The Monk House, in

Claiborne Parish, Louisiana Claiborne Parish (french: Paroisse de Claiborne) is a List of parishes in Louisiana, parish located in the northwestern section of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish was formed in 1828, and was named for the first List of Governors of Louis ...

near

Homer, Louisiana Homer is a town in and the parish seat of Claiborne Parish in northern Louisiana, United States. Named for the Greek poet Homer, the town was laid out around the Courthouse Square in 1850 by Frank Vaughn. The present-day brick courthouse, built ...

, was built in 1855. It was a home of Alabama native Merrell Monk, who moved his family to Claiborne Parish in the early 1850s. It was built by slave labor and may have been "patterned after the plans of his wife's former home in Opelika, Alabama." It is

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...

in style; Greek Revival features noted in its National Register nomination are: *"a five bay front gallery whose simple

Doric Doric may refer to: * Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece ** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians * Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture * Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode * Doric dialect (Scotland) * Doric ...

pillars and matching corner

pilasters In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wall ...

support an

entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...

. Another pillared gallery with entablature outlines the rear elevation of the house and ell. * transoms and

sidelights A sidelight or sidelite in a building is a window, usually with a vertical emphasis, that flanks a door or a larger window. Sidelights are narrow, usually stationary and found immediately adjacent doorways.Barr, Peter.Illustrated Glossary, 19th ...

flanking the front and rear entrances. Some of the antique glass within the transoms and sidelights has survived. *facade window surrounds composed of

engaged An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...

fluted pilasters whose molded Doric capitals are incorporated into a cornice surmounted by a narrow

architrave In classical architecture, an architrave (; from it, architrave "chief beam", also called an epistyle; from Greek ἐπίστυλον ''epistylon'' "door frame") is the lintel or beam that rests on the capitals of columns. The term can ...

. *interior door surrounds which mimic those framing the facade's windows, except that the engaged pilasters are smooth rather than fluted. *tall two panel doors, one of which shows evidence of

faux bois ''Faux bois'' (from the French for ''false wood'') refers to the artistic imitation of wood or wood grains in various media. The craft has roots in the Renaissance with trompe-l'œil. It was probably first crafted with concrete using an iron ar ...

painting. *several plain vernacular Greek Revival mantels." With It is located along Parish Road 39 (also known as Richardson Loop), about northeast of Homer, somewhat to the north of Louisiana State Highway 9. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1991.

References

National Register of Historic Places in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana Greek Revival houses in Louisiana Houses completed in 1855 1855 establishments in Louisiana Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Louisiana {{Louisiana-NRHP-stub

See also

References