Victorian Folk Architecture
The house above is in Reedville, Virginia, an east coast enclave of well preserved Victorian-era homes. This one doesn't feature any brackets under the cornice that typically identifies a Folk Victorian but it does have the souped-up porch support system. The ability to move manufactured goods to the hinterlands via the railroad hastened the birth of this style. Built from 1870-1910 these simple farm houses were dressed up by adding spindle work to front porches. The spindles and other adornments were assembled in the cities and shipped by rail to anybody who had the means and desire to gussy up the old homestead. To spot this particular style, look for simple wood construction and symmetrical façades with a line of brackets under the cornice. Different versions appear across the country including New England farm houses and New Orleans “shotgun” style homes. “Shotgun” refers to the ability to open the front and back doors of the home and fire a shotgun through the house without hitting any interior walls. The long, low rectangles were designed with flow-through ventilation in the days before air conditioning changed the way we live and work. The plan below, which reflects a simple farm house, dates from the 1800’s and is listed as a “cheap frame cottage,” that includes three bedrooms, one parlor, no bathrooms. Construction costs were estimated to be $1200. Here's an overview of the age that spawned
Folk Victorian architecture.
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