A House to Hang Your Shingle On
White, architects, 1880, Paul Keleher via flickr; Newport Casino, interior court, dublinemma
via flickr /Artwork: designslinger]
Of all the Victorian styles I've posted about so far, none describes itself as well as the
Shingle Style because the overiding component of the look of the shingle style is; the wood shingle. Now, every so often people might confuse our previous topic, the Queen Anne with a Shingle. They were popular at the same time, roughly 1880 to 1900, and it's easy to confuse them. But, after reading today's post, you might be able to pick out a few of the differences.
Wilson Eyre, Jr., architect, 1890, pinehurst via flickr; Painted Shingle style house, davidaneff via flickr /Artwork:
designslinger]
As I said, the telltale sign is the use of the wood shingle. Obviously you'd be able to
tell the difference between a brick Queen Anne and a Shingle house, but what about a Queen Anne also covered in wood shingles? Well, if you look at all of the pictures, one thing you'll notice is the way in which the shingle is used. Unlike in a Queen Anne, there is a continuous uniformity in the placement of the shingles on the exterior surfaces. And, in it's most unadulterated form, a Shingle will not be painted, but allowed to age naturally. That isn't to say that a Shingle Style house can't be painted or have color applied with a stain. An applied color can't mask the underlying pattern of the shingles themselves, and that will always be the dead give away. But, the color should be as uniform as the surface it is covering. And, don't be thrown if the house is sitting on a brick or stone base, that can be one of the hallmarks of the Shingle Style.
Industry Is Virtue via flickr; Contemporary Shingle style house, Portsmouth, Andreozzi Architects via flickr;
Artwork: designslinger]
The horizontal is emphasized more than the vertical, even a tower or projecting bay is
wrapped with a pattern of shingles consistent with the facade, blending it in. There are no corner boards that create a hard line, and often, you will find a gambrel roof, which you can see in the middle picture. A truely unique feature is the curve you can see in the recessed attic windows in the picture on the left. And, although its popularity petered-out by the turn of the 20th century, there has been a revival of the style, and architects are designing brand new houses that trace their look right back to the original (see the picture on the right).
Along with a lack of ornamentation, which the Queen Anne can't seem to get enough of,
the Shingle Style is much more related to the Arts and Crafts movement which would appear on the scene in a few years. However, the Arts and Crafts period was coming into its own just as the Victorian era and all her styles were falling out of favor. Next week, we'll close our own Victorian history with Richardsonian Romanesque. Sounds very grand, doesn't it?
Posted by designslinger at 4/6/2009 5:00 AM 
Categories: Architecture,Decorative Arts,Dictionary,Interior Design,History
Tags: Shingle Style Newport H.H. Richardson
Categories: Architecture,Decorative Arts,Dictionary,Interior Design,History
Tags: Shingle Style Newport H.H. Richardson
Is it true that the choice of wood shingles was as much to do with price and availability as it was for the design itself, or was there a real movement away from the Victorian look at any price?
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It seems that because wood was so readily available and cheaper than masonry it proved popular. Lumber mills could crank out the building material with ease.
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Oh, my, yes it is all very grand. Shingles create such a stunning affect and to see these mansions in the former glory is wonderful. Wooden shingles must be a handyman’s nightmare though, can you imagine the countless hours needed to be spent to keep them looking good?
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Hats off to the home owners who do!
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What about modern-day shingles? is there a real difference in the quality board to Victorian times still set some sort of benchmark?
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Guess it depends on the choice. There are still shingles made the old fashioned way, with wood, and shingles made of composite materials, manufactured to look like wood. But nothing beats the real thing.
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Wow, I never knew that A House to Hang Your Shingle On. That's pretty interesting...
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Glad you liked it and thanks for visiting.
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Some of these houses are really nice! A few are visibly in need of some restoration, though. Thanks for this little lesson in architectural history, it's a very interesting topic. Good job!
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And thank you for the visit and the compliment!
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Yeah, Queen Anne houses are very decoration-heavy. That's why I like Victorian houses better, They are simpler, look more "modern" in an old way (if you can understand what I mean) and I just personally really enjoy their look.
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