GREEK INSPIRATION

Bethlehem, like most of the rest of the country, was fascinated by the Greek revival style of architecture in the early to mid 1800s. Americans, with their commitment to democratic ideals, found the connection to ancient Greece appealing.

Found on New Scotland Road in Slingerlands, this brick home once belonged to William Henry Slingerland and was built in 1837	The Adams House Hotel in Delmar, built in 1938, has a prominent pediment facing Delaware Avenue

The temple front became ubiquitous across America from high style public buildings and banks to common vernacular farmhouses. Grander buildings sport a large triangular pediment that projects outward, supported by a row of columns, creating an inviting porch-like area. Think of the ancient Greek Parthenon.

Delmar Reformed Church on Delaware Avenue was built in 1841	This home on Kenwood Avenue is a classic Greek style farmhouse and includes a half round window in the pediment

The style filtered down to common homes with the gable of the house turned toward the street helping to create the triangular pediment. Vertical pilasters applied to the corners of the house create the visual suggestion of free standing columns. The front door is offset to one side with two windows next to it. Details such as dentil molding, entablatures, raking cornices and half round windows come into play with the creativity of the local carpenter/builder and the budget of the owner.

Willowbrook Avenue in South Bethlehem boasts this brick home built about 1830	The Haswell-Houck Tavern on Feura Bush Road was built in the 1840s

Next time you are driving around town, look for Bethlehem’s Greek temples. Some, like the Adams House Hotel, Delmar Reformed Church or the Haswell-Houck Tavern, are obvious. Even though their columns are square, their triangular pediments are prominent and pay homage to Greek proportion and style.

Look for the farmhouses. Once you start looking for those triangles facing the street, you can spot them easily enough along busy Kenwood Avenue and New Scotland Road, along country roads like Wemple and Meads Lane or hidden away on side streets like Roweland and Willowbrook Avenues. Some are brick, some are clapboard. Keep a sharp eye, and you’ll even find them under vinyl siding with most of the old details removed.

Susan Leath
May 3, 2012

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