Architecture of period houses of Brunswick Maine, page 4, by Westwind Design

Period Houses of Brunswick, Maine
Page 4
by David H. Boggs

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for explanations of technical terms used in this article.

Greek Revival: Hip-roofed

23. Although lacking the typical columns and under-cornice entablature referring directly to ancient Greek temple architecture, and having a fan ornament more common to Federal and Early Classical Revival styles, this attractive but unostentatious house has numerous Greek Revival elements: a pyramidal roof of moderate slope, an off-center entry door ("corner entry"), quoins effectively forming corner pilasters, a bay window on one side only (asymmetry) and tall downstairs windows (six-over-nine, in this case) below smaller upstairs windows.

24. The Benjamin Greene House is a little the worse for wear now, but must have been magnificent at one time. Greek Revival elements include: a low-slope, pyramidal roof (apparently once surmounted by a cupola); a significant roof overhang; a very deep entablature, supported by giant pilasters, below the cornice of the main roof; small windows in the entablature; columned entry porticos and porches; and the bay window in the facade above the entry portico. Formerly a fraternity house, this house has recently been purchased by Bowdoin College and is unfortunately scheduled for demolition.

25. Here is an example of a brick high-style Greek Revival house; a comparison between it and House 24 is instructive. Note how the pilasters and entablature are present in this house also, but formed in brickwork. The entry porticos are nearly identical; but the present house lacks the asymmetrical porch, and has a modified Palladian window where House 24 has a bay window. The roof overhang of this house is slightly wider, and cornices of both the main and portico roofs are ornamented with dentils. Note the arched Gothic windows in the wing, which may or may not have been original to the house; the Greek and Gothic Revival periods overlapped by about two decades (circa 1840-1860).

26. This frame house much resembles Houses 24 and 25 in its basic design: symmetrical three-ranked facade, center entry with portico, and a deep entablature with small windows. Like House 25, it has a modified Palladian window above the entry portico. But note some points of difference. Like Houses 22 and 23, the present house has prominent quoins taking the place of corner pilasters. The roof overhang is the widest we have so far encountered, and the tentative beginnings of some brackets can be seen beneath. And this house has another Greek Revival feature not seen in any of the foregoing examples: siding of horizontally grooved planks, imitating ashlar masonry.

Italianate

27. This high-style house has many similarities to Houses 25 and 26, which I've classed as Greek Revival: symmetrical three-ranked facade, center entry with columned portico, modified Palladian window, massive column-surrogates at the corners supporting a deep entablature pierced with small windows, and wide roof overhangs. It also has balustrades on the main and portico roofs, a holdover from the Renaissance Classical styles, seen more frequently on Greek Revival houses than on Italianate. But this house differs from those preceding by having prominent, fully-developed brackets beneath the eaves; bracketed window pediments; and a tall, octagonal cupola: all characteristic Italianate features.

28. The Skolfield-Whittier House is a striking brick Italianate house with a large rear wing (center), plus a carriage house (right) of front-gable-and-wing design. (Compare House 22.) Note the characteristic Italianate roof overhang and brackets, repeated throughout, and the prominent cupola. Other interesting features of this house include: twin bay windows in the front facade, surmounted by iron balustrades, and a deeper bay window in the wing; the bracketed oriel window on the second story of the carriage house; the very low slope of the wing roof, echoing that of the hip roof of the main house; and the full-width portico occupying the space formed by the staggered side walls of the main house and the wing. The tall chimney in the wing probably served the original kitchen.

One splendid house, three views...

29. Although large and complex, this house retains the key Italianate elements: a low-slope roof with wide, bracketed overhangs, and a tall cupola. In this view you can see twin up-and-down bay windows in the facade, a large enclosed porch (perhaps originally a conservatory), and a small portico over the entry door of the wing at the rear. Note that, unlike House 28, there is no central entry door between the bays of the facade. This is now, and apparently always has been, a two-family house, with two separate entrances via the enclosed side porches. Presumably the original intent was to house two closely-related families: those of two brothers, or a father and son; it seems unlikely that anyone who could afford to build this house wanted or needed a duplex for rental income.

29A. This picture shows another view of the facade; a second, semicircular glassed-in porch supported by massive columns; a two-story Italian-Villa-style tower with pyramidal roof, at the juncture of the main house and the wing behind; and a second wing with a two-story bay and an entry portico.

29B. In this view you can see the full extent of the twin rear wings, each having low-slope gabled roofs, giant pilasters, and large, open rear porticos supporting enclosed porches.