The Italianate Style

The next romantic picturesque architectural style to appear in the mid 1800's is known as the Italianate style. The influence for the Italianate came from the rambling country villas built by wealthy Italian Renaissance city dwellers. These early Italian examples were designed for "cool and comfort" and feature many long windows and shady verandas.

Italianates are as varied as the imaginations of their builders. Earlier Italianate houses often had several wings topped by a gabled roof with deep eaves supported by fancy wooden brackets. These brackets, whether fret cut wood, stone or metal are a feature common to all Italianates. Deep porches, tall narrow windows with prominent trim at the top are also common traits. Above is the A. Moore house built around 1860.

Another early example is the Samuel Purviance home (ABOVE) of 1859. It has the more characteristic low pitch pyramid-shaped or "hipped" roof. It's deep eaves are supported by numerous brackets. The window lintels on the house are of smooth stone and project prominently from the building's side. Note the pattern of squares at the building's corners called "quoins" (coins). These are of contrastingly painted projecting brickwork, but they are often of stone.

Many Italianates are comprised of asymmetrically arranged blocks united by the deep eaves. This example also has a prominent three-sided bay window which is united with the main building by the heavily bracketed eaves. The two-story porch or veranda has turned wooden porch columns and a turned spindle railing or "balustrade". Turned ornaments play an increasingly important role on Italianate homes - the later one gets in the 1800's. Note the lintels of contrasting carved stone. This house was built around 1880.

Similar to the previous example, but frame construction with clapboard, the Daniel Young house (ABOVE) from 1880 shows irregular massing and a four-sided bay united by deep eaves with fret cut brackets. The porch columns are of turned wood. Above the windows, the lintels are no longer structural, but are applied decorative wooden hoods. Note the addition of a short windowed tower or "cupola". Cupolas are often located over central staircases and provide natural light and ventilation to the center of the home. As in the previous example, the windows are long and slender, nearly reaching the floor.

Above we find a brick example showing a dramatic asymmetrical massing. Rather than a cupola, we have a fully developed tower. This is an example of an Italianate Villa. Note, the lintels are of carved stone and the brackets are painted wood with cast iron trim. The Jessie Davies house at the corner of Poplar and Tipton Streets was finished in 1868.

Commercial Italianate architecture shares much decorative detailing with houses of the period. Here we see deep eaves supported by pressed sheet metal brackets and long windows topped by cast iron hoods. This is the Pulse Opera block of 1884 in downtown Warren.

Proceed to Italianate Detail photos and descriptions.