About Porches

The original outdoor room, the front porch has its origins in ancient Greece. Designed for both shelter and exposure, the porch is multifunctional. It has served as public pulpit, display of social status and community gathering place.
The porch as an architectural element is still seen in modern designs. But its function now is more transitional; it is the space between the home and the outside world.

History

The word porch is from the Latin "porticus" and the Greek "portico." Both words denote the same meaning, that of a columned entryway to a temple. It was in these entryways that the populace would gather to hear philosophers speak.
The columned entrance became part of Greek and Roman architecture, providing sheltered space for markets, meetings and civil actions.
The front porch was integrated into European architecture and columns were used to support the roof. Columns are still a common architectural element in front porches.

Function

The Europeans used the porch, both in front and in the central courtyard, as little more than a transitional space. It was the West African and Caribbean immigrants that brought the more modern form of the front porch to America.
The warm, tropical climates of Africa and the Caribbean demanded shelters be designed to allow for cross ventilation, to optimize cool breezes and provide shelter from the sweltering sun.
In the southeast United States, the front porch became an essential part of architecture, both of plantations and homes of less importance. Serving as sleeping rooms, dining rooms and sitting rooms, the front porch ran the length of the faade, its roof protecting the interior from the sun and the openness catching breezes. The porch was a place to escape the oppressive heat of the interior of the house in warm weather.

Features

Porches are always covered spaces, the roofs ranging from extensions of the main house to gabled and pitched. Columns or posts hold up the roof and are widely spaced.
Porches sometimes have balustrades that enclose the porch along the front and sides. The balustrades are usually no more than three to four feet high. These can be simple post and rail designs or more elaborate, such as those seen in Victorian design.
Porches have floors. These are commonly made from wood planks, brick or stone. Porches are usually raised: either built on a low platform, common to country styles, or elevated with steps leading up to it. Ranch homes of the mid-20th century, however, often have porches that are extensions of the slab foundation. The floors are concrete and the roofline of the house extends to cover the porch.

Types

The Romantic style home, popular in the 19th century, was a revival of the Greek, Gothic and Italianate architectures. The front porch for the Greek and Roman style is small, more portico than porch. Columns are the most prominent feature and are of Greek or Roman orders.
The porch expanded in the Italianate style, becoming more of an outdoor room than the stately Greek and Roman styles. The columns translate from the formal orders to resemble posts, though still ornately turned at the top and bottom.
The front porch of the Victorian home runs the length of the faade. Within this style, the porch may wrap around the home. The Victorian porch is highly decorated with gingerbread, carved balustrades and brightly colored paint. Wicker furniture with overstuffed cushions furnishes the porch, as do tables and rugs. In the Victorian era, the front porch was the first indication to visitors of just how wealthy the homeowner was. The more elaborate the porch, the higher the status of the homeowner in the community.
The country style porch, so much a part of log cabins, country homes and farmhouses, may be the most classic of porches. These, like the early plantation homes of the South, are more of an extension of the interior. Even in the more northern regions of the United States, the country front porch serves as a respite in the summer heat.
The country porch is rustic, built of natural materials and basic in style. These porches are often outfitted with rough-hewn furniture, including rocking chairs and porch swings.

Time Frame

The porch of 19th and early 20th century America was used to entertain visitors and pass time on a summer evening. Neighbors would gather to exchange news and gossip. It was the place the family gathered to end the day, to pass time on a Sunday afternoon and wave at friends passing by.
Though the front porch did not disappear from architecture after World War II, the national habit of whiling away hours on porch swings did. The porches became smaller and served more as an entryway than an outdoor room.
Homes were being built with patios in the backyard, affording homeowners more privacy when enjoying the outdoors. The congeniality of the front porch became a thing of the past.