Page 121 - State College, PA Design Guidelines

• 06.28.2018

QUEEN ANNE

(1880-1910)

The Queen Anne style was the dominant style of domestic building between
1880 and 1900. This style is subdivided into two sets of overlapping subtypes.
The first is based on characteristic variations in shape and the second is
based on distinctive patterns of decorative detailing.

Identifying features:

• Steeply pitched roof of irregular shape, usually with a dominant
front-facing gable
• Patterned shingles, cutaway bay windows and other devices used
to avoid a smooth-walled appearance
• Asymmetrical facade with partial or full-width porch which is
usually one story high and extended along one or both side
walls

Four principle shape subtypes can be distinguished:

• Hipped roof with lower cross cables: Over half of all Queen
Anne houses have a steeply hipped roof with one or more lower
cross gables. Most commonly there are two cross gables, one (Bottom photo - Winnetka, IL)
front-facing and one side-facing, both asymmetrically placed on
their respective facades. Unlike most hipped roofs, in which the
ridge runs parallel to the front facade, the Queen Anne hipped
ridges sometimes run front-to-back, parallel to the side of the
house. Others have pyramidal roofs with no ridge or merely a
small flat deck crowning the hip. The hipped portion of the roof
may have a gable-on-hip added; dormers and additional gables
are common. A tower, when present, is most commonly placed
at one corner of the front facade. The roof form of this subtype
is among the most distinctive Queen Anne characteristics and
occurs in examples ranging from modest cottages to high-style
landmarks.

• Cross-gabled roof: About 20 percent of Queen Anne houses
have simple cross-gabled roofs without a central, hipped unit.
These are normally of L-shaped plan; a tower, when present, is
usually embraced within the L.

• Front-gabled roof: About 20 percent of Queen Anne houses have
a full-width front gable which dominates the front facade. This
form occurs more frequently in detached urban houses. A tower,
when present, is usually placed at one corner of the front facade.

• Town house: Detached Queen Anne urban houses usually have
front-gabled roofs. Attached row houses are uncommon but
occur in both gable and flat-roofed forms.

CHAPTER 9 • APPENDIX • INFORMATIONAL 115