This is my home for a few days while I am visiting my friend and fellow preservation consultant Kate Wood here in the Hudson River Valley. As the home of 19th century designers Alexander Jackson Davis and Andrew Jackson Downing, authors of “Cottage Residences” in 1842, this is the birthplace of America’s Romantic Victorian era architectural styles.
The Italianate and Gothic Revival styles introduced romantic asymmetrical silhouettes to American homes, with towers, porches, bay windows, and other elements that broke up the simple rectangular box of earlier houses. This lovely example in Germantown, New York, has a nearly symmetrical form made more asymmetrical by the bay window on only one end and the porch that extends toward the other end from the central bay.
Understanding the style, or styles, of a house will help you identify which features are character-defining so you can prioritize their preservation.
Italianate is one of 25 styles described and illustrated with character-defining features keyed to dozens of color photos 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 online shop at YourHistoricHouse.com/shop/.
Our shop also carries select preservation and restoration titles by other authors. Save on cost and shipping with our multi-book combo packs!
“Restoring Your Historic House is also available in bookstores nationwide and from online retailers.
© Scott T. Hanson 2026.
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