Just for Fun: Houses of the Finger LakesI have created these Finger Lakes paperhouses for the enjoyment of clients and area residents. Please feel free to print these cutouts on plain paper—any size you can manage—and assemble as directed. The Federal and Greek Revival houses were drawn by Garth German. The Italianate, Classical Revival, and Second Empire examples were drawn by Lindsay Kurz. Federal (1790s-1820s)
The Federal Style was the first truly American house style and is found mostly in states on the East Coast. Good Finger Lakes examples are the Halsey-Beebe House and the Bank of Newburgh Building in downtown Ithaca.Look for: fanlights and sidelights around the front door, keystone lintels above windows, shutters, and balustrades. Greek Revival (1820s-1850s)
The Greek Revival style swept the Finger Lakes in the 1820s. Americans at that time saw themselves as heirs to the ancient Greek democracy, and they sympathized with modern Greeks' struggle for independence. Central New Yorkers’ interest in all things Greek shows up in place names and in the Greek temples that dot the countryside and line old village streets. An outstanding Tompkins County example of the Greek Revival style is the Camp House in Trumansburg.Look for: triangular pediment, "eyebrow" windows, columns or pilasters, and multi-paned windows. Italianate (1840s-1870s)
Houses and commercial buildings in the Italianate style are common in Finger Lakes cities and rural areas. The style was inspired by farmhouses of the Italian countryside. Ithaca's Boardman House on DeWitt Park is an excellent example of an Italianate residence.Look for: a shallow hip roof, cupola, columned verandas or porches, arched windows with decorative window hoods, ornate eave cornices with dentils and brackets. Classical Revival (1890s-1930s)
The Classical Revival was popular throughout the country around the turn of the century. It traces its roots to Greek and Roman architecture, with some elements borrowed from earlier American styles such as Georgian Colonial and Greek Revival.
Classical Revival houses are generally rectangular, with low-pitched roofs and classical details such as columns, pilasters, and balustrades, and early American elements such as window shutters and sidelights.
Second Empire (1850s-1875s)
The Second Empire style imitated the grand architecture built in France under Napoleon III. Its distinguishing feature is the mansard roof, with its steep, sloped roof edge and dormer windows. A notable Ithaca example is the Sprague mansion at the corner of North Titus Avenue and South Albany Street.Look for: roofs decorated with slate or shaped shingles, cast iron roof crestings, bracketed eave cornices, arched window hoods, and ornate porches. |
