Queen Anne

In the early 1880s, America’s taste in architecture was about to take a dramatic and whimsical turn. Following in the footsteps of the restrained and elegant Italianate style came the anything but restrained Queen Anne style. While there are number of Victorian sub-styles (the fabulously ornate Eastlake, Shingle and Stick styles, for example), the majority of Portland Victorians tend to be Queen Anne. The Queen Anne quickly became the most popular design in the Northwest, due in large part to new building materials and techniques that freed architects from their boxy burdens.

Queen Anne homes are anything but boxy and restrained. They are fairy tale homes come to life. Interestingly, though, while whimsical and fun, much of the Queen Anne’s asymmetry was grounded in practicality. Queen Anne houses could be designed to fit a home owner’s individual needs. Perhaps they were the first truly custom homes.

Really quite unlike anything seen before, Queen Anne architecture offered endless design ideas. Side wrap-around porches with elaborate overhangs and custom spindlework? No problem. Half-gabled roof with hipped-roof sections all framing a castle-like tower with conical roof? No problem. Often compared to ginger bread houses for their fantastic exterior ornamentation, the Queen Anne was in a class of its own.

The best way to describe a Queen Anne, though, is definitely through pictures.

Stylistic elements: