Victorian Styles
Second Empire:
Mansard (dual-pitched hipped) roof with dormer
windows on steep lower slope; molded cornices
normalled bound the lower roof slope both above
and below; decorative brackets usually present
beneath eaves. If a tower is present (as it is in
about one-third of this style) there is iron
cresting and a roof silhouette different from
that of the main house. Unelaborated windows,
usually arched above, are common on Second Empire
houses. The boxy roof line is considered
particularly functional because it permits a full
upper story of usable attic space. Most popular
from 1855-1885, this style was made famous by
Alfred Hitchcock, using it as the house in the
movie "Psycho".
Queen Anne:
Steeply-pitched roof of irregular shape, usually
with a dominant front-facing gable; patterned
shingles, asymmetrical facade with partial or
full porch which is usually one story high and
extended along one or both side walls.
Spindlework ("gingerbread") trim on the
porches, stick work in the gables, bays, towers,
overhangs and using several wall materials of
differing textures to break up wall surfaces are
characteristics of this style. Finials often
found on gable ridge, as well as iron roof
cresting and other ornamentation. 1880-1920
Shingle: Wall
cladding and roofing of continuous wood shingles
(shingled walls may occur on second story only);
shingled walls without interruption at corners;
assymetrical facade with irregular,
steeply-pitched roofline; roofs have intersecting
cross gables and multi-level eaves; commonly with
extensive porches. Eyebrow or shed dormers most
common type. Towers are found in one-third of
shingle homes, and are morelikely to appear as
partial bulges or half-towers rather than fully
developed elements. Tower roofs are frequently
blended into the main volume of the house by a
continuous roof line. Palladian windows and
simpole classical columns are the most common
decorative detail. The style was (and is) most
popular in northeastern seaside resorts.
Folk Victorian:
This style is defined by the presence of
Victorian decorative detailing on simple folk
house forms, which are generally less elaborate
than the Queen Anne style they are trying to
mimic. Primary areas of ornamentation are usually
the porch and cornice line, with a simple gable
roof and one front-facing gable, with just a
front one-story porch. "Shotgun" houses
of New Orleans, with only a front-facing gable
and porch, and a narrow, long floor plan, are the
most famous of this style.
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