Mansard Monday ~ This lovely c. 1870 Second Empire house is located in Newburyport, Massachusetts. The defining feature of a Second Empire style building is the Mansard roof, named for 17th-century French Baroque architect François Mansart. First used for an addition to the Louvre palace in Paris c. 1550, this roof form became fashionable again during the Second French Empire (1852–1870), corresponding with the middle Victorian era in the English-speaking world.
Typically called a French roof in the U.S. during the mid-19th century, when all things French were “en vogue” for fashionable Americans. It is an urban legend that Mansard roofs were built to avoid being taxed for another story of living space.
Second Empire buildings are essentially Italianate in style from the eave line down, but the roof gives them a different identity. In this instance, the tower with its shallow-pitched hipped roof is Italianate. It is more common to find an Italianate house with a Second Empire tower than this version.
Second Empire and Italianate styles are two of 25 styles illustrated and described in Chapter 2 of “Restoring Your Historic House, The Comprehensive Guide for Homeowners.”
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© Scott T. Hanson 2025.
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