Influences

During the eighteenth century (1725-1775) buildings were erected which have been
termed “colonial” in style, corresponding to what is understood in England as “Queen
Anne” or “Georgian” – In the United States, the so-called "Queen Anne style" is loosely
used of a wide range of picturesque buildings with "free Renaissance" (non-Gothic
Revival) details rather than of a specific formulaic style in its own right. "Queen Anne",
as an alternative both to the French-derived Second Empire and the less "domestic"
Beaux-Arts architecture, is broadly applied to architecture, furniture and decorative arts
of the period 1880 to 1910; some "Queen Anne" architectural elements, such as the
wraparound front porch, continued to be found into the 1920s.

The gabled and domestically scaled "Queen Anne" style arrived in New York City with
the new housing for the New York House and School of Industry Sidney V. Stratton,
architect, 1878. Distinctive features of American Queen Anne style (rooted in the
English style) may include an asymmetrical façade; dominant front-facing gable, often
cantilevered out beyond the plane of the wall below; overhanging eaves; round, square,
or polygonal tower(s); shaped and Dutch gables; a porch covering part or all of the
front facade, including the primary entrance area; a second-story porch or balconies;
pedimented porches; differing wall textures, such as patterned wood shingles shaped
into varying designs, including resembling fish scales, terra cotta tiles, relief panels, or
wooden shingles over brickwork, etc.; dentils; classical columns; spindle work; oriel and
bay windows; horizontal bands of leaded windows; monumental chimneys; painted
balustrades; and wooden or slate roofs. Front gardens often had wooden fences.

- See the Carson Mansion found in Eureka, California as reference.

Designed by Samuel and Joseph Newsom, architects from San Francisco, the Carson
Museum in Eureka, CA, showcases a peculiar American style. The unique structure—
made primarily of redwood and 97,000 feet of white mahogany from Central America,
and onyx from East India, Mexico and the Philippines—has continued to draw gawkers
from all over the country. Today, the site is widely understood to be the most
photographed and written about Victorian house in the United States.

Originally the home of William Carson, one of Northern California's first major lumber
barons, since 1950 it has been a private club, The house and grounds are not open to
the public.
Built for William Carson (1825–1912), one of Northern California’s first major lumber
barons, the intricately detailed mansion took more than 100 men over two years to
construct.

After failing to make a fortune in the mid-19th century California Gold Rush, Carson
took to the forests of Northern California himself, felling shiploads of Redwood lumber
bound for San Francisco. After a decade of working in the woods—and mining, when
the seasons allowed—Carson formed the Dolbeer and Carson Lumber Company with
John Dolbeer, who later invented the steam donkey engine that revolutionized the
industry. By the 1880s, Carson’s company was producing 15,000,000 board feet of
lumber every year.

The Carson family sold the mansion in 1950 to the private Ingomar Club, which still
uses the house and does not allow tours of the residence. If visitors were allowed inside
the front doors, they would be treated to beautiful stained glass designs, plasterwork,
and carved ornaments in various exotic woods.

Meticulously maintained, the property today is in virtually the same condition as when it
was built. While it could easily join the National Register of Historic Places, the Ingomar
Club carefully guards its privacy, refusing to allow any outside influence.
Architectural Character

A. Post-colonial

Architecture of this period moved away from the English Georgian idiom which had
become established along the eastern seaboard of the country Neo-classic elements were
introduced.

Like the preceding Georgian period, domestic architecture in the Federal style typically
came in the form of a simple box, two rooms deep, with doors and windows arranged
in strict symmetry. However, creative floor plans with elliptical and round spaces were
introduced during this period and the simple exterior box was often modified by
projecting wings (particularly in high-style examples). In addition, there is a lightness
and restrained delicacy to Federal architectural components in comparison to their
heavier, more ponderous Georgian counterparts.

The Federal style is often described as a refinement of Georgian style drawing on

contemporary European trends, in particular the work of Robert Adam (1728-1792),
who traveled to the Mediterranean to study classical Roman and Greek monuments. His
architecture was based on first-hand observation rather than interpreted through
buildings of the Italian Renaissance. During this period, the first true architects
appeared on the American scene. Among them was Charles Bulfinch (1763-1844) who
is credited with bringing the Federal style to United States after his own European tour.
Asher Benjamin’s (1773-1845) famous pattern books brought Bulfinch’s interpretations
of the Adam style to thousands of American carpenters and house wrights. Other
notable architects of the period include Benjamin H. Latrobe (Philadelphia and Virginia),
Samuel McIntire (Salem, Massachusetts), and Alexander Parris (Maine).