Neo-Grec House Plan

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Neo-Grec House Plan Introduction

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Greek architectural heritage was revived in mainland Greece following expulsion of the Ottoman Turks in 1832.  This classical revival was championed in Greece by numerous Pan-European Classive architects, especially the Danes and Germans—Hansen, Klenze, Schinkel, et alia—who assumed leadership of the Greek architects opressed over four long centuries.  Within the brief space of a few years, Greeks trained in classical discipline at Athens’ new School of Art (funded by King Ludwig I of Bavaria) built modern, classical Greece in what the Greeks termed “Greekness”, the Neo-Grec: an authentic, picturesque, iconic Greek classicism.

Named for the Greek god of arts & crafts, Epimetheus, this house looks to 19th Century Greek Neo-Grec rather than to the American 19th Century Greek Revival for emulation and inspiration.  You will sometimes find the Neo-Grec in New Urbanist towns and developments and other outposts where the clean fine lines and well-drawn forms of the Neo-Grec soothe the visual distractions of violently modernistic tilting boxes.

 

 

.NEO-GREC HOUSE PLAN CHARACTERISTICS

“Greek” Greek Revival differs from “American” Greek Revival

………………………….“American” Greek Revival……………………………….“Greek” Greek Revival

………………………….White to emphasize purity of form.                Multi pastels to delineate parts.

………………………….Steep-pitched roofs.                                          Shallow-pitched roofs.

………………………….Bilaterally symmetrical blocks.                       Tripartite symmetrical divisions.

………………………….When not stone, wood.                                     When not stone, stucco.

………………………….Shuttered windows.                                           Windows as temple facades.

 

 

THE EPIMETHEUS: NEO-GREC HOUSE PLAN FEATURES

 

This pretty house would not be mistaken for a prairie ranch.  The Neo-Grec is rich in refined details, well ordered symmetries, and pastel color.  Its plan is a combination of “L, H, and U” whose views reference the house itself rather than the landscape; the house looks through itself, at itself, in itself, and away from itself to its neighbors, whereas the ranch takes the long view.  The master bedroom is private, yet opens to the courtyard.  The great room is snuggled between the courtyard and the stoa.  The kitchen looks to both the dining room and the covered dining loggia (here shown open).  There is a mudroom with cubbies and laundry, a second visiting or keeper room, a one-car garage, and occasions for a variety of outdoor living.

You will notice the temple quality of the house, both more archaeological and historical than the Greek Revival.  Its Neo-Grec rooms proceed as in a Greek temple, from its pronaos to naos, adyton to opisthodomos (vestibule, sanctuary, treasury, porch) of the public rooms, and this organization is reflected in the cross-axis private rooms.

There is a smaller honeymoon cottage version of this pretty Neo-Grec house that has not yet been converted to digital form but can be found in a recent post on Architectural Drawing (mid-page).

 

NEO-GREC HOUSE PLAN

 

Plan
20’-9”                           Height
53’-2”                           Width
68’-4”                           Depth
1,496                           Square Feet
14’-0”                          Main Ceiling
2                                   Bedrooms
2                                   Bathrooms
stone or stucco

Room Size
Living Room                16-0” x 24′-0”
Kitchen                         16′-0” x 8′-0″
Dining Room               16′-0″ x 16′-0″
Master Bedroom        15′-4” x 16′-0”
Master Bath                 8′-5” x 5′-6”
Bedroom                      8′-5” x 13’-8”
Bathroom                     8′-5″ x 3′-2″
Garage                         24′-11″ x 16′-0″
Loggia                         17′-6″ x 16′-2″
Stoa                              9′-0″ x 24′-0″
Patio                            24′-9″ x 24′-9″

Features
open floor plan
vaulted ceilings
fireplace
mud room
covered front porch
walk-in closet
attached garage
indoor-outdoor living

Note
Plans for the cozy honeymoon cottage, outbuildings and classic amenities are available upon request.

 

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Featured image: Neo-Grec House Plan, The Epimetheus, Front Elevation, M. Curtis, des.

For more on the American Greek styles, visit The Beautiful Home.

NEO-GREC HOUSE PLAN

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