Mission Revival & Spanish Colonial Revival

The Vintage Homes: Mission Revival & Spanish Colonial Revival

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The Mission Revival style was popular between 1890 and 1915. It then evolved into the larger, more decorative Spanish Colonial Revival style, which saw its peak between 1915 and 1940. Both drew inspiration from the Spanish missions built in California in the late 18th and early 19th century. The Mission style features stucco or plaster walls with minimal decoration. Its most distinctive feature are its curvilinear parapets that extend above its flat rooftop.

Like its predecessor, Spanish Colonial became popular in Denver in part because the dry sunny climate was so in keeping with Spain and California. Like the mission style, it features tile roofs and plastered, thick walls that keep houses warmer in winter and cooler in summer. What separates the two is that the Spanish Colonial style is typically two stories and is more elaborately decorated with its tile roof, balconies, elaborate tile work and decorative ironwork. You’ll find hundreds of both styles throughout greater Denver.