Architectural Styles
This material is presented for informational purposes only. Herron-Morton Place holds no liability for inaccuracies that may be contained herein. Individuals are urged to contact the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission for complete guidelines as may apply to your project.
The following line drawings and descriptions are meant to present several commonly known architectural styles as they are represented in Herron-Morton Place. They are meant to assist in identifying the fundamentals of a style and not to serve as a means to classify each building.
American Foursquare (1900 - 1925)
The American Foursquare was an extremely popular house. Its box-like shape and hipped roof provided ample room at an economical cost. Stylistically, it shares influences from both the Craftsman and Prairie styles. One of its popular aspects with builders was its adaptability. A Palladian window in the dormer could justify advertising the house as "Colonial styling." A shingle and fieldstone porch could qualify its being called "Artistic." A "Prairie Style" house could be claimed by extending eaves, stretching the porch and using stucco on the exterior.
CHARACTERISTICS
- A nearly square plan and a two-storied, box-like shape.
- Ample hipped roof, usually with a single hipped dormer in the front.
- Wide eaves.
- A front porch extending across the full front of the house.
- Decorative trim is simple.
- Windows, eave lines, trim and porches emphasize horizontal structure.
Apartment Building (1900 - 1920)
This is not a style but rather a building type which is significant to the character of Herron-Morton Place. The buildings are relatively large, two and three story apartment structures built alongside smaller single family and double houses. They were built over a short period of time, primarily along Talbott Street. Although they adopt a variety of architectural styles, they are generally block-like buildings which cover a large portion of their sites and present to the street well-articulated facades (often covered with ample porches).
CHARACTERISTICS
- Two and three stories.
- Usually flat roofs.
- Block-like form with narrow end usually toward the street.
- Many windows and doors facing the street.
- Front porches, often on each floor.
Carpenter-Builder (1870 - 1910)
These houses tended to be small, one or one-and-a-half stories and Victorian Vernacular in style. Since they were meant to be economical cottages, they employed a relatively large amount of standardization. They are usually frame structures with compact plans and a modicum of decorative trim. Typically, these houses were designed by a carpenter/builder and were often built for speculation. Many of these houses are found in Herron-Morton Place although they are concentrated in the Allen and Root addition along Delaware, Alabama, and New Jersey Streets between 16th Street and 19th Street.
CHARACTERISTICS
- One or one-and-a-half stories are typical with a relatively steep pitched gabled roof facing the street.
- Wooden brackets visually support the projecting eaves.
- One story, shed roofed sections often added to the rear.
- Two or three bays across front.
- Narrow porch often extends across the full length of the front elevation, though porches were not always original to all cottages.
- Rectangular "L" shaped or "T" shaped plans.
- Moderate use of decorative trim and gingerbread decoration.
Craftsman Style (1900 - 1940)
The Craftsman Style's roots are in the Arts and Crafts Movement of William Morris in England with its emphasis on simplicity and natural craftsmanship. Its major influence was the craftsman philosophy of certain architects, writers and critics around the turn of the century. Especially influential was Gustav Stickley's magazine The Craftsman (1901-1906) in which many types of houses embodying the craftsman philosophy were published. Craftsman houses displayed what was thought to be an honest and natural use of materials. They were unpretentious, void of classical details and gave the illusion of having sprung from the soil. Herron-Morton Place has numerous examples of craftsman influence, especially along Talbott Street.
CHARACTERISTICS
- Low-pitched, overhanging roof with exposed rafter ends and knee braces under the eaves.
- Broad porches with strong, non-classical, battered piers.
- Usually one or one-and-a-half stories.
- Irregular pattern of window and door openings.
- Natural expression of materials such as wood shingles, clapboards, stucco, fieldstones, and brick.
- Variety in window size and type.
Italianate Style (1860 - 1880)
Sometimes referred to as the Bracketed or Italian Villa style, this was one of the most popular of the nineteenth century. Publications such as those of Andrew Jackson Downing showed plans, elevations and details of Italianate residences and were widely circulated. Wilbur Peat wrote of this style...."It was informal without being ostentatious; it could adapt itself to American methods of living, in cities or country." (Indiana Houses of the Nineteenth Century, p. 118)
CHARACTERISTICS
- Prominent, highly ornamental entablatures supported by brackets, often small (oval) frieze windows.
- Hipped roofs with shallow pitch.
- Verandas or loggias topped with balustraded balconies.
- Strong, cubistic massing.
- Windows are often grouped in pairs or threes with round arches.
- Lintels or decorative window pediments.
Period Revival: Colonial (1890 - 1940)
Colonial Revival styling gained popularity in the 10-15 years prior to the turn of the century with the introduction of influential Georgian Revival designs by McKim, Mead & White. The Colonial Revival vocabulary of white or light painted clapboards, brick and classical details came to be identified as the twentieth-century look with its unpretentious dignity evoking a sense of gracious living and good taste. The popularity of this style is still with us today.
Except for the rare examples which are historically accurate to their 17th and 18th century models, most Colonial Revival houses of this period are the interpretations of colonial motifs applied to Victorian or post-Victorian house types. For instance, the example shown here is basically an American Foursquare in the Colonial Revival style.
CHARACTERISTICS
- Gable-end roof, often with pedimented gables and pedimented dormers.
- Entrance door often has fanlight and sidelights.
- Form and detailing displays symmetry.
- Classical details such as Palladian windows, quoins, garlands, heavy dentils, classical porch columns and pilasters.
- The popular Dutch Colonial variation is identified by a gambrel roof
Period Revival: English Picturesque (1900 - 1940)
Like most period revival architecture of its time, the English Picturesque displays a conscious attempt to achieve a "picturesque" look. The styles were modeled on Late Medieval cottages and country houses of the Tudor, Elizabethan and Jacobean periods. They were a response to a strong romantic movement which looked back to the Old World for a sense of tradition and culture. While most often characterized by generous half-timbering, some examples were modeled on all masonry rural English farmhouses and the more sophisticated English Country House which displayed little or no half-timbering.
CHARACTERISTICS
- Steeply pitched roofs, usually with several prominent gables.
- Stucco, brick and/or stone wall surfaces, usually with exposed half-timbering.
- Large, expansive windows, often with small panes and casement sashes.
- Prominent, sometimes clustered chimneys.
- Smaller, asymmetrical porches.
- Upper floors often project slightly over lower floors.
- Windows with small panes over or around the primary pane.
Queen Anne (1880 - 1910)
Initiated by English architect Richard Norman Shaw in 1868, the style began with late medieval overtones but eventually acquired more classical detailing reflecting the reign of Queen Anne and the immense popularity of Classical architecture in 18th century England. The American version of the style, sometimes referred to as Free Classic, came to popularity after the Centennial Exposition of 1876 where two impressive English buildings in the style were admired.
CHARACTERISTICS
- Irregular plan and massing.
- Steeply pitched roofs with an open gable end often prominent.
- Bay windows or towers.
- Small, classical details often overshadowed by the large mass of house.
- Wide variety of exterior material patterns used.
- Tall, thin chimneys.
- Windows with small panes over or around the primary pane.
Stick Style (1860 - 1890)
One of the late picturesque styles showing some influence of the Swiss chalet and earlier Gothic forms, the Stick Style is generally considered to be one which is purely American. It is admired today for its attempt to honestly express wooden frame construction with applied surface decoration.
CHARACTERISTICS
- Frame construction with clapboards, overlaid with horizontal, vertical and/or diagonal boards.
- Large brackets support projecting eaves.
- Generally steeply pitched roofs.
- Often complex in massing and silhouette.