Key Distinguishing Characteristics
The Dutch Colonial is a moderate-sized, 2-story to 2 ½-story house with a gambrel roof and eaves that flare outward.

Other Distinguishing Characteristics

• Central entrance
• Dutch entrance door
• Double-hung windows with small panes of glass
• Exterior may be made of a wide variety of materials, such as clapboard, shingles, cut stone, brick or stucco
• Second-story dormers through the roof are common
• Chimney rarely in the center

History
This is an indigenous American style that did not originate in Holland as is commonly believed. The Dutch settlers built these houses in Pennsylvania starting in the 1600s and soon after in New York.