Gambrel Roof

Modillions

Cornice

Corner Quoins

Fishscale Shingles

Queen Anne Window

The vocabulary of architecture is rich and varied. In the Portland area, we have myriad examples of architectural forms and styles, all with their own structural and stylistic lexicons, some of which overlap styles and eras. As one of my professors used to say (although I am not sure that he originated the definition), a building is “an efficient container of flexible space.” The “efficient container,” however, is composed of many parts and can be decorated in countless manners. Roof, walls, foundation, window and door openings, decorative and structural details — all have names (sometimes more than one). Familiarity with these terms enriches our experience with architecture — and the sheer fun of knowing what you’re seeing when you look at a building.

The roofline is one of the most distinctive features of any dwelling (not to mention being important structurally), and very often a clue to the style of the building. The most common residential roofline in this area is the gable form, which is constructed with a variety of pitches and with a number of subtypes. According to First Century BC Roman architect and engineer Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, peaked roofs were among the first building innovations developed by ancient peoples because they shed rain better. For our general purposes of identification, however, think triangle. Two flat planes meeting to form a peak form gable roofs — the gable ends therefore form a triangle. There are many variations of gables, and they are found within many styles.

Gambrel roofs are another easily recognizable form, and are sometimes combined with other rooflines on the same building. The gambrel, often associated in the western United States with Dutch Colonial Revival, Shingle, Georgian Revival, and Colonial Revival buildings, has a central ridge where two flat planes meet in a gentle pitch; those planes in turn break into a separate steeper pitch down below. Think barn. Once again, the extra attic space provided by this form allows more room for living or storage. No, the Pacific Northwest does not harbor any Dutch colonies heretofore unknown to historians, but many early 20th- century homeowners in the region sought the romanticism of the past when they chose that roof form, and a few from the late 19th-century as well.

A much less common but very recognizable roof form is the mansard, named after 17th-century French architect, Francois Mansard. The mansard roofline was popularized in France between 1852-1870, during the Second Empire reign of Napoleon III. Spreading from France to England, and from England to the United States, the mansard roof is emblematic of this style. As with many building innovations, the steep boxy pitch evolved for the practical reason of creating more space on the uppermost level. The ornamental aspects were applied later. Second Empire buildings were generally built in the United States between 1855-1885.

So what can be found below those roofs? Many roof-wall junctions are marked by a cornice line. No, not the long-running Broadway musical, but rather an ornamental detail that helps cover the joint between the roof and the wall. The cornice originates in classical architecture and comes in many different forms, from simple to ornate. Details can include dentils (rectangular blocks reminiscent of teeth) and modillions (scroll-shaped to block brackets), both typical of Colonial Revival styles, and large, elaborate brackets, typical of the Italianate style.

Below the cornice may be a frieze, a long panel running along the wall line just under the eaves. Like the cornice, friezes are from classical beginnings and range from the plain (simple flat panels) to elaborate (decorated with botanical or zoological themes or human figures). While looking for classical details, be sure to check for corner quoins — stone blocks or wood panels that cover up the joints where wall plane meets wall plane.

Beyond their practical role in keeping out the weather in tight regimental fashion, shingles are a common decorative feature found in many styles and forms. When they cover the entire house, it is a pretty safe bet that the building falls into the Shingle-style category. More often, they are used to sheathe only a part of the home and as ornament — in gable ends or to clad the base of a porch, for example. For decorative purposes, shingles were often sawed into different patterns on the ends to be exposed. Look for uses of fishscale, diamond, and sawtooth shingles on many Victorian-era homes — and some later vintages as well, such as Craftsman and Bungalow.

The practical aspects of admitting light to buildings over the centuries have been solved in many ways, many of them ornamental as well as utilitarian. Your basic window, with lintel on top, sill on the bottom, and sash in between, takes many forms, from those flat with the plane of the wall, to projecting dormers and bays of various configurations. The 16th-century architect Andrea di Pietro della Gondola, known as Palladio, popularized the Palladian window in his Four Books of Architecture. The Palladian window — a multi-pane central arch flanked by two multi-pane rectangular windows — is a frequent guest in Colonial Revival homes, and sometimes makes a more surprising appearance in Queen Anne homes. Of course, Queen Anne residences are full of eclectic details put together in unexpected ways. Set amid the asymmetrical massing and variety of textures, you will frequently see various interpretations of the Queen Anne window — a single pane of glass outlined by multiple panes of stained glass. Another typical Queen Anne window frequently seen on later styles such as American Foursquare and Craftsman is the lozenge — a single large pane topped by a leaded glass panel with lozenge-shaped panes.

The 20th-century architect Mies van der Rohe claimed that “less is more” and “God is in the details.” If you wish to disagree with the former and follow the latter, you can find more information about architectural details in A Field Guide to American Houses by Virginia and Lee McAlester (Knopf, 1984), which provides a good overview of styles and their particulars. There are a variety of dictionaries available as well, including Dictionary of Building Preservation edited by Ward Bucher (Preservation Press/John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1996).

Holly Chamberlain is the Membership and Programs Coordinator for the Bosco-Milligan Foundation, which offers a variety of historic preservation education classes over the course of the year. They range from neighborhood history walks, lectures on particular styles or architects, to hands-on demonstrations of building rehabilitation skills. For more information, call 503-231-7264 or logon to www.architecturalheritagecenter.org.