Modern Mediterranean Architectural Design

Modern Mediterranean design was introduced in the United States in the latter portion of the nineteenth century. Various styles referenced the Spanish Renaissance, Spanish Colonial, Beaux-Arts, Italian Renaissance, Arabic Andalusian architecture, and Venetian Gothic.

The style peaked in popularity during the 1920s and 1930s. The movement drew heavily on the style of palaces and seaside villas and applied them to the rapidly expanding coastal resorts of Florida and California.

Structures are typically based on a rectangular floor plan, and feature massive, symmetrical primary facades. Stuccoed walls, red tiled roofs, and windows in the shape of arches or circles. Either one or two stories, wood or wrought iron balconies with window grilles, and articulated door surrounds are popular. Keystones were occasionally employed. Ornamentation may be simple or dramatic.