This course examines the history of the American built environment from approximately 1000 through 1860. In addition to establishing the evolution of stylistic properties in architecture, we will be examining regional patterns in settlement and building, the use of building technologies, the architecture of a variety of social groups including Native American and immigrant cultures, the design of urban, suburban, and rural landscapes, the rise of the architectural profession, and the relationship among high-style, vernacular, and popular traditions. The built environment will be analyzed both as an artifact and as a signifier of broader social, cultural, and economic trends in America.
