Queen Anne – popular 1880-1910

Romberger-Stover House
(PA Historical & Museum Commission,
National Register Documentation)

The Queen Anne style was introduced to America at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; however, it is not derived from the Renaissance architecture that was popular during the English Queen's 18th century reign. The style was named and associated by English architects led by Richard Norman Shaw. It was H. H. Richardson who was most interested in Shaw's work and influenced American architectural interpretations.

As the Industrial Revolution flourished with new technologies and the expanding railroad transportation network, the elaborate Queen Anne style became quite popular. Factories were mass-producing an array of building materials including the lavish fringe and wooden millwork.

The Queen Anne was asymmetrical in shape with large porches and wide verandahs, usually one-story high and wrapping around one ore two side walls extending the house to include outdoor living space. Porch skirts were sometimes made from latticework or wood slats with cutout designs. Second story recessed porches were sometimes placed in gables or towers. Towers were round, square or polygonal and most often situated at one front corner. Wooden exteriors were often painted using a variety of "earth" colors in greens, reds, and brown to accentuate the different textures and trims. The Queen Anne style row homes commonly had stone stoops.

Irregular roof lines with steeply pitched gables often showcased a prominent front-facing gable. Flared chimney tops, weather vanes, and pinnacles were additional elements. Windows were typically double-hung sash. Cut-away bay windows were sometimes one-over-one with the upper panel including small square or artistically shaped panes. Projecting oriels, dropped pendants, and patterned wood shingles were added details. Doors with a single glass pane were common.

The Queen Anne style is commonly divided into four types:

The Spindled type used an abundance of wood enhancements and decoration incorporating elaborate motifs and "gingerbread" ornamentation using spindles, brackets, and curlicue cutouts.

The Free Classic is recognizable by the Classic columns which were sometimes grouped in two or threes on masonry piers. Dentil molding and Palladian windows were other features of the Free Classic type.

The Half-Timbered type was more common in the northeastern states. The main identifying characteristic is the half-timbering found on upper story wall exteriors and in the gables. Another common feature was window groups.

The Patterned Masonry showcased texture-rich designs made of various patterns of brick courses or various colors of brick, terra cotta or plaster. There were few wooden embellishments.

Some places to find Queene Anne style homes: