IDENTIFYING FEATURES: Steeply pitched roof, cross-gabled, decorated vergeboards, pointed-arch windows, sometimes stained glass, like churches. Gothic window above entry, one-story porch with flattened, Gothic arches. The first appearance of picturesque (asymmetrical and unpredictable) floor plans, indicating the rise of the Romantic Era in America.

BACKGROUND AND INSPIRATION: Never as popular as Greek or Italianate styles. Mostly popular between 1840-1860 for houses. Popular style for churches nationally right up through the 1940s (WWII). Most abundant in the Northeast. Style began in England 1749 to romanticize medieval styles. The first American Gothic house: by Alexander Jackson Davis, 1832, in Baltimore. Davis: first American architect to promote Gothic style, in his book: "Rural Residences": First house plan book published in U.S., 1837. Andrew Jackson Downing, a friend, helped popularize style through his pattern books and public speaking. Gothic was mostly promoted as a rural style, not urban. Didn't fit typical city lots. Style made popular with Downing's 1842 book, Cottage Residences: 13 editions up to 1887.

PHOTO LOCATIONS AND DESCRIPTIONS (based on info available)

1. Bath, ME. Excellent example of "Carpenter Gothic" with vertical board-and-batten siding, steeply-pitched gable roof, pointed-arch windows, and decorated vergeboards under the eaves.
2. Elsah, IL. "Paired gable" carpenter gothic house, with board-and-batten siding.
3. Bellefonte, PA. "Centered gable" roof identifies this Georgian-massed house as "Gothic".
4. Bellefonte, PA. Brick church with simplified Gothic features, including pointed-arched windows, steeply-pitched roof, slender Gothic tower/steeple, and hints of "flying buttresses" on the wall sides.
5. Madison, IN. Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church, completed 1874. Pointed-arch windows; tall, slender steeple; decorative finials and vergeboards.
6. Bellefonte, PA. "Centered gable" roof, basically a simple I-house with Gothic cross-gable and vergeboard under the porch.
7. Globe, AZ. Gothic church with "castled" tower, or "battlements," and hints of pointed-arch windows.
8. Charlotte, NC.
9. Flatville, IL. German Lutheran Church.
10, 11. Woodstock, CT. Bowen House, c.1846. Referred to locally as the "Pink House". Great example of carpenter Gothic style, using board and batten siding and numerous vertical features.
12. Stafford, CT. First Congregational Church, c.1876.
13. Branford, CT.
14. Branford, CT. Good example of carpenter Gothic.
15. Dillsboro, NC. Simple frame house with Gothic dormer.
16. Savannah, GA. Gothic-style bay window.
17. Savannah, GA. c.1878, rebuilt 1895. First Congregational Church.
18. Savannah, GA. c.1875-1890. Wesley Monumental United Methodist Church.
19, 20. Savannah, GA. c.1878. Mickve Israel Synagogue.
21, 22, 23. Savannah, GA. c.1853. The Green-Meldrim House. Designed and built by John S. Norris. Considered one of the finest examples of Gothic Revival style in the South. Good example of flat roof with castellated (scalloped) parapet, and oriel windows on second floor (photo 22).
24. Savannah, GA. Another good example of a castellated parapet (referred to as "battlements" if occurs on turrets or towers), and narrow pinnacles.
25-26. Chicago, IL. Tribune Tower, c.1923-1925. Home of the Chicago Tribune, and the winning period-style design of an international competition held by the Tribune. Modeled on the Butter Tower of Rouen Cathedral
27. Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA. Probably a 1920s period-revival building (speculating here), with distinct Gothic styling.
28-29. Mokelumne, CA. Folk house, Carpenter Gothic, c.1854. Photo courtesy of Kevin McCartney.
30. Deerfield Village, MA. Reverend John Farwell Moors House, c.1848. Features double lancet window in the gable and decorative vergeboards (trim) under the eaves.
31. New Bedford, MA. William J. Rotch House, c.1844. Architect was Alexander Jackson Davis, the nation's foremost promoter of the Gothic Revival style during the time, along with his counterpart, Andrew Jackson Downing. This house is a manifestation of Davis' house plan published in Downing's Architecture for Country Houses in 1848, specifically representing Design #24 (XXIV).
32. New Bedford, MA. Excellent example of Carpenter Gothic, making decorative use of vertical board & batten siding.
33. New Bedford, MA. Gothic church tower, with battlements (castelated parapets) and lancet-arched window.