• Folk Victorian (1870-1910)



Identifying features:

Symmetrical façade (except gable-front-and-wing subtype)
Porches with flat, jigsaw trim in a variety of patterns or spindlework
Cornice-line brackets
Many with spindles, gingerbread and details adapted from the Gothic Revival Style
Cast-iron lace work that hides galvanized roofing
Low-pitched, pyramid-shaped roof
Front gable and side wings

The Folk Victorian was a humbler version of the more elaborate Victorian house styles, including the Italianate and the Romanesque. They were built by middle-class Americans, or "just folks", who wanted to emulate the style of the moneyed class, but couldn't afford an architect. It is a whimsical, yet simple style, whose chief characteristic is the presence of decorative detailing (primarily on the porch and cornice line) on simple folk-house forms. The widespread availability of machine-made decorative trim work was made possible by a period of economic boom. The new railways distributed these materials throughout the states. This meant that local builders could trek down to their local lumberyard, pick up a crate of scrolled brackets or gingerbread decoration and graft them lovingly onto a traditional house, one that was familiar to the local carpenter. Thus the Folk Victorian Style was born. Like the Italianate, the Folk Victorian has various plans, a central-hall I-house form, an L or T-shaped plan and a side-passage townhouse plan. It is covered by wooden clapboards and usually features metal hipped or gable roofs. The Queen Anne Victorian is often confused with the Folk Victorian. While the two styles do have similar spindlework detailing, unlike the Queen Anne style, the Folk Victorian is symmetrical and orderly. It does not have towers, elaborate moldings or textured and varied wall surfaces that are characteristic of the Queen Anne. The Folk Victorian has its own delightful yet no-nonsense, style. Because of this, it has managed to endure longer than many of the other Victorian styles.