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Monday, November 8, 2010

House of the Week



This charming house is the across the street neighbor from last week's house of the week. Of course I like it - it's white and has black shutters. I love the way the front porch detail mirrors that of the windows. I think this is either Greek Revival or Colonial Revival. I lean more towards Greek Revival because of the wide band of trim at the cornice line. Any of you architects out there please weigh in...

From A Field Guide to American Houses, identifying features of a Greek Revival house:

Gabled or hipped roof of low pitch; cornice line of main roof and porch roofs emphasized with wide band of trim; most have porches supported by prominent square or rounded columns, typically Doric style... p179.


But it could also be Colonial Revival. From the same book the identifying features of Colonial Revival:

Accentuated front door, normally with decorative crown (pediment) supported by pilasters or extended forward and supported by slender columns to form entry porch; doors commonly have overhead fanlights or sidelights; facade normally show symmetrically balanced windows and center door; windows with double hung sashes...p. 321.



















Which style do you think it is?

5 comments:

  1. Across the street eh? You make it easy for me. I think you can make a case for Regency with the low pitched roof.

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  2. I agree with Terry. Despite the portico, the general massing, segmental arched window openings and octagonal window are influenced by the regency style.

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  3. Oooo I drove by. It's major house happiness for me. For me it's the shape of the basic box which you can't tell from the pictures. It's a basic cube, about as deep as it is wide. There are additions that attach and jut out. But basic cube is a beautiful shape. Plus it sits in a level place with space on either side. It seems less big that it has to be, less competitively big than many in the neighborhood. May I mention again: I like it.

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  4. Another great house. You'll have to give us an update if you get to the bottom of which style it is.

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  5. James, it is Regency Revival. I suspect the porch was added; it is not bad in itself, but not in keeping with the original character of the house. It would not have been unusual for the house not to have had a porch at all. Variations of the Regency Revival are Neo-Regency, which has a Deco influence, and Hollywood Regency, which tends to be more stage set dimensionally. But slotting a house as a specific style is tricky because there are not always pure examples. I prefer to say that it is influenced by a style.

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