Folk Victorian?

Part of the charm of Anderson’s Boulevard Historic District is the variation in homes along its shady streets. Lately I’ve been going on and on about the Tudor Revivals. The above house (check here for a full view) has an entirely different feel. I reached back into my memory to call it “Victorian.” After Googling, I had my “hand” swatted by at least a couple writers, claiming that “Victorian is a time period, not an architectural style.” Hmmm…

It appears that the above style of home — Folk Victorian — is probably the most common within the Victorian period. Such homes can be quite beautiful, with intricate detailing. For example, I LOVE the texture in the side gable, shown above, as well as the brackets under the eaves and the adorable diamond-shaped window. Not to mention the large porch in the full-view picture. With such components, why isn’t this home labeled a Queen Anne, one of the more distinctive styles built during the Victorian period? Well…I’m not an expert, but relying on Google, I would say that the above home is too symmetrical in body (or massing?). There are no turrets, bay windows, or an asymmetrical structure that would scream Queen Anne. Folk Victorian homes were typically enhanced by skilled carpenters, rather than designed by architects. The advant of the rail road and readily available machine-made parts made such detailing affordable to Anderson’s middle and business class. Do you agree with this conclusion of Folk Victorian?

after more Googling, I have to admit that style naming is imperfect, which makes it even more fun. It seems to be that during the “Victorian” period of architecture, there were several different distinct archtectural styles. Perhaps the most common, the Folk Victorian. This i

Tudor Arch

Another view of the above pic is here. This house is one of my favorites, and not just on Boulevard. I’ve admired it a long time and even have posted a pic of it in years past, but I didn’t know then that it is a Tudor Revival. (I like having lables for things. Makes my crazy life seem more orderly. 🙂 ) That amazing, lucious front-door arch? A “Tudor Arch.” I love how the brick, the wooden door, and frame all echo the shape. The two front (steeply arched) overlapping gables also cry “Tudor.” This is the first home I’ve noticed though with such intricate detailed brick work at the peak of each gable (and also at the base of the second gable). Lastly, notice the lonely dormer at the left? From what I understand, a dormer is a window in a sloping roof, an additional Tudor element. Just adorable. A picture of the entire house is here. Check out the “chimney pots” at the top of the chimney. Yes, another Tudor characteristic. 🙂

Group of Three

I love how the two side windows in this grouping of three are slightly smaller than the middle one. Cool detail, huh? (Much better than those energy efficient replacement windows I’m honestly tempted by. ) I’m still on my Historic-Boulevard-District-Tudor-Revival kick. And this older beauty must be a Tudor. (I’m such a rooter for the small house. 🙂 ) From my little bit of Googling, Tudor Revivals often have steeply pitched gables (the one on this house is frankly pretty flat — but there is a quasi-second gable);  decorative brackets under the roof — like the ones above and in this picture; and a mixture of stucco and brick and decorative wood timbering. Tudor Revival. Do you agree?

Tudor Revival?

The Boulevard Historical District (a local designation) contains architecturally interesting homes — both large, medium, and small. I’m guessing the above charmer is a Tudor Revival. Do you agree? A picture of one similar is found on page 23 of “Historic Districts in Anderson, South Carolina.” I love the white wood. (I wonder if that is what the article means by “half-timbering.”) And, of course, the diamond-patterned window panes. Very cool. (You can tell it was overcast this past Sunday. I barely got the pics taken before the rain started.) Another view of the above pic is here. Though the front perspective is possibly more charming, the above view allows us to see the gorgeous side gable and the depth of the front two gables, where the entry way is more prominent.

Signs of Age

In addition to beautiful old trees, Boulevard sports brick paths with long-enduring moss. The above doesn’t do it justice. (Another view of the pic is here.) Taller grass-like moss (?) is shown here.

Warm Chocolate

And finally a house on (North) Boulevard. I love the painted brick, the winding brick entryway (another “characteristic” of residential historic districts) and, of course, the rounded steps and balcony. (Doncha love the Christmas tree? I swear I took this picture last Saturday!) There’s something so traditional and soothing about this house amidst the large trees. And I love the brown shutters. Warm chocolate. A larger view of the pic is here.

Colonial Revival. I can state this home’s architectural style so suredly because a picture of the house is found on page 20 of “Historic Districts in Anderson, South Carolina.” Otherwise, I’d be clueless. 🙂 Page 20 makes me realize I missed the parts of the house on either side of the above picture. Next time. If you’d like to see my distractors (or the excuse I use for missing the entire house) — you can click here. For distractions, they are quite cute.

Characteristic Wood

Name one element of a residential historic district. (The above picture is a hint.) That’s right — beautiful old trees. They make walking Boulevard a pleasure. In the summer, they shade the sidewalks (which are on both sides of the avenue) and in the winter, when the leaves have dropped, their roots and limbs provide plenty of nature’s sculpture to consider.  Click for another view of this pic.

Boulevard

I’ve been away for a while — because when I get home from work it’s dark, dark, dark and lately really cold, cold, cold. And I have been away or busy over the weekends — and as a result, I basically lost track of an important part of my life! Taking photos. I think I have a bit of the mojo back. I took a walk with lovely Mina on Sunday. The air was bracing but wonderful. I hope you enjoy in the coming days the mundane as well as fun things I found on this strip of Anderson.

One child in service

This flag would not have meant anything to me if I did not enjoy World War II memorbelia. Somewhere along the way, I learned this flag with one star signifies one son in service. There were flags with two stars and more rarily three stars, signifying the great sacrifice the family made to its country. I wonder if this flag is from the World War II era, and a family member pulled it from the attic to hang for this war as well. I haven’t seen any such flags new, so I can’t help but think that is probably the case. Sobering.

On a lighter note, I took the above photo in Anderson’s Boulevard Historic District on Saturday. My fuzzy and aching head, itchy eyes, and runny nose started with a vengence. The dreaded pollen. Pollen bothers me so badly, I hesitate to walk outdoors. Saturday’s glorious weather proved how foolish staying indoors can be. I’m off to the drugstore to buy allergy medicine, and I will don with religiousity a face mask — all to enjoy this beautiful weather.