A brief description of the major styles commonly found in Galesburg, Illinois include the following:

Greek Revival - These are most typical in the South. They have pillars or columns on the front which usually hold up a balcony on the second floor. The front has some type of porch or portico that is enclosed in pillars or columns. They tend to be somewhat symmetrical. The white ones look very much like ancient Greek temples with pillars all the way across the front, especially if they have a gently sloped roof.

Gothic - This style comes from medieval English castles, and was considered to be the proper style for churches and other public buildings. Some of the characteristics are pointed arched windows, gables, trefoils (three-pronged shapes), rich tracery-intricate designs, gingerbread trim, very ornate intricately designed and detailed trim that sometimes is almost overdone and bordering on ugly. If the trim was gone, the house would be very plain with simple angles. A lot of old farm houses were done in this style, and there are definitely a lot of Gothic houses in Galesburg. Also in this style are the stereotypical white country chapels.

Italiante - The earlier houses in this style were the more villa like houses which were detached or semi-detached urban residences with yard and garden space, soaring off-center towers, loggia porch-like areas walled in by arches. Later on, boxier, simpler profiles became more common. Both have an asymmetrical arrangement of windows and doors, low-pitched roofs, round openings, deep bracketed eaves, with or without mansard roofs (roofs that curve or angle sharply up to a flat top), and with bricks, stucco, or wood siding.

French - This style is usually a tall, narrow house. They have symmetrical proportions, with or without a mansard roof, a two or three story tower in front. This is mostly an urban design which is good for lots that are narrow and have limited space and light. This style is a painter's nightmare with all of the elaborate window framing, paneled frieze boards under a bracketed cornice (paneled trim under a bracketed roof), roof trim, gingerbread, and are very ornate and fancy.

Stick Style - This is usually associated with summer homes, but there are some regular houses with this style. They are a rambling, asymmetrical concoction of large verandas, projecting towers, and bay windows. They have exaggerated structural detailing, and are very individualistic and you see a little bit of everything. They are designed to relate to the outdoors and are informal and have a peaceful, tranquil, homey persona.

Queen Anne - This style has some Gothic design in it but is more extravagant than Gothic. They have off-center turrets and towers, both shingling and clapboarding on the sides, a mixture of carved and relief decoration, and wrap around porches. Many people who don't know that there are many different Victorian styles, think of only this type of house to be the classic Victorian design.

Renaissance Revival - This is a nearly seamless box of a townhouse, usually made of brick or stone and kind of drab. This type does not have much trim and was probably only popular because only the rich could afford to build a house like this. They tended to be in sophisticated cities where the rich people would live.

Colonial - These are very symmetrical and the doors and windows are equally spaced. They have a flat, boxy profile and have various assortments of lunettes (semi-circle shaped windows), porticos which are smaller than those typical of Greek, but are still fairly good sized, summer porches that might be screened in, porte-cocheres (an open garage with no walls to keep people dry when getting in and out of their carriages), double-sash windows with shutters, and narrow clapboard siding. This style is really common in the New England and Mid-Atlantic areas of the US.

Eclectic - This is the most common type of Victorian house. This style combines many elements of all the different styles. Most houses have one style that is predominant with different styles mixed in. Builders liked to blend styles seeking originality and harmony. The Victorians recognized that a building had to both serve a function and be pleasing to the eye at the same time.