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Victorian Houses: There Are Many Types
The romance of the Victorian home can be found in abundance in the Eel River Valley’s charming community of Ferndale. On virtually every corner in Ferndale you can see exceptional examples of these magnificent homes.
The Victorian style is not a single architectural style. Rather, it describes an era during and shortly after the reign of England’s Queen Victoria. Running from about 1840-1900, the Victorian age was a time of great advancement and innovation in manufacturing. New machines made it possible to mass-produce ornamental features such as moldings, columns and brackets. As you stroll through Ferndale, you see many different Victorian-style homes and buildings.
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Queen Ann Victorian House |
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Queen Anne
The most widely recognized Victorian architecture is the Queen Anne style home that became popular late in the era (1870-1900). Noted for its bright exterior colors, America’s high-spirited Queen Anne style is characterized by elaborate trim, a complicated roofline, expansive porches that wrap around the front side of the house, large bay windows and often times, round towers.
Other popular Victorian styles to look for:
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Queen Anne -Eastlake-Stick Victorian House |
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Eastlake-Stick
The name refers to both Charles Eastlake, an English architect who advocated the use of wooden decoration, and the use of wooden "stick work". Characteristics include wood construction, decorative wooden planks (or "stick work") outlining the underlying wood frame structure and intricate wooden details, such as lathe-turned spindles and jigsaw-cut brackets
Ferndale has many fine examples of Eastlake-Stick style Victorian architecture, including The Victorian Inn, The Masonic Temple and Ring’s Pharmacy. The Gingerbread Mansion Inn, one of Northern California’s most photographed homes, is a combination of Queen Anne and Eastlake styles
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Eastlake-Stick Victorian House |
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Gothic Revival
Inspired by the cathedrals in medieval Europe, Gothic Revival homes have arched window moldings that form a point at the top. Some Gothic homes are imposing estates constructed in stone while others are more modest wooden cottages. “Carpenter Gothic” describes a wood frame home with brackets, spindles, jig-saw patterns and other wooden decorations. Once and bed and breakfast and now a private home, 613-619 Main Street in Ferndale is an example of Carpenter Gothic style.
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Gothic Revival Victorian House |
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Italianate
While most Victorian houses have steep roofs and irregular shapes, houses in Victorian Italianate style tend to be rectangular and fairly symmetrical. Sometimes called the “bracketed-style,” Italianate houses have low roofs and wide eaves with large ornamental brackets. You will find a tiny Italianate storefront in Ferndale, originally built by Alford’s Drug Store, at 399-405 Main Street.
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Italianate Victorian House |
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Second Empire or Mansard Style
Inspired by the architecture in Paris during the reign of Napoleon III, Second Empire style houses have high, boxy mansard roofs (roofs that slope on all four sides, with each side divided into a gentle upper slope and a steeper lower slope). The unusual roof shape provided extra living space on the upper story and gave American homes a dignified European flavor.
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Shingle
Sided mostly in wooden shingles, these houses are rambling and informal. They may be shaped like Queen Anne houses with wide wrap-around porches, but they have much less ornamentation.
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Romanesque
Popularized by the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson, Romanesque house are constructed of rough-hewn stone with castle-like features such as round Roman arches at the entry or over the windows. Like Queen Anne houses, Romanesque homes often have round towers and large porches.
If you are interested in knowing more about the area’s Victorian-style homes or if you would like more information on purchasing a home, call Ferndale Real Estate today.
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Victorian Houses: There Are Many Types and Styles |
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