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!
Designed by John T. Fanning and built in 1881 in Manchester, NH, the house is a classic Italianate villa style house of the period with a tower tucked into the corner of its T-shaped plan.
The Italianate and Gothic Revival styles are known for introducing romantic asymmetrical silhouettes to American homes, with towers, porches, bay windows, and other elements that broke up the simple rectangular box of earlier houses. Popularized by plan books by Andrew Jackson Downing and others, the style spread from coast to coast.
Understanding the style of a house and what the characteristics of the that style are is essential to planning a good restoration. Italianate is one of 25 styles described and illustrated with multiple images 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!