Mansard Monday ~ An Exuberant Mansard roof in Providence, RI.
The Mansard roof form that turns an Italianate style house into a Second Empire style house comes from France and was typically called a “French roof” during the 19th century – when all things Parisian were in vogue (including the language).
Mansard roofs can also be found with a straight slope, convex curve, or combined concave and convex curves for an S-shaped roof slope. Too much was never enough for some Victorians! This sophisticated example has a straight slope that curves out at the base. The effect of a tower is created at the octagonal corner bay with a narrow dormer in each facet of the shape and a copper finial atop the upper portion of the roof – giving this one-story house a lot of presence.
Understanding the style of a house will help you know which features are character-defining so you can prioritize their preservation.
Second Empire is one of 25 historic architectural styles described and illustrated in Chapter 2 of “Restoring Your Historic House, The Comprehensive Guide for Homeowners.”
Signed and personalized copies of the award-winning and bestselling 720-page hardcover book are available from the author in our shop, YourHistoricHouse.com/shop/.
Our shop also carries related preservation and restoration tiles by other authors. Save on cost and shipping with our multi-book combo packs!
© Scott T. Hanson 2024
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