Folk Victorian is an

architectural style An architectural style is a set of characteristics and features that make a building or other structure notable or historically identifiable. It is a sub-class of style in the visual arts generally, and most styles in architecture relate closely ...

employed for some homes in the United States and Europe between 1870 and 1910, though isolated examples continued to be built well into the 1930s. Folk Victorian homes are relatively plain in their construction but embellished with decorative trim. Folk Victorian is a subset of

Victorian architecture Victorian architecture is a series of architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. ''Victorian'' refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the styles known as Victorian w ...

. It differentiates itself from other subsets of Victorian architecture (such as Queen Anne) by being less elaborate and having more regular floor plans. Examples include the Bacon Hotel, Albert Spencer Wilcox Beach House, Lost Creek Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Depot (1892), James B. Carden House (1885), Ephriam M. Baynard House, and Sibley's General Store (1899) in the Sibley's and James Store Historic District.

Background

Some of the main features of the Folk Victorian style include: porches with spindlework detailing, an l-shape or a

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aest ...

front plan, details or inspiration from the

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian ...

or Queen Anne style. It is often identified by basic or simpler details with asymmetrical floor plans. The typical home is two-stories, with a single story porch. ;Industrial Revolution Many of these homes were put up during this time period due to the

industrial revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

. For those who were moving to the West needed simple and quick methods for building a house. The easy access to all of the light weight lumber, helped to create a pre-cut and inexpensive way to get an iteration of the Victorian home.

Gallery

File:Orin Jordan House, Whittier.JPG, The

Orin Jordan House The Orin Jordan House is a Victorian house in Whittier, California that was built in 1888 by Orin Jordan. Also known as the "Old Jordan House" and the "Whitaker Home", the house is located at 8310 S. Comstock Ave. It was built as a two-story ...

Whittier, California Whittier () is a city in Southern California in Los Angeles County, part of the Gateway Cities. The city had 87,306 residents as of the 2020 United States census, an increase of 1,975 from the 2010 census figure. Whittier was incorporated in ...

is an example of a Folk Victorian File:Folk Victorian Home.jpg, Early Folk Victorian home in Elgin, TX (Side Gable, Hall & Parlor design)

References

{{Architecture in the United States * . House styles Victorian architectural styles American architectural styles Stick-Eastlake architecture in the United States Vernacular architecture in the United States . 19th-century architecture in the United States

Background

Gallery

See also

References