Lafayette Square bears historic designations from both the City of St Louis and the National Register of Historic Places. They bestow an enforced permanence to the look of the Square. Recognition of the authentic and increasingly rare Victorian Age style in our buildings ensures their survival. There are various forms and combinations of styles in our architecture, but following are four major types. Let’s say you have relatives or guests in from the suburbs. You want to give them the straight scoop on what the heck is a mansard. Here is a brief field guide.
We often refer to these homes as “Victorian.” Queen Victoria reigned from 1837 till her death in 1901. For architectural reference, it’s helpful to consider the time period, rather than England or its ruler. Of the four styles we’ll take a look at, the Federal style originated in the U.S. and preceded Victoria. Federal is associated with the others through its popularity at the time of design. The Queen Anne style began in Victorian England, Second Empire in France, and Italianate….well, yep.
Lets start with the earliest:
FEDERAL 1780-1820
This style features brick walls, multi-paned windows and louvered shutters. Examples are frequently smaller than buildings of later styles. An important feature is the gabled roof sloping toward the street, sometimes with projecting dormer windows. Here, the lintels (above the windows) are a flat arch stone or brick. This configuration leads to smaller doorways than in other styles, as the lintels support the building weight above windows and doors. An arched lintel would distribute that weight more effectively. The simple facade lends a street of similar buildings a European old-world charm.
ITALIANATE 1840-1880
This style, at least in a commercial context, utilized cast iron columns and beams to carry more load, allowing for large windows. Some of our early residents like TJ Pullis, Jacob Christopher and William Simpson made hay with similar commercial fronts; examples are abundant in South St.Louis. The buildings themselves are often simple brick, and feature a projecting bracketed cornice of wood or metal at the top. Often corbelled brick (a projecting decoration of stair-stepped brick.) sits just below the cornice. It’s also noticeable in the decorative hoods over the windows.
SECOND EMPIRE 1850-1890
These buildings are fairly easy to identify, and there are many in Lafayette Square. They reflect the heritage of the area and its French namesake. Second Empire was trendy at the time our early mansions were being designed, in the 1870s -1880s.. The distinguishing trait is the sloping mansard roof at the top of the facade. I’m told that the French taxed mansards as part of the roof, rather than as a floor of the house, so it proved economical. The mansard often had slate shingles and dormers, overlooking an ornately bracketed cornice. The facade itself could be decorated with arched windows and bold window hoods. Various materials would often make up the facade; brick, stone, wood, cast iron and stucco. Painters used refined yet colorful schemes to further heighten the decorative effect.
QUEEN ANNE 1876-1900
The latest and “most exuberant” Victorian style, this features a wide range of decorative elements and treatments, often in the same building. Frequently one will find stone, metal, brick, terra cotta and tile on the same facade. This is topped by a simplified bracketed cornice. A high level of technical craftsmanship presents itself in these buildings. They featured mass produced elements like cast iron columns, sheetmetal, and large plates of glass. Turrets, especially at the corners, and bay windows were common. All these elements create a picturesque and richly textured character.
Of course this doesn’t nearly cover the range of historical architecture in Lafayette Square. There is no intent here, to short shrift our Romanesque, German Gothic, Greek Revival and Antebellum styles. The Square has all that, and a couple of Flounder houses to boot. Rich material for another day. Please recognize that many of these homes and businesses have hybridized styles that cross boundaries, like integrating mansards AND bay windows. No worries – that’s the cross pollination that occurs when architects get creative. The basic design elements left to time form new styles and make Lafayette Square all the more fascinating.
Resources
One of my favorite general web resources, The Spruce, has a nice overview of Victorian housing architecture. Maybe a little San Francisco-centric, but same idea in wood frame, rather than brick. https://www.thespruce.com/victorian-architecture-4769162
A walk around Lafayette Square will reveal another Victorian era feature of mostly British origin. The distinctive fences surrounding many properties are of cast and wrought iron. Sturdy stuff, made to last. Here were two of the ‘founders’ from the neighborhood: lafayettesquarearchives.com/1893-iron-men-of-lafayette-square-christopher-and-simpson/
NICE OVERVIEW! Thanks!
Thanks, Susan; I’ll miss the house tour poster, but it’s always been a delightful weekend to be in the Square.
Mike Dear,
The joy is unending for us These are the times that I Miss so many of my children not living here in this wonderful town of their upbringing. The discussions would have been endless as your writing keeps us captivated and challenged to take it all in.
THANK YOU
Jannie
Considering a shift from So Cal to Lafayette Square.
Thank you for bringing it to life in your captivity and well researched writing!
I’m sold
MAA
I think you’re choosing wisely, if you like the idea of adopting a little late 19th century into your life. The neighborhood is tight-knit but not exclusive, and filled with characters well-suited to caretaking of a national historic district. What the city can’t or won’t do, the residents pitch in to accomplish, and it drives friendships and community. It’s been that way for the past 50+ years and there is a robust neighborhood organization maintaining the continuity. The gem of this district is its park – this would be a great place to get involved, as it’s almost exclusively tended to by the Lafayette Park Conservancy. Great restaurants, sponsored events, and access ensuring that nothing in the area is more than a 20 minute drive. It might make SoCal look pretty good in your rear view mirror! Let me know if you follow through – it’s good to shake things up every so often.