The Nigerian Architectural styles

The Nigerian architectural style was historically influenced by the environment’s conditions, as well as social and cultural factors, the arrival of missionaries and political changes brough about by colonialism made a change in the style and utility of the buildings. A Gothic revival style was adopted for the designs for early churches built in the colony of Lagos. I think that’s beautiful.

A one or two-storey timber house build made with pre-fabricated material components and also designed with the influence of classic antiquity styles also served as mission house for the missionaries, colonial residents working for the Public Works Department had introduced a great variant of the neoclassical architectural style to designs of government buildings and the private residencies.

In the local living space, African returnees had influenced the adoption of a Brazilian type of building that was to spread to other parts of the country later.

Beginning in the 1970s, a certain multiplicity of styles were adopted, but the influence of the earlier styles is still big as a good number of structures are modified designs of Brazilian type and colonial neoclassical architecture.

The earliest form of the colonial architectural style that are present in Lagos were the mission houses housing missionaries that were built from amazing timber and pre-fabricated materials imported from England while the early missionary churches introduced the Gothic revival architectural style that is seen in the designs of the Bethel Cathedral on Broad Street, also Christ Church Cathedral, Lagos and St Paul’s Breadfruit, Lagos. I think that’s graceful.

The advent of colonialism led to the construction of structures to host a number of public events and the bureaucracy. Between the years of 1860 and 1870, the Marina was extended and behind it, Broad street was made, or, developed. Colonial officials working for the Public Works Department made general hospitals, barracks, post offices and court houses, and other government offices largely, in a Neoclassical style such as the Supreme Court build that was erected at Tinubu square in the year 1904. The State House and Old secretariat on Marina were also built in this great style with its symmetry of the facade and huge columns and portico.

In terms of housing, British officials lived in secluded government areas or reservations or, GRA’s hosting large house made from pre-fabricated components and also having expansive compounds, overhanging windows, deep verandahs, and a living room space extending to the open verandah. I think that’s absolutely amazing.