Poteaux-sur-sol ("posts on a sill" – sol is also spelled sole and solle) is a style of

timber framing Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...

in which relatively closely spaced posts rest on a timber sill. Poteaux-en-terre and pieux-en-terre are similar, but the closely spaced posts extend into the ground rather than resting on a sill on a foundation, and therefore are a type of

post in ground A post in ground construction, also called earthfast or hole-set posts, is a type of construction in which vertical, roof-bearing timbers, called posts, are in direct contact with the ground. They may be placed into excavated postholes, driven ...

construction. Poteaux-sur-sol is similar to the framing style known in the United Kingdom as

close studding Close studding is a form of timber work used in timber-framed buildings in which vertical timbers ( studs) are set close together, dividing the wall into narrow panels. Rather than being a structural feature, the primary aim of close studding is to ...

. Poteaux-sur-sol has also, confusingly, been used for other types of timber framing which have a sill timber such as

post-and-plank The method of building wooden buildings with a traditional timber frame with horizontal plank or log infill has many names, the most common of which are piece sur piece (French. Also used to describe log building), corner post construction, p ...

, but this is considered incorrect by some scholars. Poteaux-sur-sol is a part of

American historic carpentry American historic carpentry is the historic methods with which wooden buildings were built in what is now the United States since European settlement. A number of methods were used to form the wooden walls and the types of ''structural carpentry' ...

but is known by its French name in North America, as it was used by French and

French-Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fr ...

people in the region historically known as

New France New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spai ...

. Besides its appearance in

French colonial architecture French colonial architecture includes several styles of architecture used by the French during colonization. Many former French colonies, especially those in Southeast Asia, have previously been reluctant to promote their colonial architecture ...

, it was also used in the 19th century by

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

peasants A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasants ...

living on the open

steppes In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the temperate grasslands, ...

, or anywhere there was a timber shortage. Lehr, John C., "Ukrainians in Western Canada", in ''To Build in a New Land'' (Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1992) pp 309-330.

United States

In the present-day United States, houses in this style can be found in

Ste. Genevieve, Missouri Ste. Genevieve (french: Sainte-Geneviève ) is a city in Ste. Genevieve Township and is the county seat of Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4,999 at the 2020 census. Founded in 1735 by French Canadian coloni ...

;

Prairie du Rocher, Illinois Prairie du Rocher ("The Rock Prairie" in French) is a village in Randolph County, Illinois, United States. Founded in the French colonial period in the American Midwest, the community is located near bluffs that flank the east side of the Miss ...

, and former French settlements in

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

—all former parts of New France (''La Louisiane''). Most are 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 ...

;

Maison Bolduc The Louis Bolduc House, also known as Maison Bolduc, is a historic house museum at 123 South Main Street in Ste. Geneviève, Missouri. It is an example of '' poteaux sur solle'' ("posts-on-sill") construction, and is located in the first Europe ...

is a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

Canada

Gallery

Image:La_Maison_de_Guibourd-Valle--1808.jpg, Jacques Guibourd Historic House, c1806. Ste. Genevieve, MO An example of ''poteaux-sur-sol'' construction. Image:A Front View of the Bolduc House in Ste Genevieve MO.jpg, Front view of

Louis Bolduc House The Louis Bolduc House, also known as Maison Bolduc, is a historic house museum at 123 South Main Street in Ste. Geneviève, Missouri. It is an example of '' poteaux sur solle'' ("posts-on-sill") construction, and is located in the first Europe ...

, Ste. Genevieve. Shows ''poteaux-sur-sol'' construction and ''

bousillage Bousillage (bouzillage,McDermott, John Francis. "bousillage, bouzillage, n. m.". ''A Glossary of Mississippi Valley French, 1673-1850''. St. Louis: , 1941. 34. Print. bousille, bouzille) is a mixture of clay and grass or other fibrous substances us ...

'' infill. Image:Poteaux-sur-Solle Model.jpg, A model of the

in Ste. Genevieve, showing ''poteaux-sur-sol'' construction. Image:Durand Cabin- poteaux-sur-solle & pierrotage.jpg, The Durand Cabin in Ste. Genevieve is an example of ''poteaux-sur-sol'' construction. File:Creole House in Prairie du Rocher.jpg,

Creole House The Creole House is a historic residence in the village of Prairie du Rocher, an old French settlement in present-day Randolph County, Illinois, United States. Built at the end of the eighteenth century and later expanded, the Creole House is ...

in Prairie du Rocher, Illinois, built 1800, expanded with stud-based construction and sided in 1858.

References

{{commonscat, Poteaux-sur-sol construction Timber framing Colonial architecture in the United States French colonial architecture Architecture in Ukraine New France French-Canadian culture in the United States French-American culture in Missouri Missouri culture

United States

Canada

Gallery

See also

References