HRAB 10-17-89 Meeting AgendaCOUNTY of FREDERICK
Department of Planning and Development
703/665-5651
FAX 703/667-0370
MEMORANDUM
TO: Frederick County Historic Resources Board
FROM: Kris C. Tierney, Deputy Director
RE: leetinrj A'Totice and Agenda
DATE: October 12, 1989
There will be a .eeting or the Frederick County Historic Resources
Board at 7:30 pm, on Tuesday, October 17, 1939, in the TREASURER'S
OFFICE, conference room of the Old County Court House, 9 Court
Square Winchester, Virginia.
Please let rye know if you are unable to attend.
AGENDA
1. Discussion of proposed History section for 1990 update of the
county's Comprehensive Plan.
2. Discussion of review criteria
3. Begin list of potential sites for recognition.
4. Other
9 Court Square - P.O. Box 601 - Winchester, Virginia - 22601
OCTOBER 17 AGENDA ITEMS
1. Attached is the proposed text for the 1990 update of the
Comprehensive Plan for the Board's review and comments.
2. The review criteria used for National Register nominations which
were discussed at the last meeting have been modified slightly so
that they might be adopted for use by the Board.
3. The Board needs to begin to compile a list of sites which have
the potential of being recognized as historically significant on
a county wide basis.
4. Other.
HISTORY
For 12,000 years a sparse population of Indians lived in this area,
but many more traveled through on the Indian Path from New York and
Pennsylvania to winter in Georgia and South Carolina. The first
Europeans to come through the Shenandoah Valley were Jesuit mis-
sionaries in 1632, and details of this wilderness area were first
shown on a map by a Frenchman, Samuel de Champlain.
English ownership of Frederick County was originally by the Virginia
Company but was taken over by the Crown in 1624. In 1649, Charles
II granted seven royalist supporters the land "bounded by and within
the heads" of the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers. By 1681, Thomas,
the Second Lord Culpeper, owned most of this original land grant.
After he died in 1689, his daughter married Thomas, the Fifth Lord
Fairfax, and later, their son Thomas, the Sixth Lord Fairfax,
inherited the whole landgrant.
By the 1650's various traders, trappers, and explorers were coming
to the Shenandoah Valley. Dr. John Lederer from Hamburg Germany
documented his visit to the Valley in 1670 in his diary. English
colonel, Cadwallader Jones, explored the central Valley in 1673,
and in 1716, Governor Alexander Spotswood and his fifty "Knights
of the Golden Horseshoe" crossed into the Valley through Swift Run
Gap and returned with glowing accounts.
Englishmen settled the piedmont, then pushed west by foot and horse
through passes in the Blue Ridge, and many more German and
Scotch -Irish settlers came down the valleys from Philadelphia and
Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Some of the earliest settlers were Quakers
who built the Hopewell Friends Meeting House which still stands
near Clearbrook. These settlers were attracted by the fertile soils
and the abundant forest and water resources.
The Government of Colonial Virginia wanted this wilderness settled
as quickly as possible, as a buffer against Indians, but Robert
"King" Carter, Lord Fairfax"s agent, was settling Fairfax's land
slowly in large plantations. The government of Virginia had chartered
counties in the landgrant as settlement spread up the Northern Neck
and west through the land grant. Virginia began to argue that
Fairfax's landgrant ended at the Blue Ridge, and began granting
up to 1,000 acres each to settler families west of the Blue Ridge.
9
Virginia gave particular developers the right to recruit settlers
and sell them up to 1,000 acres per family within a general "grant"
area. Each parcel would revert to Virginia unless settled with a
house and orchard within two years.
Abraham Hollingsworth settled near the site of Abrams Delight in
about 1729. Owen Thomas and Jeremiah Smith came to Back Creek in
1730 and settled on 806 acres granted in Thomas' name. Smith left
and returned with a wife before 1741. His log cabin is now part
of a house west of Back Creek and south of Route 50. In 1732, Jost
Hite settled 16 families on his 5,000 acre "grant" and built Hite's
fort at Bartonville.
The Indian Path became the Great Wagon Road and Indians were
dispossessed westward by treaty and force of arms. Frederick County
was created from western Orange County by the House of Burgesses
on December 21, 1738 and was named after the Prince of Wales.
James Wood, County Surveyor for Orange County, platted a town at
the County seat, which he named Winchester, after his birthplace.
It consisted of 26 half -acre lots and three streets within 1300
acres, which he claimed as wilderness land owned by Virginia. Those
streets are now Loudoun, Boscawen and Cameron Streets.
County government in Virginia was originally by self-perpetuating
courts. Frederick County's Court was proclaimed and organized in
1743, and its officials took their oaths of office on November 11
of that year. It first met at the surveying office of its clerk,
James Wood, at the site on which James Wood's son Robert built Glen
Burnie.
By 1743, the Frederick County court admitted that Lord Fairfax's
land included the County. At the age of 16, George Washington was
a member of a surveying party that came to Frederick County for
Lord Fairfax in 1748. In 1749, Lord Fairfax moved to Frederick
County and built his home, Greenway Court, at White Post. He
accepted Wood's 1,300 acre claim and other additional lots at
Winchester. Eventually, eleven other counties would be created
from the 3,824 square miles included in the original Frederick
County.
George Washington was associated with Winchester and Frederick
County between the years of 1748 and 1765. Early during those years
he maintained a surveying office in Winchester. During the French
and Indian War, he was given a Commission and later made Commander
in Chief of the colonial forces with headquarters in Winchester.
Washington held his first elective offices representing Frederick
County, having been elected to the house of Burgesses in 1758 and
1761.
Winchester played an important part in the American Revolution.
Local riflemen under the command of Daniel Morgan were among the
first to join the fight.
During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries life in
the current Frederick County area centered around small family
farms. Local farms tended to be smaller than farms to the east.
During this period wheat production became the center of the local
economy, along with cattle production. In 1820, there were fifty
flour mills in Frederick County along with numerous sawmills,
tanneries, and other business activities.
Economic life was centered around Winchester and other local towns
including Stephens City, Middletown, Kernstown, and Gainesboro.
There were a large number and diversity of craftsmen and merchants
in these towns. The strongest influence on the local economy was
the Great Wagon Road, which later became Route 11 south and which
carried settlers and travelers from Philadelphia south through the
Valley and to the west. Activity associated with this road made
Winchester one of the largest towns in western Virginia.
Frederick County played a significant part in the Civil War. The
northern Shenandoah Valley supplied food, livestock, horses, and
soldiers to the southern cause. The Valley was also important
because of its strategic location in relation to Washington D.C.
The town of Winchester changed hands in the war about 70 times, an
average of once every three weeks for four years.
Major local battles included the First Battle of Kernstown in March
of 1862, during which General Stonewall Jackson suffered his only
tactical defeat during the Valley Campaign but did succeed in keeping
Union troops in the Valley from leaving to reinforce McClellan on
the peninsula. In May of 1862, Jackson's army defeated the Union
troops at the First Battle of Winchester.
In the Second Battle of Winchester in 1863, confederate troops
successfully attacked and defeated Union troops occupying forts
on the western side of Winchester. Union troops were again defeated
at the second battle of Kernstown in 1864.
At the Third Battle of Winchester General Philip Sheridan's Union
troops successfully attacked confederate troops at Winchester. With
the high numbers of losses on both sides, a new war of attrition
was to begin in the Valley from which the southern forces would
never recover. For three weeks in 1864, Sheridan's troops undertook
the infamous "Burning" to end Confederate strength in the Valley.
Union troops burned 2,000 barns, 120 mills, and a half a million
bushels of grain and confiscated 50,000 head of livestock in the
Valley. Virginia's richest valley was left desolate.
7
In October of 1864, Jubal Early's Confederate troops were entrenched
south of Cedar Creek. The Union troops were encamped just north
of Cedar Creek. A surprise attack by the Confederates drove the
Union troops to the north. General Sheridan rallied his troops and
attacked, driving the Confederates back across Cedar Creek. This
victory helped boost Union morale and helped President Lincoln win
reelection.
After the war, old economic activities resumed and new activities
began. New businesses included a tannery, dairying, farm machinery,
and shipping. A variety of agricultural activities continued.
Fruit growing and processing became particularly important early
in the twentieth century. Economic activities continued to diversify
in the twentieth century to include a number of manufacturing
activities including plastics, automotive products, containers and
other products. Activities continued to be based on the accessibility
of the area and on north -south travel along the route that was once
the Great Wagon Road and is now Route 11 and Interstate 81.
Historic Preservation
There are a number of historic sites in Frederick County. The
following sites are listed on both the Virginia Landmarks Register
and the National Register:
Belle Grove
Hopewell Friends Meeting House
Monte Vista
Springdale House and Mill Complex
Willa Cather House (birthplace)
St. Thomas Episcopal Church (Middletown)
There are a number of other historic sites in the County.
also several Civil War battlefield sites that played an
role in that conflict. The Civil War Sites include the
Battlefields:
First and Second Battles of Winchester
Third Battle of Winchester
First and Second Battles of Kernstown
Cedar Creek
Fortifications:
Star Fort
Collier Redoubt
Parkins Mill Battery
Entrenchments•
D
There are
important
following:
Nineteenth Corps Line
1864 - 1865 Winter Line
There is a need to clearly locate, recognize, and designate all
significant historic sites in the County. As the County develops,
there is a need to find methods to protect the most significant
sites.
The Winchester -Frederick County Historical Society is undertaking
an inventory of local historic resources. This project will per-
manently record the location of all sites. Such sites could be
recognized by the County through the awarding of historic resource
plaques to property owners using an individual application process.
The County would review such applications annually using specific
criteria. In addition, the extensive structures and land related
to the Civil War should be recognized through appropriate docu-
mentation and signs.
In 1989, the Board of Supervisors establisned a Historic Resources
Advisory Committee to provide detailed information on historic
resources to the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors. The
Historic Resources Advisory Committee is charged with the following:
Developing standards concerning which sites are significant.
Using the standards to recognize particular sites.
Developing recommendations on methods to preserve recognized
sites.
Reviewing particular development proposals.
Developing recommendations onthe use ofhistoric resources
inassociation with tourism, economic development and education.
Zoning or other regulatory methods can be used to help protect the
most important resources. In addition, incentives allowed by law
for the rehabilitation, adaptive reuse or restoration of historic
structures should be considered.
Care should be taken in the design and provision of streets and
utilities in historic areas to maintain the historical integrity
and character of historic areas. The protection of historic areas
should be carefully considered in establishing new roads. Land use
patterns should be planned that are harmonious with the historic
environment.
9
Historic preservation can play an important role in economic
development. Tourism is an important local industry. The possibility
of improving the attractiveness of the area to tourists should be
considered in a systematic manner. The protection of historic
resources will play an important role in this effort.
Historic Preservation Policy
A number of historic preservation issues have been identified,
including the following:
The need to identify and designate historic sites
The economic importance of historic resources
The need to develop methods to protect historic resources.
The following are policies for historic preservation.
Goal - Protect the historic resources in Frederick County.
Strategy 1 - Inventory and designate historic sites in the County.
Strategy 2 - Study and adopt methods to preserve historic resources.
Strategy 3 - Incorporate historic resources in efforts to promote
tourism.
Strategy 4 - Carefully consider the impacts of land use, development
and facility decisions on historic resources.
Implementation Methods:
1. Undertake a complete investigation, documentation, evalu-
ation, registration, and recognition of historic sites.
Recognize sites with a process of plaques and signs.
2. Continue touse the Historic Resources Advisory Committee to
assist the County with information and recommendations on
historic resources.
3. Study possible methods for protecting historic resources
including the designations of historic districts, zoning
methods, tax incentives, and impact analysis. Voluntary methods
and methods involving incentives are preferred. Carefully
consider the impacts of decisions concerning land use, roads,
10
utilities, and facilities. Develop design standards for
historic areas and locations. Strong support should be given
to private initiatives.
4. Include concerns for historic preservation and tourism in
economic development strategies.
11
FREDERICK COUNTY CRITIRIA FOR EVALUATION OF
HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
The following criteria are virtually the same as those established
by the National Park Service for evaluation of the historic
significance of properties, sites etc. considered for nomination
to the National Register. These slightly modified standards are
those which will be used by the Frederick County Historic Resources
Advisory Board to evaluate county properties for designation as
historically significant.
Criterion A: Properties may be eligible for the recognition if
they are associated with events that have made a
significant contribution to the broad patterns of
our local, state or national history.
guidelines 1. A property may be associated with either of two
types of events; a specific event marking an
important moment in history; or a series of events
that made a significant contribution to the
development of a community, the state, or the
nation. a property may also be associated with both
types of events.
2. The significant contribution of any specific event
or series of events to the broad patterns or themes
of the national, state, or local history must be
demonstrated.
3. A property associated with an event or events must
be a good representative of the event or events and
of the larger theme or broad pattern of which they
are a part.
4. It should be possible to document through accepted
means of historical research that the property under
consideration did exist at the time of a specific
event or series of events and that the property was
associated with those events.
1
Evaluation Critiria
Criterion B: Properties may be eligible for recognition if they
are associated with the lives of persons significant
in our past.
guideline 1. Persons "significant in our past" means individuals
whose activities have been important within
significant themes in the national, state, or local
history.
2. The individual(s) must be specifically identified.
3. A property's association with an individual should
be documented by accepted methods of historical
research that can include written or oral history.
4. Each property associated with a significant
individual will be compared to other properties with
the same associations to identify those properties
that are good representatives of the individual's
historic contribution. Properties that best
illustrate an individual's contributions are
generally properties associated with the
individual's adult or productive life. Properties
associated with an individual's formative years may
also qualify if it can be demonstrated that the
individual's activities during this period had
historical significance.
5. Length of association should be identified and may
be an important factor when many properties with
similar associations survive.
6. Properties associated with living persons are
generally considered not eligible for recognition.
7. A basic test of the integrity of a property
significant under Criterion B is whether the
important person would recognize the property as it
exists today.
2
Evaluation Critiria
Criterion C: Properties may be eligible for recognition if they
embody the distinctive characteristics of a type,
period, or method of construction, or that represent
the work of a master, or that possess the high
artistic values, or that represent a significant and
distinguishable entity whose components may lack
individual distinction
guideline 1. The features or traits of a design or construction
that tended to recur in particular types, periods,
or methods of construction can be said to
characterize those kinds of properties or
construction practices in the past. To "embody
distinctive characteristics" a property must clearly
represent the type, period, or method of
construction. That is, it must enhance our
understanding of the class of resources of which it
is a part. A significant property clearly
illustrates (1) the pattern of what was common to
the class of resources; (2) the individuality or
variation that occurred within the class; (3) the
evolution of that class over a period of time; or
(4) the transition between that class and others.
2. The phrase "type, period, or method of construction"
refers to properties related by cultural tradition,
or function; by date of construction or style; or
by choice of materials and technology.
3. High artistic values may be expressed in many ways,
including areas as diverse as community design or
planning, engineering, and sculpture.
4. A master is a figure of generally recognized
greatness in a field, a known craftsman of
consummate skill, or an anonymous craftsman whose
work is distinguishable from others by its
characteristic style or quality.
5. A district must be a significant entity. It must be
important for historical, architectural,
archeological, engineering, or cultural values.
Therefore, districts which are significant will
usually meet the last portion of Criterion C plus
Criterion A, Criterion b, other portions of
Criterion C, or Criterion D.
3
Evaluation Critiria
6. A district must be a distinguishable entity. The
district as a whole must have a character or a
coherence that makes it an identifiable historic
environment and differentiates it form adjacent
areas.
7. A district is different from the other categories
of historic properties because a district may be
significant as a whole even though it may be
composed of components, sites, buildings,
structures, and objects that lack individual
distinction. A district's identity results from the
groupings of features and from the relationships
among those features. These relationships convey the
sense of the historic environment. A district may
be a grouping of archeological sites related
primarily by their being common components in a
defensible research design, and often will not
visually represent a specific historic environment.
8. A property can be significant under Criterion C
either for the way it was originally constructed or
crafted, or for the way it was adapted at a later
point in time; or for the way it illustrates
changing tastes, attitudes, and uses over a period
of time in the past.
9. A property may be significant because it represents
either an unusual or a widely practiced type or
method of construction. It may have been innovative
or influential, or it may have been traditional or
vernacular; the significance of the property is
determined by considering the property within its
context.
Criterion D: Properties may be eligible for recognition if they
have yielded, or may be likely to yield, information
important in prehistory or history.
guideline 1. The verification of a human origin, modification,
or utilization of the property must be part of the
consideration of the property's ability to qualify
under Criterion D.
2. In general, the property's cultural affiliation
and/or period of creation or use should be
identifiable.
4
Evaluation Critiria
3. While most often applied to archeological sites,
Criterion D may sometimes apply to districts,
buildings, structures, and other objects that
contain important information. In order for
properties to be eligible under Criterion D, the
properties themselves must be, or must have been,
the principal source of the important information.
4. Properties that yielded important information in the
past and that no longer retain additional research
potential (such as completely excavated
archeological sites) must be assessed essentially
as historic sites like properties eligible under
Criterion A, significant for associative values
related to: (1) the importance of the data gained,
or (2) the impact of the property's role in the
history of the development of
anthropology/archeology or other relevant
disciplines. As is the case for other historic
sites, the site must retain the ability to convey
its association as the former repository of
important information, the former location of
important events, or the representative of important
trends.
5. The current existence of appropriate physical
remains must be ascertained in considering the
property's ability to yield important information.
Properties that have been partially excavated or
otherwise disturbed, and that are being considered
for their potential to yield additional important
information must be shown to retain that potential
in their remaining portions.
6a. Important information is that which can be shown to
relate constructively to a research design
addressing such areas as current data gaps, or
defensible new models or theories; priority areas
identified under state or federal agency management
plan; or corrections of misapprehensions in our
understanding of history or prehistory. The
importance of information which a property may yield
must be evaluated within the appropriate comparative
context- i.e., what is already known from similar
properties or other pertinent information sources.
The information likely to be obtained from a
particular property may be important if, for a given
area, the information is unavailable elsewhere; or
because it would confirm or supplement in an
important way information obtained from other
5
Evaluation Critiria
sources. In some cases however, the existence of
other information sources, such as modern historic
written accounts or other documentation, or
scholarly analyses of other similar properties in
the area, may render the information contained
within the property less important, with the result
that the property will not be eligible under
Criterion D.
b. Having established the importance of the information
that may be recovered, it is necessary to be
explicit in demonstrating the connection between the
important information and a specific property. One
approach is to determine if specific important
research questions may be answered by the data
contained in the property. Research questions may
be related to property -specific issues, to broader
questions about a large geographic area, or to
theoretical issues independent of any particular
geographic location. These questions may be derived
from the academic community or from preservation
programs at the local, regional, state, or national
level. Research questions are usually developed as
part of a "research design" which specifies not only
the questions to be asked, but also the type of data
needed to supply the answers, and often the
techniques needed to recover the data.
C. To support the assertion that a property has the
data necessary to provide the important information,
the property should be investigated with techniques
sufficient to establish the presence of relevant
data categories. What constitutes appropriate
investigation techniques would depend upon the
specific circumstances including the property's
location, condition, and the research questions
being addressed, and could range from surface survey
(or photographic survey of buildings) to the
application of remote sensing techniques, or
intensive subsurface testing. Justification of the
research potential of a property may be based on
analogy to another better known property if
sufficient similarities exist to establish the
appropriateness of the analogy.
A
Evaluation Critiria
7. The assessment of integrity for properties
considered for information potential depends on the
data requirements of the applicable research design,
and may differ from the evaluation of properties
considered under Criterion A,B, or C. A property
possessing information potential does not need to
visually recall an event, person, process, or
construction technique. Instead it is more important
that the significant data that the property contains
remain in a sufficiently intact condition to yield
the expected important information, if the
appropriate study techniques are employed.
INFORMATIONAL ITEMS
2
Hugh C. Miller
V/,/, 2.1 No. 6
Biologists of the Department of
Game and Inland Fisheries get
ready to examine an animal
captured for a small,mammal
survey,- one of several projects
made possible by funds con-
tributed to Virginia's Nongame
Wildlife and Endangered
Species Program.,
A -BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR VIRGINIA'S PAST
irginia's past can look forward to a
brighter future with the creation of a new
state agency-
'Me
gencyThe Department of Histori" Resources is
dedicated to preserving historic sites in Virginia,
Formerly, it was a division within the Department
of Conservation and Historic Resources, which
was renamed the Department of Conservation and
Recreation.
Two Governor -appointed boards will carry out
various histo-ric preservation functions and assist
in establishing policy for the new Department.
The Board of Historic Resources will perform
many duties of the former Virginia Historic Land-
marks
andmarks Board, including designation of historic
buildings, sites, and districts; establishment of
preservation practices for the care and manage-
ment of designated landmarks; approval of new
historical highway markers; and acquisition of
designated landmarks and sites or. preservation
,easements through gifts.
The Board will also assist in developing new
programs, such as expanded education in historic
preservation and promotion as well as protection
of tourism assets. Members are: Jack Zehmer of
Richmond; Chairman, George Herbert of Norfolk,
Sandra Speiden of Orange, Nancy Hirst of
McLean, Arnold Henderson of Richmond, John
Broadway of Richmond, and George C. Freeman,
Jr, of Richmond.
The Virginia Historic Preservation Foundation
was created Iby the General Assembly to acquire
historic properties, retain perpetual easements on
them, and resell.the protected resources to appro-
priate persons, firms, or corporations. The Foun-
dation is directed to use its funds only to protect
properties on or eligible for the Virginia Land-
marks Register. Members appointed to the Foun-
dation's Board are David Brown of Staunton,
Chairman, Francis Foster of Richmond, Robert
Lambeth, of Bedford, Anne Worrell of Char-
lottesville, Patricia Zontine of Winchester, and
Kevin Burke of Reston.
The Department's staff is headed by Hugh C.
Miller, a nationally known expert on architectural
conservation, preservation, and planning. Former
Chief Historical Architect for the National Park
Service, Miller serves as the Commonwealth's
State Historic Preservation Officer. He is a Fellow
of the American Institute of Architects.
"This new Department, with,its Boards," Miller
said, "is now, better positioned to find, evaluate,
and encourage protection of the significant tangi-
ble remains of Virginia's heritage—below and
above ground."
H. Bryan Mitchell, former Director of the Divi-
sion of Historic Landmarks, is now Director of
Preservation Programs and the Deputy State His-
toric Preservation Officer for the Department.
A Preservation Services section will survey and
designate landmarks, conduct environmental re-
views of state and federal projects, and administer
federal tax credits for renovation projects. It also
oversees the Department's recently opened re-
gional office in Roanoke. Chief of the section. is Dr.
Robert Carter.
"This new unit will emphasize client services,
by offering expanded financial and technical assis-
tance to local governments, school systems, and
property owners," said Carter. The Department's `
grant programs and its preservation easement pro-
gram are also under his supervision.
Future Department plans include the develop~
ment of an archaeological research center—in-
cluding staff members assigned to the excavation
of threatened sites and archaeological survey and
permit programs. Dr. Catherine Slusser, State Ar-
chaeologist, will be in charge of the center.
HELP BOOST WILDLIFE
irginians can help bolster declining
I I Vwildlife ,populations by donating money
to the Virginia Nongame Wildlife and En-
dangered Species Program. State wildlife
officials are urging increased public support of
the program, since contributions to the Nongame
Wildlife effort have dropped sharply in recent
years.
Here are three ways Virginians can help pre-
serve nongame wildlife:
• Designate part of your state income tax re-
fund. When you receive your next state income
tax form, check off the Nongame Wildlife Fund to
receive some. of your refund.
• Buy a hunting license. A portion of the li-
cense revenues goes to nongame preservation ef-
forts.
fforts. Even if you don't hunt, you can still buy a
license and help wildlife. Also, license sales en-
able Virginia to qualify for matching federal funds
for this and other wildlife projects.
• Send a donation directly to the Department
of Game and Inland Fisheries, 4010 West Broad
Street, P. 0. Box 11104, Richmond, VA 23230-
1104. Make your check payable to the Treasurer
of Virginia and indicate that you want to support
the Nongame Wildlife Program.
Some of Virginia's most endangered wildlife
species are recovering with the help of combined
state and federal funds and private donations to
the Nongame Wildlife Program. They include the
bald eagle, peregrine falcon, the big -eared bat,
and the Delmarva fox squirrel. Nongame projects
also include small mammal surveys, the breeding
bird atlas, and Project WILD education, '
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OF CONTENTS
GENERALLY SPEAKING: DESCRIPTIVE TERMS
Ho USE TYPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
_AYS AND STORIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
PLANS, ELEVATIONS AND SECTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
OW IT HANGS TOGETHER: CONSTRUCTION TERMS
OODEN HOUSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
:ASONRY HOUSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
III. SEEN FROM THE OUTSIDE: TERMS FOR EXTERIOR PARTS
:'_COFS, DORMERS, ROOFTOP PROJECTIONS AND CHIMNEYS . . . . 12
:ORCHES, PORTICOES, STOOPS AND BALCONIES . . . . . . . . 15
ORNICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
ARCHES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
DOORS AND DOORWAYS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
I NDOWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
IV. INNER WORKINGS: TERMS FOR INTERIOR PARTS
FIREPLACES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
STAIRCASES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.
i0ODWORK, DECORATIVE TREATMENTS AND FINISHES . . . . . . 21
V. CLASSICAL ORDERS OF ARCHITECTURE . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Sources of Illustrations:
American Architect and Building News: Cover (issue of 24 February 1877); fig. 3 (issue of 8 July 1876); fig. 14
(issue of 10 February 1877); Articles of the Carpenters Company of Philadelphia and Their Rules for Measuring
and Valuing House -Carpenters Work, Philadelphia: Carpenters Company, 1786: figs. 6, 12; A. J. Bicknell, Detail,
_Cottage and Constructive Architecture, New York; A. J. Bicknell & Co., 1873: fig. 5; A. W. Cobb, Suburban and
Country_ Houses, New York: William T. Comstock, 1893: fig. 3a; Cummings & Miller, Architecture: Designs for
Street Fronts, Suburban Houses and Cottages, 4th ed., Toledo: S. Barley & Eager, 1868: fig. 15, lower; Charles
W. Elliott, The Book of American Interiors, Boston: James R. Osgood & Co., 1876: fig. 21; Edmond V. Gillon, Jr.,
Ed., Early Illustrations and Views of American Architecture, New York: Dover Publ., Inc. 1971: figs. 1, 11;
Penelope Hartshorne (Batcheler) and Arnold Nicholson, Notes on the Design and Architectural Detail of Philadel-
phia Row Houses 1740-1850, Philadelphia: Old Philadelphia Development Corp., 1964: fig. 15, upper; Historic
American Buildings Survey: 4, 13, 20; James C. Massey: 4a, 7a, 9, 10, 17, 22; Palliser, Palliser & Co.:
Palliser's American ArchitectureNew York: J. S. Ogilvie, 1988: fig. 7; Edward Shaw, Shaw's Civil Architecture,
6th ed., Boston John P. Jewett ,Co.,& 1852: fig. 16, back cover; William Rotch Ware, The Georgian Period,
Boston: American Architect and Building News Co., 1899-1902: figs. 2, 8, 18, 19.
INTRODUCTION
This glossary is intended for the use of the old -house owner who wants to be able to talk
easily about his home without first having to become an expert in architecture, architectural
history or carpentry. It is not a dictionary, but a means of acquiring a beginning vocab-
ulary of descriptive terms that refer to architectural features of older houses.
The glossary is arranged in sections that correspond to the major aspects of the house.
It includes explanations of approximately two hundred terms frequently encountered in
restoring,' repairing or using older buildings. Whenever possible, verbal descriptions are
supplemented by illustrations marked to show the parts described in the text.
Because terms and meanings often vary from one geographical region to another, we have
tried to use the ones that are most widely accepted and to include variant forms when
appropriate.
We are grateful to Constance M. Greiff and Roger W. Moss for their careful reading of the
manuscript and for their many contributions to its clarity and usefulness.
Preparation and publication of this glossary was made possible by a generous grant from
the Atlantic Richfield Foundation.
For more complete definitions, or to expand your working old -house vocabulary, you may
wish to consult one of the specialized architectural dictionaries listed below.
John Fleming, Hugh Honour and Nicholas Pevsner. The Penguin Dictionary of Architecture.
Baltimore: Penguin Books, Inc. 1966.
Cyril M. Harris, Ed., Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. New York: McGraw
Hill, Inc. 1975.
John Harris and Jill Lever. Illustrated Glossary of Architecture, 850-1830. New York:
Clarkson N. Potter, Inc. 1966.
Norman Morrison Isham. Early American Houses and A Glossary of Colonial Architectural
Terms. The Walpole Society, 1928 and 1939 respectively; reprinted ed. in one vol., NewYork:
6aMapo Press, 1967.
A. L. Osborne. A Dictionary of English Domestic Architecture. New York: Philosophical
Library, Inc. 1956.
Henry H. Saylor. Dictionary of Architecture. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1952.
John S. Scott. A Dictionary of Building. Baltimore: Penguin Books. 1964.
Maureen Stafford and Dora Ware. An Illustrated Dictionary of Ornament. New York: 5t.
Martin's Press. 1974.
Russell Sturgis. A Dictionary of Architecture and Building. New York: MacMillan Co.
1905.
The Historic House Association of America is a national, non-profit, charitable and
tax-exempt membership organization concerned with issues affecting private owners of historic
properties in the United States. Organized in 1978 with assistance from the National Trust
for Historic Preservation, the Association carries on a broad program of advice, seminars,
conferences and publications to further the preservation of historic property in private
ownership.
413TORIC HOUSE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
1600 H atreet, N.W.
yashington, D.C. 20006
3
Pediment
Dormer
Louvered
Shutter:
Party Wa
between.
Fanlight
Fig. l
a -Day rtUut,
ROW OR PARTY WALL HOUSES
ttic
alf Story
rd Story
?nd Story
;t Story
sement
Most old houses are VERNACULAR in origin, drawn from a relatively limited regional and
traditional repertory of. shapes and plans that can be described according to a few basic
categories. Even architect -designed houses, showing an ACADEMIC influence, will often fit
into the same categories, particularly if they were built before the quest for "romantic" and
"picturesque" effects led to the irregular shapes of the latter 19th century.
HOUSE SHAPES
The names of the most frequently encountered house shapes are virtually self -defining:
SQUARE; RECTANGULAR; CENTRAL BLOCK WITH ONE WING; CENTRAL BLOCK WITH SYMMETRICAL WINGS: L-,
T- and V -SHAPE.
HOUSE TYPES
Basic house types range from the large and elaborate MANSION to the humble CABIN, which,
whether it be of brick, stone, frame or log construction, is a small dwelling less than two
stories in height and composed of only one construction unit. Anything larger is a HOUSE.
SADDLEBAG and DOGTROT CABINS are in each case really two separate construction units, joined
in the first instance by a shared chimney wall and in the second by a covered passageway.
The I HOUSE, common in the Midwest and parts of the South, is an unpretentious two-story
building with a chimney at each of the two gable ends and either three or five openings in
each story across the front. The CLASSIC I of the Midwest has five openings; the VIRGINIA I
has only three.
A persistent urban phenomenon is the ROW HOUSE (TOWNHOUSE, PARTY -WALL HOUSE), which is
built up to the property line at both sides and shares a common wall with the adjoining
houses. A DOUBLE or TWIN HOUSE is similar in concept but is connected to another building
only on one side.
The FIVE-PART GEORGIAN (or FIVE-PART PALLADIAN) HOUSE is a formal, highly symmetrical
18th -century mansion composed of a large, central main block connected by a colonnade or an
enclosed section (HYPHEN) of lower height to a service wing at either side.
The OCTAGON, or eight -sided, HOUSE enjoyed a surge of popularity in the middle of the
19th century. The term COTTAGE may refer to practically any small, informal residence of
that period.
By
Attic Half Story
2nd Story
�sz Story
Raised Basement
Balustrade
Front Elevation: 5 --Bay Front with Projecting Center Say
Fig• 2 FREE-STANDING GEORGIAN HOUSE
Chimney with Flues
Arcaded Together
Dormer
Scrolled Console
4 -Cornice
Flat Arch
Rusticated Quoins
Palladian Window
Belt Course
Pedimented
Frontispiece
Double 3 -Panel
Doors with
Fanlight
h Watertable
Rusticated Base
The early 20th -century FOURSQUARE HOUSE has four rooms on each of two floors and is, as
the name suggests, square in shape. The BUNGALOW is typically marked by low, sweeping lines,
wide, projecting eaves and a deep porch or veranda, although variations in which one or more
Of these features is lacking abound.
BAYS AND STORIES
Visually, the width of a house is measured in BAYS, vertical divisions of the facade that
most•frequently contain a single window but that may also be marked by columns, doors or
other vertical features. Height is measured in STORIES, a more or less conjectural division
Of vertical space within the building as indicated by horizontal divisions such as rows of
windows or bands of brick or stone (BELT or STRING COURSES) running across the face of the
building at the line between floors. The term FLOOR refers to the actual use of interior
space --the number of stories observed_ from the outside may not coincide with the number of
floors present on the inside.
The space contained within the slope of, a building's roof is referred to as the ATTIC .(or
GARRET). An ATTIC STORY (or HALF STORY) is a low story of living space just under the roof
or above the main cornice of the house. Its presence is implied by dormer windows that
Pierce the slope of the roof, by Half windows ranged along the front of the house just under
the eaves, or by full windows at the top of the gable ends of the house. If there are not
such windows, the attic cannot be counted in the height of the building.
A BASEMENT is not generally counted as a story even if it is used as living space, since
It is at least partially below ground. An exception is the RAISED, or ENGLISH, BASEMENT,
which is primarily or entirely above ground level but below the principal living floor (which
Is then called the FIRST FLOOR or, sometimes, the PIANO NOBILE).
A CELLAR is more than fifty per cent below ground and is more often used for purposes of
storage than for living.
5
Cres
G
Pal
Attic Half Stoi
COT
Segmental
2nd Story
1st
' Paired' Doi:
hung
One -C
One Li
Mul
Story
Party
Bay Win
Raised Basemen
-* -Front Elevation - 2 Bays
Fig. 3 ROW HOUSE - ELEVATION, BAYS & STORIES
Fig. 31 BUNGALOW
ourse
t
M
-
n r7-7—
BED ROCfv1 3=D ROOM
---- - - — - --
-------- - n ----___—--_ - --- -
Lrn vMD FL.
�-
c �_-,---�-- -
i �CEILNC�—
,
SEC= =LCOR P LAN a
MALE `3'-�''-o• -
ELEWTICN® R.ESTORFD ELE•ATiON AT PRESENT -- - -�
�0zvE1k5 --- - CC CELL"*�_-- - ------ _ NORTH FRONT ELEVfiTION
F S -70 It EDIWALE ILO, Plan: Center Hall
Half Attic' Single Pile
Story I +i'+--�-rr I I \ �'-2�S 3ti7 3'3i'3' -3'S'3'-4• N3.4-��'3'd�'3'-75
I.A LC i �00.Cw 7 h
YLASTE0.� "'. LATER ADD 71CN1
J
Iof ,
LOUNGE BAR KOOM O o i
1St Story, _ ri' V N I e m
y wooD ,I
HALL
_ h I
11R
5Y CK vNLL gENT RE VNCeRPEWG BRICK®M
� `o Ar,.E �=I�LL 'J _ � CrENTERED vNCER MApI ENT, �� I
Cellar - - _ %--Foundation a' -z' 1a'-
• - — CIRT FLM 1 ScgLES
_L_��_.
I SECTION FIRST FLOOR PLAN �,'-r-D'
j rEl+Rr GEO. O.= DEL. 5ULE '!•-I'-O' SGALE ': g' -P -a .q' - r -a
ML M
7NIQ Ot M11MM�KMiMlfci W1I THE I. OW R6GYATIpIiy NTU"Mi �` MIlTORK AM:Sl1GrM rrpT —1
HASSLER TAVERN NEAR PRINCETON ILLINOIS ILL -142 �'��• ��.
uturolanAAs ono us+c� SVREAv GOvNTV wrrt I a Z wan
Fig. 4
PLANS, ELEVATIONS AND SECTIONS
A PLAN (FLOOR PLAN) is a drawing of a building's interior as it would appear if it were
viewed from above. A SECTION slices through a building, room or detail vertically_:to show
how it is constructed. An ELEVATION is a drawing on a vertical plane of a building, room or
feature. It may represent any one of the external faces of a building (a FACADE). (The term
elevation may also be used as a synonym for facade.)
HOUSE TYPES AND PLANS 1
Side Hall.Main 8)
�dain Block with I -House T -Shaped Plan
Double Pile L or Wing
Octagon Four -Square
7-T
Center Hall Double Pile Fine -Part Georgian or Palladian
Fig. 4a
7
BALLOON FRAME
Fig. 5
BRACED FRAME
CONSTRUCTION TERMS: WOODEN HOUSES
Fig. 6
Ridge
Rafter
Rafter
Plate
Brace -
Window
Joist
Stud
Door
3111
Collar
Rafter
Plate
Brace
Girt
Post
Stud
Sill
BRACED -FRAME (or HEAVY -TIMBER) construction is characteristic of houses built before the
mid 19th century. The weight of floors, walls and roof is borne by heavy horizontal beams
(GIRTS) that run along the outer edges of the structure between massive wooden uprights
(POSTS) at the corners. These elements may be supplemented by a heavy beam (the SUMMER)
running across the width of the building and by beams that tie the house lengthwise at the
roofline (PLATES) and provide support for the ends of the beams forming the slope of the roof
(RAFTERS). The frame may be further strengthened by the use of diagonal BRACES. In heavy
timber framing, JOISTS are smaller horizontal framing members between the girts and the
summer to which floor or ceiling boards are nailed.
The SILL is a heavy timber lying on the foundation of the building on which the upright
members rest. The SLEEPER is a timber that lies directly on the ground rather than on a
foundation and supports the floor boards.
HALF TIMBERING is a variation on BRACED -FRAME construction in which the spaces between
posts, girts and braces are filled with a NOGGING of brick or clay, which may then be
stuccoed over, leaving the timbers exposed.
In HORIZONTAL LOG CONSTRUCTION, entire lengths of timber, hewn square or left in the
round, are laid one upon the other to form the exterior walls of houses, barns, cabins and
other structures. The logs are notched at the ends to make them fit snugly together and the
spaces between them are filled with stones, twigs or other solid materials (CHINKED) and then
plastered with mud or lime (CAULKED) to provide a weather -tight surface. VERTICAL LOG
(PALISADO) CONSTRUCTION is more rarely found in the United States.
BALLOON FRAMING, an American invention of the early 19th century, utilizes closely
spaced, relatively light vertical members (STUDS) and rather thin but deep horizontals
(JOISTS) to form the support for the building.
0
porch .pith
71arned Pos
%lappoai
Fig. 7
Mullion
WOODEN HOUSE - ELEVATION
riple Bay
indoor
Wooden houses may be sheathed with any of several types of horizontally LAPPED, or
overlapping, wooden siding. CLAPBOARDS are thin, narrow boards about four feet in length,
tapered on the upper edge to fit smoothly under the boards above. Early clapboards were
always riven, or split with the grain, rather than sawn, but the term is now frequently -used
for any type of horizontal wooden siding. WEATHERBOARDS are sawn boards with a beaded edge
intended to reduce splintering. SHIPLAP (GERMAN) SIDING is beveled or grooved at the point
Of overlap. FLUSH (MATCHED) SIDING has no visible overlap and a line of beading sometimes
conceals the joint. -
BOARD -AND -BATTEN SIDING is a vertical treatment in which wide boards are nailed edge to
edge and the joints covered by narrow strips of wood (BATTENS).
WOODEN SHINGLES in a variety of patterns, especially popular in the later 19th century,
were applied in straight or wavy (UNDULANT) lines or in alternating rows. Frequently
occurring designs include ROUND BUTT or FISH SCALE: FEATHER (with an arrow -shaped end); and
STAGGER BUTT, a square cut shingle nailed on in a zigzag pattern.
Fig, 7a
WOOD SIDING, CROSS SECTIONS
A. Clapboards
B. Beaded Weatherboards
C. Beaded Flush Siding
D. Shiplap or German Siding
3 -Bay
Colonn
Semicircular Arch
n��l�11J
t-----3-Bay Wing 10 No 3 -Bay Main Block
Fig. 8 MASONRY HOUSE - ELEVATION
CONSTRUCTION TERMS: MASONRY HOUSES
Chimney
Stack
Parapet
•Cornice
Lintel
—b -over -
6 Light
Double -
hung Sash
—Keystone
—Blind 3 -
Bay Arcade
Rusticated
Pilaster
Rusticated
Base
In masonry construction, stone, brick, block or tile is laid in COURSES, or rows, in a
particular pattern (BOND) of alternating joints and solid pieces bound with a mixture of
sand, cement, lime and water (MORTAR).
BRICK BONDS
Bricks laid so that their lengthwise faces are visible from the outside of the wall are
called STRETCHERS; those whose ends face the outside are HEADERS. The type of bond.is
determined by the arrangement of stretchers and headers. AMERICAN or COMMON, BOND has three
to seven rows of stretchers between every two courses of headers. ENGLISH BOND alternates
one course of headers with one of stretchers. FLEMISH BOND uses headers and stretchers
alternately in each course. STRETCHER BOND is composed of all stretchers, while the less
frequently encountered HEADER BOND has only headers.
A portion of a brick used to even out a course is called a CLOSER. KING CLOSERS are
longer than half a brick; QUEEN CLOSERS shorter.
Flemish bond sometimes features GLAZED HEADERS, bricks that have taken on a dark and
shiny surface in the firing process. Glazed headers are sometimes used to form decorative
patterns, -such as DIAPERING, or DIAMONDS, and in DECORATED END houses and barns to spell out
the construction date and initials of the owner.
Curved cornices and water tables may be made of MOLDED BRICK, shaped before firing.
Frequently, cornices are CORBELED, or built out in upside-down steps from the wall surface,
using plain brick. RUBBED or GAUGED BRICKS, often found in arches, are shaped by being
rubbed against a hard surface. MOUSE-TOOTHING, occasionally seen in Dutch Colonial build-
ings, is a pattern made by setting bricks at right angles along the gable edge of the roof.
PRESSED BRICK is a late 19th century innovation in which dense, hard bricks with a very
smooth surface are machine -formed under pressure, in contrast to the softer bricks formed by
the earlier practice of molding the clay under lighter pressure. ROMAN BRICK is a long,
slender pressed brick much used in early 20th century building.
TERRA COTTA is a cast and fired brick -like material often used to form large, intricately
molded exterior decorations. The surface is frequently POLYCHROMED, or decorated in colors,
and glazed for durability.
10
h
��_ :ago❑ Bond
9d. 3�ader Bond
:�sniar
BRICK BONDS AND STONE COURSI-
Vu. Zaglt'-jn nvuu
9e. Stretcher Bond
9h. Random Ashlar
piB• 99a - 9e Brick Bonding
r 9f - 91 Stone Coursing
STONE MASONRY
9c. Flemish Bond
9f. Rusticated Ashlar
9i. Coursed Rubble
1MASSEY
Stone used in building may be untrimmed, broken FIELDSTONE (RUBBLE) laid in a RANDOM
(UNCOURSED) manner. COURSED RUBBLE is arranged in more or less even rows.
ASHLAR is stone cut into square or rectangular blocks, laid in random or regular courses.
The faces of the blocks may be roughly hewn (ROCK -FACED); cut to suggest a surface full of
writhing worms (VERMICULATED); smoothly DRESSED, or finished; or marked with vertical
incisions (TOOLED).
RUSTICATION, a stoneworking technique often found on the lower stories or in QUOINS at
the corners of a building, is identifiable by massive blocks that project markedly from the
Plane of the wall and joints. The block faces may have any of the finishes described above,
usually with deeply beveled edges. Often a contrasting smooth edge surrounds a patterned
block face. Rusticated features may be executed in brick as well as in stone and occa-
sionally wooden quoins are found on frame houses.
STUCCO, an exterior wall plaster, frequently finishes walls of brick, stone, wood or
half-timbering.
Examples of COBBLESTONE ROUSES, constructed of smooth, round river rocks, are found in
some sections of the country.
WATER TABLES, slightly projecting bands of stone or brick designed to throw rain or snow
away from the foundations of the building, and BELT (STRING) COURSES, horizontal bands
running across the facade and marking a division between.floors, may be made of either brick
or stone.
9
Dec
Jerkii
Gaml
Fig. 10 ROOF TYPES
ROOFS
Mansa
J. MA, $" 1 3
The topmost horizontal member of a sloping roof is the RIDGE (or RIDGE POLE). It marks
the line where the tops of the supporting members that form the slope of the roof (RAFTERS)
meet and is sometimes emphasized by a line of ornamental CRESTING in metal, stone, terra
cotta or, occasionally, wood. The external angle formed by the intersection of two non-
parallel roof planes is called a HIP; the corresponding inverted angle is a VALLEY. Roof
water is channeled safely away from the house through a system of GUTTERS in the valleys and
along the edge of the roof, through GUTTERBOXES into the DOWNSPOUTS (LEADERS).
The rafters may be exposed on the under side of the overhanging lower edges of the roof
(the EAVES), or they may be concealed by the SOFFIT, the finished underside of the eaves. At
the gable end they maybe disguised by a BARGE BOARD (VERGE BOARD), an extra, often decora-
tive, false rafter set out from the wall surface. In classical styles the line of the barge
board may continue part of all of the way across the bottom of the gable as RETURNS that form
a triangular pediment. In Gothic Revival houses the barge boards are often flat wooden
pieces in an elaborately pierced and scrolled GINGERBREAD design.
ROOF TYPES
A GABLE (or PITCHED) ROOF forms a peak with a single slope falling away on either side of
the ridge. A GAMBREL ROOF breaks the slope on either side of the ridge into two slopes,
creating a somewhat bell-shaped profile and providing a bonus of usable space between eaves
and rafters. A MANSARD ROOF (sometimes called a FRENCH ROOF) also uses a double slope to
create an extra story while minimizing the apparent height of the building. The lower, and
usually steeper, slope may be CONCAVE, CONVEX or straight and is pierced by dormer windows
for light and ventilation.
A HIP (or HIPPED) ROOF slopes in four directions from the flat center section (DECK)
formed by the junction of the hips, which may be marked by a low railing (BALUSTRADE) or wall
(PARAPET).
A HIPPED GABLE (or JERKIN -HEAD) ROOF is a gable roof whose ends have been shortened and
sloped backward toward the center of the ridge.
A SHED (or LEAN-TO) ROOF has a single outward slope and is generally found on additions
such as kitchens and porches that are somewhat lower than the main house. A PENT EAVE is a
narrow projection sloping outward from the surface of a wall between two stories.
A STEPPED (or CROW -STEPPED) GABLE ascends
center at each end of a pitched roof. In the
end also extends above the roof itself.
L2
in a series of stair -like elements to a flat
PARAPET GABLE, the wall surface of the gable
�--Weathervane
1i -Story House with 21 --Story Tower
Fig. 11 ROOFS AND PORCHES
DORMERS AND ROOFTOP PROJECTIONS
Finial
Cornice
Cresting
ncave Mansard
,of
—Bracketed
ii Canopy
Veranda or Piazza with
Balcony
Entrance
Porch
Fence
Railing
DORMERS, usually containing a window, are small house -like projections from the slope of
a roof that provide light and air to rooms above the eaves. Dormer roofs assume almost any
of the shapes taken by main roofs: gable, hip, mansard or shed. Their sides (CHEEKS) are
usually treated much like the walls of the house and maybe sheathed with clapboards, often
installed in a diagonal pattern to fit the triangular sides of a gabled dormer. Alterna-
tively, the cheeks may be covered with shingles or roofing materials.
EYEBROW DORMERS are gently arched projections rising only far enough above the roofline
to accommodate a small window; they have no cheeks and are covered with roofing materials,
ARCH -HEAD DORMERS, often surmounted by a HOOD MOLD (or DRIP MOLD), are considerably larger
and more elaborately decorated.
A CUPOLA is a small, rooftop structure, usually of square or polygonal design, that
admits light and air to the interior of a building. A similar construction with glazed sides
is a LANTERN. A BELVEDERE is a larger structure designed primarily to provide a comfortable
spot from which to enjoy a striking ,view.
A TOWER is a feature that both projects from the main body of the building and rises
above the main roofline. A CAMPANILE is a square tower found on houses -in the Italian Villa
style. A TURRET is a small,•slender tower at the corner of a building, often supported by
corbeled brackets. A SPIRE is a tall, tapered, often conical, tower roof; a PINNACLE is a
similarly shaped terminal ornament or protective cap. Both may be decorated by CROCKETS,
foliage -like ornaments attached to their sides, and surmounted by a FINIAL, a pointed
ornament.
CHIMNEYS
The entire masonry structure that carries smoke and combustion gases from the fireplace
to the outside of the house is the CHIMNEY. The part that is visible above the roof is the
CHIMNEY STACK, which contains one or several vertical sections, or FLUES, each leading from a
fireplace or furnace. In modern times the flue is lined with_a fireproof material such as
tile or metal. (See also FIREPLACES.)
The chimney stack may be finished off with a decorative CHIMNEY CAP of corbeled brick or
stone, and it may be topped as well by a CHIMNEY POT, a separate decorative extension placed
on the flue to promote a stronger draft. In the 19th century chimney pots were often made of
cast terra cotta.
13
Cornic
Keyston
,
Gable Dormer
Fig. 12
DORMER WINDOWS
Shed Dormer
Shingle
Cheeks
Pedsmented Arch -Head Dormers
aster
rolled
nsole
11
diment
pled Parapet
rnice
rieze
an Column
Entablature
laster
!red Shutter
laster Trim
,e -hung Sash
r-6
ad Basement
s---- . -. ..1— ♦L auov,u aiiu .JLua ghts
Pilaster Trim
Tuscan Order Portico (3 bays) 10
Fig. 13 PORCHES AND PORTICOES
Hooded Gable
Dormer
Trussed Projecting
Eave
Gable Roof—�
�'fT
C-4 Al
Knee brace Stoop
Oriel Entrance Porch
Fig. 14 VICTORIAN PORCHES & EXTERIOR PARTS
PORCHES, PORTICOES, STOOPS AND BALCONIES
erkin-Head Gable Roof
-=Barge Board
' Brackets
e-� h Shed Roof
ee Brace
Chamfered Post
-Veranda or
+ Piazza
Railing
A PORCH is an independently roofed area that is attached to a building and provides a
sheltered entrance to it. A PORTICO is a porch in one of the classical orders. A MONUMENTAL
(or COLOSSAL or TALL or FULL -HEIGHT) PORTICO has columns that rise through two or more
stories. VERANDAS and PIAZZAS are porches that stretch along the front, sides or back of the
house to form gallery -like living areas outside the main walls. A STOOP is a small exterior
stair, generally no wider than one bay, leading to an entrance which may not be protected by
a roof. A BULKHEAD is an outside entrance to a cellar, with a sloping cover just above
ground level. A BALCONY is a projecting platform, surrounded by a railing, in front of a
window or door; it may not have a roof above it and it is not accessible by steps or stairs
from the ground. A PORTE-COCHERE is a sheltered area outside an entrance where passengers
may enter or leave their vehicle.
CORNICES
The term CORNICE refers here to the projecting decorative treatment that runs along the
top of an exterior wall below the eaves or, on an interior wall, along the ceiling line.
Whether it takes the form of a plain box or is enriched with moldings or carvings, a cornice
ordinarily has three main parts: a CROWN MOLDING at the top; a BED MOLDING at the bottom;
and in the center, a CORONA (or FASCIA), a vertical, often decorated, surface.
The fascia and SOFFIT, or finished undersurface, of an enclosed BOX CORNICE may conceal a
system of roof gutters.
The cornice may be supported by BRACKETS, truss -like devices which may be plain and
angular or elaborately scrolled. CONSOLES, which serve a similar purpose, are large,
scrolled supports, often heavily carved and embellished. MODILLIONS (BLOCKS) are rectan-
gular, box -like supports with plain or decorated under surfaces. DENTILS are smaller,
vertical, tooth-like projections.
Wooden cornices are usual in houses built throughout the 18th century, although occa-
sionally curving COVE CORNICES of plaster are found. PLAIN- or MOLDED -BRICK CORNICES
aPPeared about 1810 and became common later in the century. In the late 19th century the use
01 pressed metal or tin cornices that imitated the traditional wooden forms became popular.
15
Plaster Cove Molded
Fig. 15
Modillion Dentil Molded Brick
TYPICAL VICTORIAN CORNICES
Pent Eave
BAY WINDOWS AND ORIELS
A BAY (or BAY WINDOW) is an outwardly projecting area of a room, curved or angled, which
serves to expand the room and admit light and/or air. It shares a foundation with the rest
of the house. An ORIEL (or ORIEL WINDOW) is a similar projection, but it extends from the
surface of a wall above the foundation and is supported by corbels or brackets.
Dentil Cornice
Fig. 16
16
ORIEL WINDOW - ELEVATION
Top Rail
Jamb
1 -over -1 Light
Double -hung Sash
Meeting Rail
Stile
Mullion
Bottom Rail
Sill
Scroll Modillion
ale
31
d
u
ORIEL WINDOW - ELEVATION
Top Rail
Jamb
1 -over -1 Light
Double -hung Sash
Meeting Rail
Stile
Mullion
Bottom Rail
Sill
Scroll Modillion
ale
cig.
Flat or Jack ,
Segmental
ARCHES
ARCHES
;IT b3
In masonry costruction an ARCH is an.arrangement of wedge-shaped stones or bricks
(VOUSSOIRS) set above an opening to distribute the downward thrust of weight from the
surrounding wall. The central voussoir is the KEYSTONE. With the exception of the FLAT (or
JACK) ARCH, which is laid in a straight line, most arch forms are based on some portion of a
curve or circle, as their names suggest: ROUND, or SEMICIRCULAR; ELLIPTICAL, or SEMI -
ELLIPTICAL; SEGMENTAL, a curve encompassing less than a semicircle. The OGEE
ARCH takes its name from the combination of convex and concave curves of which it is made.
Among several forms of the POINTED ARCH (any of which may be called a GOTHIC ARCH), the
most common are the BLUNT POINTED ARCH, in which the height of the arch at its central point
Is less than the distance across its base; the EQUILATERAL POINTED ARCH, in which the two
distances are equal; and the LANCET ARCH, in which the height of the arch at its central
Point is greater than the distance across its base.
A BLIND ARCH (usually a segmental arch) is often built into a wall surface with no
relationship to an opening, in order to strengthen the wall or to provide decoration on the
surface. A RELIEVING ARCH is a segmental, usually blind, arch placed above the lintel of a
door or window to relieve the lintel of the full weight of the will. A series of arches is
an ARCADE.
17
FRONTISPIECE DETAIL OF
CAPITAL AND PEDIMENT
Fig. 18
DOORS AND DOORWAYS
ce
)ugewo.
111ion
Ped imen�.
Fanligh
Capital
Fluting
Jamb
Base
Plinth
8 -PANEL DOOR WITH PEDIMENTED FRONTISPIECE
A DOORWAY is an opening in an exterior or interior wall that allows passage from one side
to the other. It may or may not contain a door.
A DOOR FRAME, like a window frame, has a HEAD across the inside at the top and JAMBS
along each of its inner sides. The SILL (DOORSILL, THRESHOLD), or horizontal member at the
bottom of the frame, is not properly part of the frame itself. The door, if there is one, is
hinged to one jamb and locks into the jamb on the other side of the frame.
Like a window frame, a door frame may also have an ARCHITRAVE trim, molded or not.
Alternatively the top of the opening may be spanned by a simple lintel..
The principal entrance to a building may be marked by a FRONTISPIECE, a decorative
doorway ensemble that may include a pediment, entablature, columns, pilasters and other
elements of a classical order, as well as a transom or fanlight and sidelights. (See
WINDOWS.)
In PANELED DOORS, sheets of wood are held in a framework of wooden uprights (STILES) and
horizontals (RAILS). THe LOCI{ RAIL, set at a convenient height somewhat more than half -way
up the door, holds the lock.
PANELING may be raised, flush, sunk or flat; with or without moldings. (See WOODWORK.)
Six -panel doors are sometimes referred to as CROSS -AND -BIBLE (or CHRISTIAN) DOORS.
BOARD -AND -BATTEN DOORS are composed of boards placed vertically, or sometimes diagonally, and
held together by nailed -on horizontal cleats. FRENCH DOORS are fully -glazed double doors.
18
- a
inclusive term for all the parts relating to a wall opening that provides
11:tit and
out_. sir *.o the interior of a building.
{{II:UOW FRAME is the structural assembly that holds the SASH in which panes of glass
are set. The inner, topmost framing member of the window frame is the HEAD; the
,sLom one is the SILL; the inner sides are the JAMBS.
gat:
�e SASH is constructed of horizontal RAILS and vertical STILES that. form a movable frame
•VItbin which smaller framing members (MUNTINS) hold the panes of glass. a4WLLIONS are
•,ba'vier, uaright members or piers dividing the window into two or more parts. Windows are
betimes described in terms of the type of sash and the number of lights they contain, as,
41
al'' for example, six -over -six -light, double -hung, wooden sash.
CASEMENT (or FRENCH) WINDOWS are usually constructed in two vertical sections that swing
-e in or out on hinges set into the widow jambs. LEADED casement windows with wooden frames in
ng ., Vhich the lights were separated by lead CAMES, or bars, were largely supplanted at the end of
the 17th century by double -hung windows, although casements reappeared in some revival styles
of the 19th and 20th centuries.
DOUBLE -HUNG WINDOWS have two sections of sash set one above the other; one or both
sections slide up and down to permit the window to be opened. By the end of the 19th century
double -hung windows with frames made entirely of iron appeared, followed shortly by steel
frames. Stone window frames may be found in some Victorian houses.
The ARCHITRAVE is the decorative trim surrounding the top and sides of the frame. (A
DLAIN FRAME has no architrave.)
Projecting moldings above arched windows (HOOD MOLDS, DRIPSTONES), rectangular stone
LABELS or actual HOODS or CANOPIES may add both embellishment and protection from dripping
eater.
Although the simple rectangle surmounted by a lintel is by far the most common window
shape, ARCH -HEAD WINDOWS in virtually every arch form abound. (See ARCHES.)
The PALLADIAN WINDOW is a triple window with a large, arched center section flanked by
smaller rectangular windows. Its prototype, the VENETIAN WINDOW, may not have a center arch,
CIRCULAR WINDOWS range from the relatively unpretentious OCULUS (or BULL'S-EYE) to the
ROSE (or WHEEL, or CATHERINE WHEEL) WINDOW, in which the muntins are arranged to suggest the
spokes of a wheel. TREFOIL and QUATREFOIL WINDOWS have three and four curving lobes,
respectively, arranged around the perimeter of the.circle.
A FANLIGHT is a fixed, semicircular or semi -elliptical window above a door, often
exhibiting tracery; a TRANSOM, usually rectangular, may pivot or swing out on hinges to
provide ventilation. A SIDELIGHT is one of a pair of narrow windows beside a door.
Windows may be fitted inside or out with additional sets of paired closures (SHUTTERS)
for extra protection from the elements. PANELED SHUTTERS are like small doors excluding
light and air entirely when they are closed; LOUVERED SHUTTERS keep out wind and water while
admitting light and air through fixed.or movable horizontal slats. Early shutters pivot on
pins (PINTELS) set into iron eyelets; later ones are hinged. When shutters are open they are
geld in place against the wall with SHUTTERDOGS (or HOLDBACKS): when closed, they are
secured by latches.
FIREPLACES
FIREPLACE is the inclusive term for the area in which domestic fires are burned. The
FIREBOX, the actual site of the fire, is recessed within the opening and connected to the
FLUE. (See CHIMNEYS.) A plain or decorative cast-iron plate (FIREBACK) often protects the
rear wall of the firebox from excessive heat.
The readily visible parts of the fireplace include: the JAMBS (CHEEKS), or sides, of the
fireplace; the HEARTH, usually of masonry, which protects the floor in front of it; the
SURROUND, an area of plaster, brick, stone or tile around the opening proper; and, on top, a
MANTEL or MANTELPIECE, sometimes with a MANTELSHELF and ornamental paneling on the wall
projection into which the fireplace is set (CHIMNEY BREAST).
A full mantelpiece ensemble may include supporting pilasters, columns and moldings and
may be enriched by frieze motifs such as FRETWORK patterns of thin wood applied to the
surface. (See also MOLDINGS, CLASSICAL ORDERS.) It may also include a paneled OVERMANTEL
sometimes containing, especially in early construction, a LANDSCAPE PANEL enclosed within a
molded or decorated frame and intended to be painted with a decorative scene. Victorian
overmantels frequently include a mirror and bracketed shelves.
19
Fretwork
Frieze—
Fluted
rieze—"Fluted
Pilaster
Fireplace with Mantel 6 -Panel Door ("Cross -&-Bible")
Fig. 19 FIREPLACE, WOODWORK & DOORS - 18TH CENTURY
Cor"ize
Broken Pedimen
Shouldered
Architrave
Rim or
Box Lock
—Chair Rail
Paneled
— Wainscot
-Panel
-Baseboard
i
Rampai
Handrail
CORNICE Baluster
Ceiling i
Cornice - IiaNDRaL
i
z
0
U)
-- -
Pediment Ease
Shouldered
Architrave-
Top
rchitrave Top Rail w
Muntin Newel
U
Pane FARTIAL Ll
Rail SECTION AT
Meeting LANDING
Stile
Bottom Open Nosing
Sill - Rail String Riser.
Ramp I T 1i '{
Pilaster Tread �t;
Panel �JJ;
Baseboard ��-`-- I Scrol gg,;it
Floor lII�
J�
I
Fig. 20
20
STAIRCASE, WOODWORK & WINDOW
nt
STAIRCASES
STAIRCASES are sets of steps that provide access from one floor or level to another. The
steps are composed of a horizontal surface (TREAD) resting on a vertical member (RISER) and
,joined at the ends to a STRING (or STRINGER), a sloping framing board. The staircase may
have an OPEN STRING, with the edges of the steps exposed, or a CLOSED STRING, with the steps
concealed. Closed -string stairs may be'decorated by moldings on -<he string, open -string
stairs by simple or ornate carved or cast brackets. Treads are often finished with a
half -round molding.(NOSING) at the front and end edges.
A STAIR RAIL encompasses a series of vertically arranged supports (BALUSTERS, or BANIS-
TERS) that carry a HANDRAIL (also sometimes called, inaccurately, a banister) and end ina
large NEWEL, or terminal post, at the bottom of the staircase.
A LANDING is a platform between FLIGHTS, or RUNS, of steps, providing a means of changing
the direction of the stairs. Stairs may also be turned by means of WINDERS, wedge-shaped
treads at a curve or corner.
OPEN WELL (or OPEN NEWEL) stairs are built around an empty central space; CLOSED WELL
stairs wind around a central post, as in the case of the DOGLEG STAIR, which is built in two
parallel runs. SPIRAL (or GEOMETRICAL STAIRS) and ROUNDED STAIRS are both curving stairs
that turn with winders.
WOODWORK, DECORATIVE TREATMENTS AND WALL FINISHES
Finished WOODWORK may be as elaborate as full paneling from floor to ceiling, or as plain
as a simple BASEBOARD (MOPBOARD, SPLASHBOARD) at the junction of wall and floor with,
perhaps, an unembellished CORNICE where the ceiling meets the wall. A common addition might
be the low vertical paneling or boarding referred to as a WAINSCOT (or DADO, or WAINSCOTING),
topped by a CHAIR RAIL, a plain or molded strip intended to keep the wall from being damaged
by the backs of the chairs. Wainscoting of narrow vertical boards is sometimes called
WASHBOARDS or CAR SIDING.
Paneling is generally arranged in a pattern of panels held in place by uprights (STILES)
and horizontals (RAILS). It may be enriched with pilasters, moldings and other decorative
features. In RAISED PANELING, the central portion of the panel (the FIELD) is raised above
the edges that fit into the rails and stiles. SUNK PANELING is recessed from the edges.
FLAT PANELING is level across the field, but still on a different plane than the rails and
stiles. FLUSH PANELING has no shaped field at all but simply a panel that fits even with the
rails and stiles. The fields of the panels may be enriched with moldings or carvings.
LINENFOLD PANELING, for example, is carved to imitate vertical folds of fabric.
MOLDINGS
Cornice
Cove
Drapes
Sconce.
Fireplace
With Mante
Columns &
Tile Surro
Chair Rail
Paneled-
Wainscot,
Baseboard=
Paneled Overmantel
�s
F
Plaster Medallion
Chandelier
or gasoiier
Frieze
I
Picture Mold
Pilaster Trim, Eastlake Style
�rl
Fig. 21 VICTORIAN DECORATIVE TREATMENTS
Although most frec. atly found on ceilings, ORNAMEh.L PLASTERWORK often embellishes
cornices and walls as well. The most common plaster ornament is perhaps the CEILING MEDS
LION (CENTERPIECE, ROSE), often centered by a chandelier or, in Victorian times, a gasol?
The COVE, a concave wall area just below the main cornice of a room, is often executed ir.
Plaster.
Ceilings are most often of plaster, but they may also be of BOARDS or they may have
EXPOSED BEAMS separating areas of plaster or board. A pattern of exposed cross beams res
in a COFFERED CEILING.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, panels of PRESSED TIN or of lineoleum-like
ANAGLYPTA or WALTON LINCRUSTA were used to simulate applied plaster decorations on walls
ceilings. The latter two products frequently imitated leather or wood finishes as well.
Paneled woodwork was sometimes painted to resemble fine wood (GRAINED); or, by means
similar painting and glazing process, MARBLED to look like stone. Plain painted walls we
sometimes enlivened by STENCILED borders or overall patterns traced from templates and
painted in contrasting colors. ,
MOLDINGS
CYMA RECTA (or CYMA, or CROWNMOLD) molding has concave curve in its u
curve at the bottom. CYMA REVERSA (OGEE) molding reverses that Peer half, a con
molding is a nearly quarter -round, concave molding,pattern. h OVOLO (COVE)
convex, nor with QUARTER ROUND, a very small versionofthebovolo?used with OVOLO, which
SCOTIA is a concave, nearly parabolic molding often found between large, convex, semi-
circular TORUS moldings at the bases of columns. A BEAD is a very small semicircle.
BEAD -AND -REEL molding combines semicircular forms with discs. EGG -AND -DART molding is a
repetitive pattern of alternating ovals and arrows.
Torus
Quirk Ovolo & Be:
Bead
Quirk Ogee
Cavetto
Egg -and -Dart
Bead -and -Reel
Conge
Fillet Greek Key
Ovolo
O Pilaster Trim
with Corner Block
Quarter Round
Cyma Recta
=:7 Scotia
Cyma Reversa (Ogee)
Echinus
Fig. 22 MOLDINGS
=J -MASSE
22
a
CLASSICAL ORDERS OF ARCHITh--URE
L-
er. classical architecture, the term ORDER refers to the basic structural system of the
Greek temple, from which the style and decoration of the building derive. An order includes
a COLUMN, or cylindrical upright member composed of a capital, shaft and base, as well as an
entablature and pedestal appropriate to the order to which the column belongs.
ults An ENTABLATURE is the horizontal grouping of elements just above the column capitals.
Its primary components,.from bottom to top, are the ARCHITRAVE, the FRIEZE (often decorated)
and the CORNICE.
A PEDESTAL"is a molded block on which a column rests. It also has its own set of
end elements: a SURBASE, or top molding; a DADO, or flat middle surface; and a BASE.
The Greeks used three orders, listed here in ascending order of complexity with their
:)f a most easily recognizable features:
-e
DORIC. Simple, rather stout, fluted column shaft; plain molded capital; no base.
IONIC. Slender, fluted column shaft; capital formed of VOLUTES, or scroll -shaped
ornaments; has base.
.rex CORINTHIAN. Slender, fluted column shaft; elaborate, floriated capitals with acanthus
leaf decoration; has base.
.s
The Romans contributed two more orders: the TUSCAN, similar to the Doric, but with an
unfluted column shaft and a simple base;. and the COMPOSITE, which blends the floral elements
of the Corinthian capital and the volutes of the Ionic.
The GOTHIC COLUMN, formed of bundles of two or more slender, attached columns, and the
thick and massive ROMANESQUE COLUMN found their way into American building with the revival
styles of the late 19th century.
Examples of Egyptian, Moorish and other column types are less frequently found.
°d PILASTERS, flat, column -like features that are attached to walls, and PIERS, masonry
supports for arches, are treated decoratively in the same manner as columns.
9.1
:LASSICAL ORDERS OF ARCHITECTUR
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TUSCAN ORDER
Torus