Beaux-Arts Classicism (1893-1915): The Ecole Des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France was the center of the architectural world in the nineteenth century. Richard Morris Hunt and Henry Hobson Richardson were the first two Americans to attend the Ecole; they had a profound effect on U.S. architecture upon their return. So famous was the Ecole that, when the first schools of architecture were opened in the United States, they were based on the Beaux-Arts system of teaching, and most of the professors were trained at the Ecole Des Beaux-Arts. Beaux-Arts Classicism is distinguished by it's emphasis on the beautiful plan and a clear distinction of function. Coupled columns, monumental flights of stairs, fugural sculptures, and both Greek and Roman elements are Beaux-Arts features.

Highlights of Beaux-Arts Classicism are: coupled columns; monumental stairs; figural sculptures; strictly and elaborately symmetrical; Baroque details.

Craftsman (1890s-1920s) and Bungalow (1905-1930):  Craftsman-style architecture was inspired primarily by the work of two architects, Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene, who practiced in California from 1893 to 1914.  It was based on the Arts and Crafts movement in England led by William Morris (1834-1896).  This movement believed modern problems were caused by the Industrial Revolution and supported a return to handcrafted arts. A. Page Brown built the first bungalow in 1895 near San Francisco.The bungalow represented a simpler, more efficient, low-maintenance house, and the characteristic front porch encouraged outdoor living. Bungalows replaced the Denver Square as the most popular style of house in Denver from 1910 to 1930.

Highlights of Craftsman and Bungalow style are: low-pitched gable roof; wide overhangs; exposed roof rafters and wood structure; porch; tapered square column supports.

Colonial Revival (1885-1945): After the 1876 U.S. centennial, there was a renewed interest in Colonial architecture, perhaps reflecting a desire to return to simpler times. Early examples of the style are free interpretations, with borrowed from one or more Colonial precedents. Often a structure was considered Colonial simply by application of Colonial details to other vernacular types, such as a foursquare. Three major types of Colonial Revival styles are Neo-Georgian, Neo-Adamesque, and Dutch Colonial Revival. Dutch Colonial Revival tends to be a free interpretation of the Colonial originals, it's main distinguishing feature being the gambrel or cross-gambrel roof. The Governor's Mansion/Cheesman-Evans-Boettcher Mansion (1908) at 400 East 8th Avenue, by Marean and Norton, and the Phipps Mansion (Belcaro, 1933) at 3400 Belcaro Drive, by Fisher and Fisher, are two of Denver's most famous Colonial Revival residences.

Highlights of Colonial revival architecture are: pedimented front door; symmetrically balanced, double-hung, multi paned windows; classical details; single side-gabled roof.

High Victorian Gothic (1856-1893): High Victorian Gothic architecture was primarily a post-Civil War phenomenon, popular in the United States ten years after its heyday in England. It is a style based on the writings of John Ruskin, whose book, The Seven Lamps of Architecture, outlined various elements considered to be essential to good architecture. One of the most distinguishing features  is the use of polychrome. Ruskin advocated using color in a building, but the color had to be integral to the building materials themselves. "Constructed coloration" and "permanent polychrome" are terms given to this use of color. Examples of true High Victorian Gothic architecture in Denver are extremely rare. The Tabor Grand Opera House (1879-1880, now demolished) had some of the features of the style.

Highlights of High Victorian Gothic are: constructional polychrome; pointed arches; ornamental bricks, terra-cotta tiles; patterned tile or slate roof.

Italianate (1840s-1870s): The Italianate style, also known as Tuscan, Lombard, Bracketed, and sometimes even American style, was extremely popular in the ten years prior to the Civil War. Marcus Whiffen, in his Guide To Styles, divided Italianate into four categories: Italian Villa style; Renaissance Revival-Romano Tuscan Mode; Renaissance Revival-North Italian Mode; and High Victorian Italianate. It became especially popular as a commercial style of architecture with the development of cast iron and pressed metal technology. This technology allowed for cheaper mass production of ornamentation and columns for commercial buildings. The railroad arrived in Denver in 1870, bringing along with it this technology, providing Denver with it's first experiments in architectural style. Examples of Italianate style abound in Lower Downtown.

Highlights of Italianate architecture: decorative brackets; a low-pitched roof; tall (often arch-topped) narrow windows; wide, overhanging eaves.

Queen Anne (1874-1893):  The term "Queen Anne" was first used in England to describe medieval structures with classical ornamentation and decoration.  English architect Richard Norman Shaw developed the style using English Vernacular architecture, which was solidly built and of simple wood construction.  The style came to the United States in 1876 and spread throughout the country.  The Watts-Sherman House (1874) in Newport, Rhode Island, by H.H. Richardson, is considered the first example of Queen Anne architecture in the United States. 

Americans saw the Queen Anne style as a return to a more rosy past.  Many Denver houses built during the 1880s and early 1890s are Queen Anne. After the silver crash of 1893, however, it was considered too luxurious. 

Highlights of Queen Anne architecture:  asymmetrical; textured surfaces; classical ornament; towers/turrets; wraparound porches; balconies; art glass; high brick chimneys.

Richardsonian Romanesque (1872-1893):  Richardsonian Romanesque is a style named after American architect H.H. Richardson (1838-1886).  Almost every city in the United States has a building based on the style Richardson developed, which was especially popular in the late 1880s.  Romanesque Revival (see below) buildings had been built for some time in the United States.  Richardsonian Romanesque buildings were simpler and more massive.  The style was especially popular with Western architects because it reflected the size and splendor of the western landscape. Frank Edbrooke and Franklin Kidder were probably the two Denver architects most familiar with the work of Richardson having lived in cities that had Richardsonian buildings. Other architects, such as William Lang and John J. Huddart, were influenced by publications made by other architects on Richardson.  Typical Romanesque architecture in Denver uses massive stone walls and rounded arches on otherwise Victorian or eclectic structures. 

Highlights of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture:  heavy, massive, rough-faced stone masonry; carved Romanesque details; eyebrow dormers; squat towers; round arches.

Romanesque Revival:  The original Romanesque architecture was based on a style of European buildings popular in the 11^th and 12^th centuries based on architecture used by the ancient Romans.  It was characterized by round arches and vaults; thick, massive walls, and interior bays.  Romanesque Revival architecture refers to the renewed interest in this style in the United States beginning just before the turn of the 20^th century.

Shingle Style (1879-1893): Shingle-style architecture can be considered an Americanization of Queen Anne and a uniquely American invention. A quieter, simpler, and more horizontal style than Queen Anne, it started in the Northeast with  with the post centennial interest in American Colonial architecture. The term "Shingle style" was coined by architectural historian Vincent Scully. Full-blown examples are not common in Denver, but Queen Anne buildings with some Shingle-style attributes are frequently found. Many of William Lang's houses exhibit Shingle-style tendencies but are usually too exuberant to be considered pure examples.

Highlights of Shingle Style include: continuous wood shingle surfaces; wavy wall surfaces; extensive porches, eyebrow dormers; rusticated stone; round arches.

Tudor (circa 1890's - 1930's): Tudor, which should imply a revival of architecture popular during Tudor (sixteenth-century) England, actually is loosely based on a variety of late medieval English prototypes. Some consider it to be a combination of Jacobean (James I, 1603-1625) and Elizabethan (Elizabeth I, 1558-1603) architecture and have coined the word "Jacobethan" to describe it. Unlike the Queen Anne style that preceded it, Tudor was mainly a masonry or masonry-veneered style. The first examples of the style were typically large architect-designed landmarks such as Denver's Verner Z. Reed Mansion (1931) by Harry James Manning. During the 1920's and 1930's, with innovations in brick veneering techniques, even small inexpensive houses could be built in the style, and it became extremely popular. Tudor houses range from large rambling complexes to small cottages. Nearly every U.S. city boasts a Tudor neighborhood.

Highlights of Tudor architecture include: half-timbering; steep roof; grouped tall, narrow, multi-paned windows; massive decorated chimneys; brick.

Vernacular Classical Revival or Denver Square (1894-1920): After the silver crash in 1893, the move in architectural tastes was toward more somber styles. And, with the rise of the middle-class suburb, house after house was built in the Vernacular Classical style. Typically, they take the shape of a foursquare-a house whose basic form in both plan and elevation is a square or box. Added to this are a front porch and any classically inspired ornament. So popular were these houses that they often took on regional names, such as the Seattle Box, and , in Denver, the Denver Square. Here, most have a rectangular plan with hipped roof and attic dormer. There are two second-story windows, usually identical and the space between them often filled with decorative brick or  a terra-cotta panel. Most of Denver's older suburbs, such as Capital Hill, Cheeseman Park, City Park, and West Highland are filled with Denver Squares.

Highlights of Vernacular architecture include: simple, boxy, foursquare type; simple classical ornament; symmetrical; front porch; hipped roof with centered dormer.