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Archive for the 'Architecture' Category
Is That Minneapolis Duplex A Painted Lady?
November 20th, 2009 categories: Architecture
Typical Queen Anne
Woodwork. Investors, owner occupants and single family home buyers all go crazy for woodwork.
And for whatever reason, we all think woodwork is found in those grand two story Victorian homes and duplexes.
Ironically, when most people think of built-ins and woodwork, they say the word Victorian, but in their heads? They’re actually thinking Craftsman.
For today, let’s talk about what constitutes a Victorian property.
The Victorian age happened in the 1880s and 1890s, during the reign of England’s Queen Victoria. There wasn’t a set, specific kind of house or duplex.
The age was more about an attitude, about out-doing your neighbor, and going over the top. In fact, these homes are often called “Painted Ladies” for the highly expressive and brilliantly-colored paint schemes they once boasted.
The construction of the era consisted of many styles that shared certain common characteristics.
Most Victorian building occured between 1880-1910. These properties were among the first to feature full basements and tend to have more complex roof shapes. They often featured gas lighting, a wood or coal furnace and (I’ve seen this in both the northeast and Seward neighborhoods), cisterns for their water supply.
There weren’t a lot of duplexes built in the era. However, those that were share with their single family counterparts high ceilings (10-12 feet on the first floor, nine feet on the second) and in the higher end properties, ornate details like leaded glass, occasional built-in buffets with scrolls and floral patterns, and pillars with scrolls at the top. Hardwood floors are a given, as are the headers at the top of every door; straight, capped with a little ledge, almost like a lid on the frame.
Common categories of Victorians include Neoclassical, Queen Annes And Shingle. The Neoclassical Victorians tend to grand two-story columns on the front.
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