American Architecture Spotlight: Early Georgian

Trinity Church, Early Georgian, Newport architecture, Richard Munday, 1725

Trinity Church in Newport, RI is a great example of a religious structure in the Early Georgian architectural style. Built by Richard Munday in 1725.

Early Georgian religious structures, exemplified by Trinity Church in Newport, RI, share these characteristics:

high steeple to emphasize the importance of religion in colonial life
pulpit centered on the main aisle
family dedicated pews

Trinity Church has a ship-like interior structure, which seems to have been a natural outgrowth of Richard Munday’s shipbuilding background. Trinity Church also expanded from 5 bays to 7 bays by adding to the middle of the structure.

The Colony House is a civic example of Early Georgian architecture in Newport, RI. Built by Richard Munday in 1739.

Early Georgian architectural characteristics of the Colony House include:

brick exterior, as it was a very precious material at the time
large decorative porch and pediment for public announcements and ceremonies
arched-top dormers
gambrel sloped roof
decorative balustrade

The “Georgian period” was named after King George (I, II, & III). The structure of the building was ship-like, much as Trinity Church is, as builder and architect Richard Munday had a shipbuilding background. The Colony House served as a legislative capital for Rhode Island until the early 20th century. It was also featured as the court setting for Steven Speilberg’s movie, Amistad.