HIGH
STYLE ARCHITECTURE
GOTHIC
REVIVAL
(1840-1920)
There are
two variations of the Gothic Revival style in the area, Victorian
Gothic Revival, popular in the Chicago area from about 1860
to 1880, and Late Gothic Revival, used from the late 19th century
through the 1920s. Both types can be found in Beverly-Morgan
Park.
The Victorian
Gothic Revival style takes its inspiration from Europe's great
medieval cathedrals, which were characterized by verticality,
structural expression, and richly carved stonework. The relationship,
however, is more sentimental than literal. In Gothic Revival
houses, steeply pitched gable roofs are often decorated with
crisply cut ornamental bargeboard (commonly called gingerbread)
or stickwork to suggest the home's underlying framework. Windows
are tall and narrow and frequently have pointed arches. Built
by local craftsmen, when these homes were constructed of wood
they were sometimes called "Carpenter Gothic."
As distinguished
from early Victorian Gothic Revival architecture, the Late Gothic
Revival style was popularly used for North American universities
and other institutional buildings including churches. It is
typically characterized by: towers and battlements with engaged
buttresses and crenellations. Windows and door openings have
Gothic (pointed) or Tudor (flattened) arches; some may have
drip molds. Institutional buildings are frequently masonry:
ashlar stone, or brick with stone trim, string courses, and
window surrounds.
ITALIANATE
(1840-1885)
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The Italianate
style was a style popular in the United States from 1840 to
1880. It was based on informal, Italian style villas as a reaction
to the formal classical ideals that had dominated art and architecture
for about 200 years. Italianate style houses are generally characterized
by a full two-story height with low-pitched or flat roof and
overhanging eaves with decorative brackets. Tall, narrow windows
are usually arched on top and there are often porches supported
by slender ornamental turned or square posts.
QUEEN ANNE
(1880-1910)
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The Queen
Anne style is one of several styles popular in America from
about 1880 to 1910. Popularized by Richard Norman Shaw and other
19th century English architects, it has roots in styles prevalent
during the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras in England. It is characterized
by asymmetry and irregularity in its overall shape, facade,
and roof. It often has gables, dormers, towers, and wings, with
a partial, full-width, or wraparound porch. A variety of materials
and patterns are used to break up the surface of the walls.
The earlier homes have milled porch columns and balustrades,
while those after 1893 (reflecting the influence of the World's
Columbian Exhibition in Chicago) often have classical columns
and simpler square balusters. These later examples are called
Free Classic Queen Anne style houses.
STICK STYLE
(1860-1890)
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The Stick
Style is sometimes considered to be only a Victorian elaboration
of the Gothic Revival Style, or a transitional style between
the Gothic Revival and Queen Anne. The most distinguishing feature
of the style is small vertical, horizontal, or diagonal planks
placed on top of exterior walls. The style is often associated
with houses featuring enormous, overhanging, second story porches,
sometimes called "Swiss Chalet" houses. The style
is also called "Eastlake" after British furniture
designer and arbiter of good taste, Charles Eastlake.
SHINGLE STYLE
(1880- 1900)
The Shingle
Style, popular between 1880 and 1900, is a variable style that
borrows characteristics from several other styles. Many are
closely related to the Queen Anne style with a facade that is
usually asymmetrical, with irregular, steeply pitched rooflines
having cross-gables and multi-level eaves. Others have Colonial
Revival or Dutch Colonial style features such as gambrel roofs,
classical columns, and Palladian windows. Large porches are
also common. The distinguishing feature that sets this style
apart is the use of continuous wood shingles cladding the roof
and walls and wrapping the house like a skin. Shingled walls
may curve into recessed windows. Sometimes even porches and
stair rails are covered with shingles.
NEOCLASSICAL OR CLASSICAL REVIVAL
(1895-1950)
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The Classical
Revival style building is typically characterized by: a full-height
porch with its roof supported by classical columns and topped
by a pediment. Its facade is symmetrical, with a center entrance.
A revival of interest in classical models began after the Chicago
World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, which was attended by
hundreds of thousands of visitors. The fair's planners mandated
a classical theme, and when built, its buildings and public
spaces were widely photographed. As a result, the revival of
classical styles became fashionable throughout the country into
the 1920s. The architects who had received training at the Ecole
des Beaux Arts in Paris contributed to the influence of this
style. Because of the style's monumental nature, it was more
typically used for public buildings such as banks and museums.
COLONIAL REVIVAL
(1870-1950)
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The Colonial
Revival style dates from the years following the 1876 United
States Centennial Exposition held in Philadelphia. It was popular
until the mid-1950s, as the country enjoyed a resurgence of
patriotism after World War II. As the excessive variety typical
of the Queen Anne style lost its attraction, a more literal
traditionalism began to take the place of 19th century eclecticism.
Colonial Revival became the most popular Historic Revival style
throughout the country between the World Wars. Many people chose
Colonial Revival architecture because of its basic simplicity
and its patriotic associations with early American 18th-century
homes. Most of these buildings are symmetrical and rectangular
in plan. Some examples, more closely related to Georgian precedents,
have wings attached to the side. Detailing is derived from classical
sources, partly due to the influence of the classicism that
dominated the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. Many front
facades have classical - temple-like - entrances with projecting
porticos topped by a pediment. Paneled doors flanked by sidelights
and topped by rectangular transoms or fanlights are common,
as are multi-pane double-hung windows with shutters.
Colonial revival houses built between the years of 1915 and
1935 reflect a
more historically correct reflection of the original style as
opposed to
those built before and after this period. The economic depression
of the
1930s, World War II, and changing postwar fashions led to a
simplification
of the style in the 1940s and '50s. The stylized details of
these homes
suggest their colonial precedents rather than mirroring them.
DUTCH
COLONIAL REVIVAL
(1880-1950)
The Dutch
Colonial Revival Style is a subtype of the Colonial Revival
Style, marked by a gambrel roof, with a double slope on each
side of the building. Generally faced in wood clapboard or shingles,
it is derived from early Dutch houses built in the northeastern
United States in the 18th century. Dutch Colonial Revival houses
were built over a long period, as were other Colonial Revival
homes - from the 1880s through the 1950s. Most have a symmetrical
front facade and a classical entry portico. Those with the gambrel
facing the street tend to be earlier, dating from the late 19th
and early 20th centuries, while those with side-facing gambrels
and a broad front dormer were very popular during the 1920s.
CAPE
COD
(1920-1960)
The Cape
Cod style house offered homebuyers a smaller but still traditional
alternative to the typically two-story Colonial Revival style
house. Loosely patterned after early wooden folk houses of eastern
Massachusetts, the Cape Cod house is an 11/2-story version of
the Colonial Revival style. It is characterized by a rectangular
plan with a side gable roof, a central front entrance, and generally
two front-facing dormers. There is frequently some classical
detailing such as multi-light windows and classical door and
window surrounds.
SPANISH
COLONIAL REVIVAL
(1915-1940)
Spanish
Colonial Revival architecture is fairly uncommon outside the
southwestern states and Florida where Spanish Colonial construction
actually occurred. It gained some popularity after the Panama
California Exposition held in San Diego in 1915. Spanish Colonial
Revival homes of various sizes, built during the 1920s and 1930s,
are scattered around the country, and some are found in Beverly-Morgan
Park. The style is typified by: low-pitched ceramic tile roofs,
stucco wall surfaces, eaves with little or no overhangs, wrought
iron work, and round-arched windows and doorways.
ITALIAN
RENAISSANCE REVIVAL
(1890-1935)
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Although
the Italian Renaissance Revival style was not as popular as
other revival styles, there are examples found around the country,
built between 1910 and 1930. This style differs from the earlier
Italianate style that was popular in the 1860s and 1870s in
two basic ways: buildings constructed in this style were somewhat
more literal interpretations of Italian architecture, and they
were generally designed by architects rather than being built
from pattern books by local builders. The close resemblance
to Italian architecture was possible because improved printing
technology made photos of these buildings easily accessible
to the reading public. Italian Renaissance Revival houses are
usually constructed of brick or stone masonry. They are typically
symmetrical with wings flanking the main body of the house.
Roofs tend to be hipped with a low pitch, covered in ceramic
tile. They have broad eaves that are supported by deep brackets.
Upper story windows are generally smaller and less elaborate
than the large arched openings beneath them, on the first floor.
TUDOR
REVIVAL
(1890-1940)
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The Tudor
Revival style is based on a variety of late medieval models
prevalent in 16th century Tudor England. Although there are
examples dating from the mid-1890s, the style was particularly
popular during the 1920s and early 1930s. Associated with the
country's early English settlers, it was second in popularity
throughout the country, and in this survey area, only to Colonial
Revival. All sizes of English homes appealed to the American
family. The English manor house served as a prototype for estate
houses, and the Cotswold cottage offered a romantic alternative
for those looking for comfort in a smaller home. Tudor Revival
houses are typically brick, sometimes with stucco. Half timbering,
with flat stucco panels outlined by wood boards, is common.
The style is characterized by steeply pitched gable roofs and
tall narrow casement windows with multiple panes or diamond
leading. The front door may have a rounded arch or flattened
pointed (Tudor) arch. Many examples feature prominent exterior
stone or brick chimneys.
FRENCH
ECLECTIC
(1915-1945)
Although
never as popular as Colonial or Tudor Revival, there are a number
of fine French Eclectic homes in Beverly-Morgan Park. The style
was fashionable in the 1920s, when many Americans who had served
in France during World War I returned with first-hand familiarity
with French prototypes. In addition, numerous American architects
who designed these homes had received training at the Ecole
des Beaux Arts and came back to America ready to apply what
they had learned. The 1920s were a time when a number of photographic
studies of modest French homes were published, both in architectural
journals and popular magazines, providing architects and builders
with many models to draw from.
Stylistic
features that characterize French Eclectic architecture include
stucco or brick masonry walls and tall steeply pitched hipped
or mansard roofs. The mansard roof, built throughout Paris during
the mid-19th century, is designed with a steep double pitch
to allow for an extra full floor of living area.
There are
two subtypes of French Eclectic architecture. The first is usually
rectangular and symmetrical. In this type, the massive roof
with its ridge paralleling the front of the house dominates,
and the front and rear facades are symmetrical with a center
entry. Frequently, wings are added to the sides of the main
block. French classical manor houses provide the prototype.
The second, more common subtype is asymmetrical, usually L-shaped
in plan, with an off-center doorway frequently located in the
corner in a prominent cylindrical tower topped by a steep conical
roof. Sometimes these homes, patterned after rural Norman farmhouses,
contain half timbering.
