Arches
There are six basic arch styles that frame and support doors, windows, porches, and other wall openings in homes.
Roman
Roman arches are semi-circular and were first used widely by Roman engineers.
Using arches and concrete, the Romans were able to build on a previously unseen
scale. This rounded arch style is seen today in the Spanish Colonial
architectural style and the Richardsonian Romanesque style, as well as others
based on Classical Roman architecture
Segmental
Segmental arches have a partial curve, like an eyebrow. One of the earliest
examples of a segmental arch in the West is the Ponte Vecchio Bridge in
Florence, Italy, which was built in the 14th century.
Tudor
Tudor arches have a low point and are seen mostly on Tudor Revival and Gothic
Revival styles of architecture, both popular in the late 19th and early 20th
centuries in America. These arches are based on the architecture of the English
Tudor period of the 16th century.
Flat
A Flat arch, also known as jack or straight arch, extends straight across an opening with no curvature, creating a horizontal emphasis.
Gothic
Gothic arches, also called pointed arches, are narrow and pointed at the top.
They were seen during the Gothic period in Europe from about middle 12th century
to the 16th century. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries in America, a
Gothic Revival style incorporated these pointed arches into homes and buildings.
Moorish
Moorish arches, also called Horseshoe Arches, have an exotic shape. They're most
likely to be seen on commercial buildings such as theaters. A Moorish Revival
style of the early 20th century in America reintroduced this arch style into the
architecture scene.
