"Victorian architecture" basically refers to styles that emerged in the period

between 1830 and 1910, during the reign of Queen Victoria.

The Victorian styles evolved largely from the imposing, elaborate Gothic style,
which appealed to the romantic Victorian idea that fashion, architecture and
furnishings should be beautiful rather than practical. A wealthy Victorian
woman's clothing, for example, involved corsets, hoop skirts and dresses that
used yards of fabric. It made sense for the trendy home designs to reflect that
excess as well.

Victorian buildings share several identifying characteristics. Generally, most

Victorian architecture can be described as dollhouse-like, with curlicue trims,
bright colors, and asymmetrical designs. Most Victorian buildings were brick with
large interior staircases and windows, balconies, fireplaces in every room, and
porches. Urban areas saw the construction of what we would call townhouses in
the United States: rows of houses built together.

Key Elements
 Two to three stories. Victorian homes are usually large and imposing.
 Wood or stone exterior. The majority of Victorian styles use wood siding, but the
Second Empire and Romanesque styles almost always have outer walls made of
stone.
 Complicated, asymmetrical shape. Unlike the boxy Greek revival style, Victorian
homes have wings and bays in many directions.
 Decorative trim. Commonly called "gingerbread," Victorian homes are usually
decorated with elaborate wood or metal trim.
 Textured wall surfaces. Scalloped shingles, patterned masonry or half-timbering
are commonly used to dress up Victorian siding.
 Steep, multi-faceted roof or Mansard roof. Victorian homes often have steep,
imposing rooflines with many gables facing in different directions. The Second
Empire Victorian style has a flat-topped Mansard roof with windows in the side to
allow for maximum space inside the house.
 One-story porch. A large, wraparound porch with ornamental spindles and
brackets is common, especially in the Queen Anne style.
 Towers. Some high-end Victorian homes are embellished with a round or
octagonal tower with a steep, pointed roof.
 Vibrant colors. Before the Victorian era, most houses were painted all one color,
usually white or beige. By 1887, bright earth tones like burnt sienna and mustard
yellow were in vogue.
 Second Empire Style

SIX STYLES OF VICTORIAN ARCHITECHTURE

1. Gothic revival

The mid-19th century Gothic Revival featured picturesque and romantic

architectural elements, manifesting the American Victorian’s taste for
structures inspired by medieval design. The most common features
include:

 Steeply pitched roofs, at times with steep cross gables and deeply
overhanging eaves
 Pointed arch found in windows, doors, high dormers, porches
 Lacy bargeboards or vergeboards, a unique wooden trim referred
to as “gingerbread”
 One story porch with decorative turned posts or slender columns
 Castle-style towers and turrets on high-style houses (e.g. Hammond
House architectural drawings)
2. Italianate
Like the Gothic Revival, the Italianate or Italian Villa style featured
picturesque and romantic architectural elements. The Italianate style was
fashioned after the medieval farmhouses and villas of the Italian
countryside. This style house was designed to fit naturally into their rustic
settings and were irregularly shaped. The most common features include:

 Two or three stories in height

 Low-pitched, sometimes flat roofs
 Tall, narrow windows with elaborate surrounds
 Cupola or square tower with bracketed cornice
 Double door with glass panels
 Wide eaves supported by brackets
 Single story full width porches, or entry portico
 Quoins
3. Second empire

The Second Empire, or French Second Empire style, was also called the
Mansard style. This architectural style, with its popularity peaking between
1865 and 1880, originated in France. Some of the great hotels built in the
late Victorian era featured these architectural elements. But the most
striking feature of Second Empire architecture is the Mansard, or “French”
roof. The Mansard roof, named after the 17th century Parisian architect
Francois Mansart, provides light and headroom in the upper story attic. It
was found on not only the mansions of the wealthy but on ordinary
houses, including row houses in American cities. Characteristics of the
Second Empire include:

 Mansard roof
 Projecting tower
 One story porch
 Balcony with iron railings
 Bay windows
 Diamond-shaped slate hooded dormers
 Side veranda
 Quoins
 Balustrades
 Iron roof crest

4. Queen Ann

For many, the Queen Anne stands out as the unequivocal “Victorian
house.” With its towers, turrets, wrap around porches and other
superfluous architectural elements, the Queen Anne is the most
extravagant and the most unconventional of Victorian architectural
styles. The Queen Anne is often recognized for its bright and avant-garde
color schemes of which San Francisco’s celebrated “Painted Ladies” are
a representation.
The peak period of the Queen Anne style was 1880–1900, and Richard
Norman Shaw and other English architects are credited with advocating
its widespread success. The most common features include:

 Asymmetrical two or three-storied

 Projecting upper floors
  Towers, turrets, balconies
 Steeply pitched roof w/ patterned shingles
 Roof finials and crestings
 Projecting bay windows
 Stained glass windows
 Spacious porches and verandas
 Turned post porch supports
 Decorative spindlework
 Lacy ornamentation (gingerbread) on porch entries and gable
ends
 Built of stone, brick and wood siding.
 Rainbow of bold paint colors

5. Stick-eastlake
Eastlake porches, entire houses can be termed Eastlake, as well. They are
similar in over-all effect to both the Eastern Stick and Queen Anne styles,
but are generally smaller in scale.

Lathe-shaped wooden forms: Porch posts,

railings, balustrades, bargeboards, braces and pendants were
characterized by a massive, oversized, and robust Eastlake quality; but
over the years they became more curvilinear, more Baroque in
style. These members were worked or turned on a mechanical lathe,
giving the appearance of heavy legged furniture of the period.

Mechanical jigsaw wooden forms: Large curved brackets, scrolls, and

other stylized elements often are placed at every corner, turn or
projection along the facade.

6. Folk victorian
The Folk Victorian style is one of the most often found styles of historic
homes in America.
A folk house is essentially a home built to provide basic shelter with little
regard for changing fashion or style. And a Folk Victorian was a folk house
dressed up with the some of the trimmings that were becoming readily
available through our burgeoning railroad system.