Major Architectural Styles

Architectural Terms

The Rustic, Carpenter Gothic and Great Camps

Architectural Terms - Decorative Elements

architrave - ornamental moldings around doors, windows or other openings

archivolt - ornamental moldings on the face of an arch

artistic concrete - concrete blocks molded to imitate stone, inexpensive substitute using concrete since 1870

balustrade - Series of short pillars (lathe-turned, square posts or cutouts) supported on top by a handrail on staircases, balconies and porches

band - any flat horizontal course that projects slightly from a wall

bargeboard - ornamental board on a gable used to conceal the end rafters

bay window - a protruding space from the exterior wall. A bow window is a rounded bay.

belcast eaves - a curve in the slope of a roof ( ie. gambrel dormer of the Express Building)

brackets - supporting members found under eaves

capital - the upper portion of a column or pilaster upon which the entablature rests

casement windows - a window that opens from the outside vertical edge

casing - finished framework around a door or window

channels - groves cut or molded into columns for pilasters

colonette - a small, slender column that is usually decorative

colonnade - a series of regularly spaced columns

colossal column -column that spans more than one floor

conical roof - cone-shaped roof

console - "S" shaped bracket used to support a door or window hood or a cornice

coping - the uppermost course of a wall or parapet

corbeled arch - masonry course advancing inward over the top of a wall opening

corbiestep - a gable with stepped sides, used to mask a pitched roof

Corinthian order - classical fluted columns, slender with ornate capitals decorated with stylized leaves

corner boards - placed at the ends of exterior walls to protect the siding (ie. green on Burnett's)

cornice - the top course of a wall when it serves as a crowning member. Along the slope of a gable or pediment, it is called a raking cornice. Maybe open or boxed in (closed).

crest - ornamental work forming the top of a wall used for decorative purposes (Hardware Store)

decorative half-timbering - non-structural timbers placed on brick or stucco walls

dentils - small square blocks found in a series on many cornices or moldings

Doric order - classical fluted columns with simple, plain capital and no base

dormer - vertical window projecting from the slope of a roof

eaves - the portion of the roof that projects beyond the roof

eclectic style - free mixture of details from any historic style, especially in late 19th century in the States

ell - extension at right angles to the main structure

elliptical arch - a three-centered arch

embrasure - a window or door with slanting sides inward

entablature - the part of building above the columns, contains the frieze and cornice

knee brace (strut) - a diagonal support across the angle formed by two perpendicular members.

lancet arch or window - A long, narrow, pointed arch or window

lantern - A small, windowed structure on a roof for the purpose of admitting light

latticework - Interlaced, decorative strips of lath, iron or wood

lintel - A horizontal, wood, stone, or concrete structure that supports the load over an opening such as a window

louver - An opening, often of wood slates, used or ventilation

lunnette - A semi-circular window in the recessed part (tympanum) of a gable

mansard roof - A roof having two slopes on all sides, the lower is much steeper than the upper. Often includes dormer windows.

modillions - Ornamental blocks or brackets used to support the corona in the Corinthian orders

molding (moulding) - A decorative band used to obscure the joints where two surfaces meet.

mullion - The central, vertical member of a door or bar between coupled windows or casement windows

muntin - Thin strips of wood used to hold panes of glass into a window

newel - The post supporting the handrails of a staircase

oriel window - A bay window located above the first floor, usually supported by brackets or corbels

ornamental plasterwork - Decorative carved or molded plasterwork

ornaments - Details added to a structure solely for decoration

Palladian window - A window with a central arch and two sidelights

parapet - A low wall or protective railing used along a roof or balcony

patera - A small, round or oval in a medallion as seen in door or window moldings, plain or richly decorated with leaves or flowers. (pl. paterae)

pediment - A triangular section framed by a horizontal molding at the base (frieze) with two raking (sloping) moldings. Used as a crown over doors, windows. May also be discontinuous or broken at the apex.

pilasters - A decorative, rectangular column attached to a wall, often so as to resemble a classical column.

plancier - The exposed underside of a projecting member (soffit)

porte-cochere - A covered entrance over a driveway

portico - A covered walk or porch supported by columns or pillars; a colonnaded porch or veranda

Portland cement - A hydraulic cement binder for concrete made of clay and limestone

pyramidal hipped roof - A pyramid-shaped roof with four, sloping sides that meet at a point

quarrel (quarry) - Small, rectangular, diamond or triangular shaped panes of glass

Queen Anne sash - A window with many small geometrical shaped panes running along the edges

quoins - Alternating large and small stone, brick or wood used to decorate and accentuate the corners of a building

rail - Horizontal members of a door or window

raking molding - Molding that follows the slope of a gable or pediment

relieving arch - An arch embedded into a wall to relieve the section below it. It is often found over a lintel

roof covering - Includes; asbestos shingles, asphalt shingles, metal roofing or shingles, wood shakes, slate shingles, roofing tiles (fired clay or concrete)

rubblework - Masonry built of rubble or roughly quarried stones (rubble masonry)

rustic work - Includes uncut stones, decorative, rough woodwork, bark-sided trim, twig-work arranged in ornamental patterns portraying often thought of as a rural style

sawn wood ornament - Curves, scrolls, lace-work ornamentation made with a jig, band or scroll saw. Gingerbread, as it was called in the late 19th-early 20th century, can be seen on bargeboard, gable trim, over doors and windows.

shed roof - Roof consists of one inclined plane

side light - Usually a long, fixed sash found in pairs along side a window or door

sill - The framing that forms the lower side of a window or door. A lug sill extends beyond the width of a window, where a slip sill is only as wide as the window.

soffit - The exposed underside of an arch, cornice, balcony or beam

spandrel - The triangular space between the outside of an arch and the rectangular space surrounding it

spindlework - Lathed turned wood ornaments used in gable trim or porches and staircases

stickwork - Major framing timbers are placed on top of the exterior siding for structural or decorative purposes

stile - A vertical members of a door where the hinges and door lock are attached

tracery - The ornamental work decorating Gothic arched windows

transom window - The horizontal window pane(s) above a door

turret - A small, slender tower often located at the corner of a building or porch

tympanum - The recessed portion of a triangular pediment, often containing a lunette

volute - The scroll-like spiral dominating the top of an Ionic column

voussoir - A wedge-shaped stone or brick in an arch

water table - A projection of molding at the first-floor level that protects the foundation from water

wheel window - A round window with glazing bars radiating from the center