Everything to Know About Shingle Style Architecture
Following the Centennial celebration in 1876, there was a renewed interest in Colonial American architecture, which was combined with English sensibilities to create the Shingle style. Seldom, the modern Shingle style architecture is seen as a development of the Queen Anne style, which was influenced by the early New England colonies’ shingled residences. It was still a high-end, architect-designed style that was rarely adapted for more commonplace housing.
Prominent architects, the likes of Frank Lloyd Wright, and H.H. Richardson, and architectural firm ‘McKim, Meade, and White’ and ‘Peabody and Stearns’ popularised the American Shingle style. The style was invented in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when architecture was more free-form. Architect Wilson Eyre designed several Stick-style structures in the Philadelphia region. The style also spread to Canada in the 1890s.
Gustav Stickley appropriated modern Shingle style architectural features to use in the American Arts and Crafts Movement. The effects rippled to Victorian architectural styles, such as Gothic Revival, Italianate, Second Empire, and Folk.
Characteristics of Modern Shingle Style Architecture
Shingle style architecture represents the ‘New England’ style to the finest degree. Here are a few defining characteristics of modern Shingle style architecture. Because the Shingles are unpainted and evenly cover the exteriors, Shingle style buildings appear monochromatic. The houses also have minimal ornamentation. They are often one and a half to two and a half stories tall, positioned low against the ground and supported by a substantial stone foundation.
1. Wood Shingles
Wood Shingles tend to be the most common material in Shingle style homes, though other materials are also used (such as slate or tile on the roof and brick or stone on the first floor). Usually, ⅝-thick wood Shingle shakes shaped into diverse shapes, add depth and character to the roof and the façade. While they can be made of fibre, cement, or plastic, they are generally not used. Shingles can also be applied to porch columns, curved towers, and gable ends, provided they are uniform with moderate pitch.
2. Roofs
Roofing in the Shingle style architecture is of utmost importance. Through the use of myriad Shingles, the architects can and have made numerous roof shapes. The roofs all slope downwards in a gradual slope, which further intensifies the play of lines and edges. Typically, the sweeping roofs have multiple gables. There are five main identifiable subtypes including gambrel roof, front gable roof, side gable roof, hipped roof with cross gable, and side gable roof. They are interrupted by dormers in the shape of a curved eyebrow or a hip roof. Some have brackets supported by pow-shaped gables and/or deep cornice returns. The roof’s eaves are near the wall.
3. Porches and Wide Verandas
Most of the American Shingle style architecture was built to capitalize on the views and prevailing breezes at the weekend or vacation residences in the mountain or seaside towns. This made porches and wide verandas cool and comfortable during the summer months. Located majorly at the sides and the fronts, they were attached to the adjoining rooms, dropping their temperature relatively. Entry porches often rely on low, heavy arches supported by short, stubby columns, often arranged in pairs.
4. Integration with the Landscape
Shingle style architecture features multiple windows and doors of myriad sizes and shapes. This happened due to the availability of big and more reasonably priced glass panes. They were often used in casement windows and small sash windows. These windows are often seen in pairs or triples. Seldom, decorative windows in oval, circle, or square were also employed especially within the towers.
5. Expansive, Open Interiors
The American Shingle style architecture portrayed the house as a single, continuous voluminous space. The visual tautness of the flat shingled surfaces, the horizontal shape, and the emphasis on horizontal continuity in both exterior details and the flow of spaces within the houses helped to create the impression that the building seems like it has expansive, open interiors rather than a humungous volume.
6. Borrowed Elements
The Shingle style architecture primarily borrows elements from the preceding styles. Its massing, asymmetry, and turrets, are derived from the Queen Anne style. It incorporates elements like classical columns and balustrades of the Colonial Revival style. In some instances, Richardsonian Romanesque arches are also included.
Image Courtesy – Rob Karosis
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