Of course like anywhere else, L.A. offers plenty of contemporary and sleek modern homes, but what are the key styles that make L.A., well, L.A.? Virtually any architectural style can be found in Los Angeles, but we’ve curated a selection of some of those most widely identified with the area. Have a favorite?

Architectural Styles Found in Los Angeles

Tudor

Built in 1921 in the then-popular Tudor Revival style, the Getty House, named after the son of oil tycoon J Paul Getty is the official residence of the Mayor of Los Angeles. The Tudor Style is typified by large windows and steeply sloping roofs, imitating the look of Medieval cottages. Tudors of all shapes and sizes are strewn throughout L.A., including some fantastic examples in Hancock Park and Beverly Hills.

Spanish Colonial

Drive through certain areas of Los Angeles and you’ll see many examples of Spanish Colonial architecture from the 1920s and 1930s, as well as modern McMansions co-opting the style. Inspired by the architecture brought over from Spain during the colonial era, these homes feature white, stucco walls, red, clay roof tiles, and have an overall rustic appearance, giving them a look all their own

Craftsman

Also known as California Bungalows, this style was first popularized in the late 1800s/early 1900s by Gustav Stickley as part of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Featuring low gabled roofs, overhanging eaves, expanded porches, and tapered columns, California Bungalows can be found all over the Los Angeles area, although Pasadena has a higher concentration than anywhere else in the region.

Colonial Revival

This Bel-Air home is a brilliant example of Colonial Revival architecture. Typically featuring a paneled front door flanked by sidelights, with a broken pediment over the door, a modest portico with columns, and often a pediment supported by pilasters as is the case here. These features are meant to imitate the look and feel of Colonial America, while still including modern amenities and more recent style cues.

Art Deco

Originally built in the 1930s, this Hancock Park property epitomizes the Art Deco style that was sweeping Los Angeles at the time. Typified by sleek, linear, often rectangular geometric forms that are arranged and interrupted by curved elements to create what, at the time, was the epitome of modern, and, while the definition of “modern” has moved on, art deco homes remain highly desired today.

Victorian

Designed by famed architect Frederick Roehrig, this Victorian mansion was built for Andrew McNally, founder of the Rand-McNally Publishing Company. Featuring beautiful gardens, an aviary, and a private railway spur, this property was truly made for a tycoon of the era and includes many aesthetics typical of the style, including decorative gables, eaves, and rooftop finials adorning the exterior.

Georgian Revival

Located in the historic Windsor Square neighborhood of Hancock Park, this perfectly proportioned Georgian Revival home displays many of the style’s features, including a symmetrical design with a gabled roof, and an elaborate doorway with pilasters, sidelights, and portico.

French Normandy

An ever-popular look for Angelenos, the French Normandy style is typified by steep, sometimes conical, or hipped roofs and often features an asymmetrical floor plan. This particular example, constructed in 1938 for actress ZaSu Pitts and located in Cheviot Hills, looks like it was taken straight out of a fairytale.