Mansard Monday ~ At a glance, this Providence, Rhode Island house appears to have been built in the Second Empire style in the post-Civil War period. The Mansard roof, which is the defining feature of that style, is clearly present. A closer look brings this into question due to the Greek Revival style entrance – suggesting an earlier house that was “updated” and enlarged with a Mansard roof after the war.
In fact, the William R. Watson House, shown here, was built as two of three Greek Revival style rowhouses in 1845. The Mansard roof was added to all three in 1865. In 1936, the rowhouse on the left was demolished along with the entry bay on the rowhouse at right, leaving the almost symmetrical five bay facade we see today.
The second image (right) shows three rowhouses on the 1900 Sanborn fire insurance map. The black dashed line shows the Mansard roof in 1900. The dashed yellow outline has been added to show the house’s footprint after the 1936 alterations.
When a house has character-defining features from multiple styles, it is important to understand whether it is a transitional house built that way or a house that has been altered over time. In many cases, changes made long ago are as historic as a house’s original features and help tell the house’s story. Identifying modifications may also help explain structural issues a house is suffering from.
Identifying how a house has been changed over time is covered in detail in “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 online shop at YourHistoricHouse.com/shop/.
Our shop also carries other authors’ select preservation and restoration titles. Save with our multi-book combo packs!
© Scott T. Hanson 2024.
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