House Types

Shotgun Found primarily in southern states, these one story, one-room wide houses maximized potential on narrow building lots by construction that maintained a front-to-back alignment, theoretically allowing a shotgun blast to go from the front door out the back. When grouped, there are no side windows, but southern front porches are common. Two to three rooms deep, this form is believed to have descended from West African and Caribbean dwellings. Saltbox This is the shape of a Colonial or I House when a one story lean-to addition, or linhay is added to the rear. The name is derived from the similarity to the shape of eighteenth-century salt containers. The sharply sloping roof was sometimes oriented to the north to act as a windbreak. In the South, this form is referred to as a "Cat's Slide." Side Hall Plan From 1½ to 2½ stories high, these gable-front houses were popular in mid-nineteenth century America. Constructed of masonry or wood frame, they were frequently ornamented in period style with wide, divided bands of trim in the gable end that gave them a temple-like appearance, or with corner pilasters, columns, porches, or sidelights . Gable and Ell Widely popular across the United States after the arrival of the railroad, these 1½ or 2 story wood-frame homes featured a central, gable-front mass with an intersecting, perpendicular wing of the same height, effectively making the building "L" shaped. If a wing appears on both sides of the gable block, it becomes a Tri-Gable Ell. Porches are common where the two blocks intersect. These homes typically have wood-clapboard siding and double-hung sash windows. They may display a wide array of stylistic ornament.

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