The best way to learn about historic houses is to look at them closely, and the most fun way to look at them closely is to do a puzzle showing a wonderful historic house! So, we made a unique and interesting collection of Historic House Puzzles for you to enjoy!
One of the most outstanding houses built in the McKnight Historic District in Springfield, MA, in 1890 is the W.M. McKnight House. It is a late example of the Shingle Style variation of the Queen Anne style. The 250-acre historic district contains 850 buildings, most constructed between 1870 and 1910. William McKnight and two of his brothers developed the district and built most of the houses. This remarkable neighborhood led to Springfield being nicknamed “The City of Homes.”
Shingle Style houses often have masonry first stories, typically fieldstone and/or boulders in rural or resort settings and dressed stone or brick in suburban or urban settings. This suburban example has dressed stone.
Understanding the style of a house is the first step in identifying its character-defining features. Prioritizing the preservation or restoration of those features should be the foundation of any plan to make a historic home functional for modern life. Shingle Style is one of 25 styles and types covered in Chapter 2 of “Restoring Your Historic House, The Comprehensive Guide for Homeowners.”
Click on the dashed box at the top-right in the puzzle box below to open the puzzle to full screen. In the top left, you can change the number of pieces (100 pieces is the default), toggle piece rotation, and change the background color. Then hit “OK” and have fun!