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Although there are many brick examples of both house types, most T- and L-shaped homes were constructed of wood. Balloon framing, invented in the 1830s, facilitated intricate connections of roofs and building sections. The introduction of central heating, and of cast-iron heating and cooking stoves with small, metal stove pipes, also allowed the construction of these types of houses with irregular massing. With less need to cluster work and social activities around one or two large chimneys, late-Victorian families broke out of the boxy shapes of earlier forms into modern and (as seen at the time) more individualistic L- and T-shaped plans. On the practical side, set-back ells suggested a location for porches on these relatively small houses -- a sitting porch on the front, as well as one or more service porches where deliveries could be made and household chores performed.
Interiors of irregular houses were more easily separated into public, family and work areas. The kitchen and pantry were usually at the rear or in the ell, while the ceremonial entrance and the parlor dominated the front of the house. Most bedrooms were upstairs, away from public contact. Porches and an abundance of windows and doors opened rooms to nature, in line with the cherished moral and aesthetic precepts of the day. Examples of the T-shaped architectural style are rare in Fallon, but the L-shaped style can be seen in the home at 190 Center Street. Pictured above just after completion, the original Downs house has had many additions over the years. Today, the L-shape can be clearly seen from the front view if the front porch, which was originally open to the elements, is discounted. Victorian bric-a-brac in the historic view in the photograph above, includes decorative flashing ridges on the rooflines, scalloped and diamond-shaped shingles in the gables and bumped out bay windows. While L-shaped homes can be found in Fallon, there are other architectural styles to be seen as well that were built concurrently with these folk styles.
Victorian Spanning the fertile period between the end of the Civil War and the Columbian Exposition (Chicago), the years 1865 through the early 20th century overflowed with architectural eclecticism. During this time, the development of American house styles is a particularly interesting one. In contrast to the stylistically tranquil days before the War, the period left us with a half-dozen or so styles now often referred to simply as "Victorian." Little wonder so much exploration of form and style accompanied these years of explosive growth and change. This rush of thirty-five-plus years offered up the bounty of the Industrial Revolution: an unimaginable array of machine-made goods, and a sudden barrage of technological and social change. The American home could hardly escape the impact of this era.
On the design front, the years following the Civil War saw this country’s first systematic attempts to train professional architects. Many Americans studied in Europe, and university architectural schools were established in the United States. Nevertheless, the unified and national look in housing would come largely from the plans of mostly anonymous designers working for mass-marketing catalogs. New high-speed printing presses, a transcontinental railroad and better mail service sent mail-order catalogs across the nation. These catalogs could supply Americans of average means house plans that included elevations, floor plans and details. By the mid-1870s, middle-class buyers had the option of purchasing not only plans but also stock-milled house parts -- fancy mantelpieces, staircases, newel posts and front doors by mail-order. |
