, influenced by the grand domes and cupolas found in Ancient Greek and Roman architecture. 

Bulfinch immortalized the style thanks to the completion of now-famous historical landmarks, such as Faneuil Hall and parts of the United States Capitol building. History buffs who want to explore Federal-style homes for sale can find them most prominently in Beacon Hill. 

The unmistakable classical columns and Palladian windows are usually the first features to meet the eye, and most Federal homes are two stories tall.

Queen Anne

Countering the symmetrical perfection of the Federal Style, Queen Anne architecture establishes a fantasy-world air, with asymmetrical designs and dreamy towers and turrets. The style was born during the Industrial Revolution and emerged in England as one of the most prominent architectural styles of the Victorian Era.

It may be challenging to find a Queen Anne home for sale, as most were built in the late 1880s and early 1900s. But homebuyers can glimpse the extravagant style on Greenwich and St. Germaine streets. Owning a Queen Anne home is an enticing thought since the style was designed to exude luxury and wealthiness. The grander the features, the better the house.

Queen Anne houses invariably feature fairytale-like towers, woodwork flourishes on the facade, and a large front porch. 

Second Empire

At the behest of Napolean III, a significant renovation of Paris began in 1853. The architectural uplift of the entire city gave birth to the Second Empire style. The visual appeal of the blue-tiled roofs and elegant facades spread to the United States shortly after 1870, and the style established itself in many parts of Boston.

Defined by their unmistakable mansard roofs and elegant symmetry, Second Empire homes can sometimes reach four stories. Though the mansard roof is the only flourish innate to any Second Empire, the style generally offers leeway for architects to explore other styles, such as contemporary facades, colonial-style front porches, and extravagant eaves. 

Cambridge, Somerville, and South Boston are a few examples of neighborhoods home to the French-influenced housing style. 

Cape Cod

Another style born in Massachusetts, Cape Cod, emerged in 17th-century New England. Settlers designed the simple, one or two-story layout to weather the stormy winds of Cape Cod, hence the name of the still-popular Boston home style. 

Cape Cod homes, sometimes referred to as capes, prominently feature gabled roofs, strict symmetrical facades, and a central chimney. They are categorized by the roof shingles visible on almost all Cape Cod homes. This shingle use dates back to the Puritans who brought their architectural designs from England. The houses were specifically designed to handle harsh weather, and the roof shingles helped with the accumulation of snow and water. 

Today, Cape Cod homes can be found all over Boston, though the more contemporary version of the style features appealing asymmetrical features and elaborate woodwork. 

Italianate

Another example of a heavy asymmetrical aesthetic, the Italianate style also traces its origin to Europe.

The Picturesque era of the mid-19th century drew on the asymmetrical occurrences within nature, translating into architecture that allowed significant freedom in design. 

Italianate houses heavily utilize square shapes, ornate doors, centered porches, and two or three-level windows. 

The most identifiable feature of Italianate homes is usually a square cupola and the square-shaped, gently-sloping roof. Overhanging eaves and ornate quoins give these homes a unique flair, and most are two or three stories tall.

The style heavily influenced the architecture of the greater Boston area during the late 1880s and lasted until the early 1900s. Home shoppers can find examples of Italianate homes in Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, and Dorchester.

Contemporary

As in every city with historic architecture, contemporary homes make a luxurious statement in any neighborhood. Though commonly used to describe mid-century modern and modern architecture, contemporary homes can go outside the realm of those styles' strict, geometrical designs. 

The features can range anywhere from floor-to-ceiling windows, semi-circular rooms, and split-level designs. While there is more room for improvisation with the contemporary style, it carries over many mid-century modern influences. Contemporary homes don’t shy away from using various shapes in the house's styling, but strict lines do remain popular, showcasing the neat, flat roofs and bold, appealing angles.

Colonial Revival

Early Dutch and British architectural influences bore the vernacular yet classic colonial style in America’s early Colonial era. 

The simplistic designs were focused on practicality but left a lot of room for renovations and additions. The style faded in popularity as the United States took shape and developed, and construction of such houses all but vanished at the end of the American Civil War. 

But the Centennial Exhibition of 1876 brought about a renaissance of what is now known as the Colonial Revival style. The plain yet stately design of colonial homes took on a more ornate look, and both interiors and exteriors became more elaborate and appealing. 

The style began to re-emerge as a popular housing style and took root in many areas throughout the country, including the Boston Metropolitan area.

Colonial revival homes, like their Dutch Colonial predecessors, typically feature a large, dead-center front door flanked by tall windows on either side. There is usually a large staircase leading to the second floor upon entering. Many colonial revival homes will feature a brick fireplace as the living room's centerpiece, while others utilize large columns to flank the entryway. Homes that lean towards a heavily Dutch-influenced Colonial style may feature gambrel roofs. 

Homebuyers looking for open floor plans and large spaces in the interior should consider different housing styles since Colonial Revival homes tend to have a strict design with areas and rooms closed off by doors.  

Much of Newtown, Dorchester, and Boston features many Colonial Revival homes. 

Tudor Revival

Rustic accents and cozy, wood-adorned exteriors are the lifeblood of the Tudor Revival style. Tudor Revival homes' sharp-angled, gabled roofs and brick facades remain popular even today. 

There is an unmistakable medieval English flair to most Tudor homes, with the first story primarily fashioned from dark brick or stone while the second stories take on faux timber and stucco as their exterior. Steeply pitched roofs and stone chimneys help complete the charming storybook look. The 1890s and the early 1920s were the peaks of the popularity of the Tudor Revival style in the Boston area, second only to the Colonial styles. 

The picturesque Tudor Revival style extends to the interior of the home. Ceilings prominently feature ornate woodwork that harkens to rustic outdoor cabins. Depending on the house's designer, the stone and brickwork can sometimes feature within specific living spaces and the kitchen.

Homeowners can find Tudor Revival homes peppering various parts of Boston, Newton, and Brookline.

Ranch

The all-classic Ranch style allows for greater freedom and flexibility in interior design. Most Ranch homes are usually one story, but ample indoor space and large, open floor plans keep the Ranch style relevant among homebuyer demand.

The Ranch exterior is malleable, giving architects freedom of design in making it ornate or straightforward. Various options are available throughout the Boston area, but most stay true to the classical Ranch design style, with an attached garage, off-center entryway, and ample open space. 

Ranch homes are typically distinguished as split-level or raised Ranch. Raised ranches offer two stories but retain the sprawling open space interior. Split-level Ranches offer staggered half-stories throughout the property. A slightly raised dining area can be just above the living space, connected via a small staircase. 

Split-level

The split-level home appeared in the American suburbs at the onset of the 1950s. The Ranch style had garnered substantial popularity thanks to the widely available automobile, which allowed many homeowners to get away from the city sprawl. 

The split-level style expanded on what the Ranch style offered. It sought to condense vast indoor space by staggering one floor near the other. The ample space provided by Ranch homes remained, but in a neater and cozier arrangement.

Though the split-level style is typically associated with Ranch homes, many different home styles can feature split-level elements. A Tudor Revival home, for example, can be renovated to have multiple small staircases connecting various indoor spaces, one higher or lower than the other. Split-level designs also create an appealing interior style since many of the raised living spaces are visible from the ground floor. They are essentially little pockets of space, depending on design, that allow for design freedom. 

Split-level homes come in many different incarnations, with some part of a traditional housing style, while others as stand-alone houses. Homeowners can shop through various parts of Boston to discover which split-level home might work for them. 

Interested in buying a home in Boston? Browse listings in your favorite neighborhood and see how much you can save with Prevu’s Smart Buyer Rebate.