Norwich CT has really gotten into the Last Green Valley “Walktober” walks and hikes. There have been many walks regarding the architecture of Norwich. The leaders of the walks in Norwich expect a certain amount of architectural type knowledge sophistication that I simply don’t have so I went off to learn about architectural types. Here is what I think I learned.
The Cape was popular from the Revolutionary period through the middle of the 19th century. Early capes have low eaves and are generally a story-and-a half with a gable roof.
The Colonial is generally two-stories with a gable roof, evenly spaced windows, very little ornamentation, and a center door. Still as popular today as in revolutionary times.
The Georgian was popular from the 1750’s – 1820’s. It’s almost square with a hip or gambrel roof, center door, evenly spaced windows symmetrical in design possibly with heavy columns or pilasters at the doors and pediments and dentils underlining the pediments or cornices.
The Federal was popular 1780 – 1820 and also has the hip or gable roof, symmetrical windows and doors, higher ceilings than Colonial or Georgian designs. Ornamentation tends to be delicate with tall slim columns.
Greek Revival was popular 1820 – 1860 and may resemble a temple with gable end at the front with a triangular pediment, columns and where there are no columns there maybe vertical moldings at the corners.
Carpenter Gothic or Gothic Revival (gingerbread) was popular in the 1840’s – 1850’s has very steep roofed gables with great decorated eaves called barge boards, vertical board and batten siding. The original paint may have simulated various shades of sandstone.
The low-pitched hip roof with overhanging eaves, high ceilings, lavish ornamentation over windows sometimes rounded at the top and with ornamental brackets over the eaves is typical of the Italianate design of the 1850’s – 1860’s.
If it looks to be a confusion of a variety of shingled external surfaces on its upper story, a mansard roof, towers, fancy windows some with stained glass, ornamental porches and a vertical line that appears to break at the bottom of the upper story it will probably be a Queen Anne popular form the 1880’s – 1910.
In Norwich it was not unusual for a small humble home to sprout a grand new wing or become a side or back ell as a more pretentious home was built in the front. Interiors and exteriors often displayed exceptionally fine workmanship courtesy of the skilled workmen from the shipyards available during bitter months.
Email comments on this blog to berylfishbone@yahoo.com
View my past columns at http://www.norwichbulletin.com/section/blogs01?taxid=1172