IDENTIFYING FEATURES: Steeply pitched, irregular roof shapes; dominant, front-facing gable; patterned shingles, bay windows, picturesque massing (see Gothic Revival), polychromatic and decorative ornamentation; partial or full-width porches of one story; multiple gables and dormers; occasional towers and turrets, rounded or square. Differing wall textures are their "hallmark". This is the most eclectic style of the Victorian era.

BACKGROUND AND INSPIRATION: Name of style: suggested eclecticism (variety) to its originators. Coined in England to describe buildings supposedly inspired by pre-Georgian, late Medieval styles with half-timbered and/or masonry. Richard Norman Shaw: most prominent architect in England to promote Queen Anne. Represented culmination of picturesque, romantic styles of 19th century. Anything goes: style itself is based on "decorative excess" and variety. No focus on specific historical detailing; rather, a combination of various forms/styles. Most common for houses, least common for commercial structures. Most dominant residential style in the U.S. 1880-1900. The style may include design elements of Charles Eastlake, who influenced interior and exterior styling with his 1871 American version of Hints on Household Taste in Furniture, Upholstery, and Other Details (1868). The extent to which home builders applied his wood-crafted designs, however, appalled him during the late Victorian period, as he had not intended his designs to be used to such excess.

PHOTO LOCATIONS AND DESCRIPTIONS (based on info available)

1. Rockville, CT.
2. Bellefonte, PA.
3. Emden, IL.
4. Bellefonte, PA.
5. Bellefonte, PA. Queen Anne-styled commercial building, c.1890s.
6. Elizabeth, IL. Round turrets/bay windows on Main Street buildings.
7. Madison, IN.
8. Kanab, UT.
9-10. Los Angeles (with LA skyscrapers peaking through the background).
11. Bloomington, IL.
12. Rockville, CT.
13. Crawford Notch, NH. Queen Anne train depot, used currently by the Conway Scenic Railway.
14. Redlands, CA.
15. South of Kamloops, BC.
16. Branford, CT. Ephraim-Parrish House, c.1760. Apparently updated with Queen Anne styling more than a century later. Small, square windows in the front gables are a Queen Anne attribute (from what I know), along with patterned shingles.
17-21. Branford, CT.
22. Dillsboro, NC. Two particularly interesting features here: A recessed arch under the gable, and S-curved roof on the tower.
23. Hendersonville, NC. Train depot, with Victorian tower (bay window for station master) and the common large brackets under the eaves.
24. Jerome, AZ.
25-30. Stafford, CT.
31. Savannah, GA. Duplex.
32. Savannah, GA. Duplex.
33. Savannah, GA.
34, 35. Savannah, GA.
36. Savannah, GA. c.1887.
37, 38. Savannah, GA. Note the S-curved roof, similar to photo 22.
39. Savannah, GA. c.1891.
40. Savannah, GA.
41. Long Beach, CA
42. West Virginia. Photo courtesy of Kathy Dobbs.
43. Branford, CT. Carriage house. Small example of the Stick Style on the large dormer. The "front" entryway was added later, with a Neoclassical porch.
44-47. Durango, CO.
48-56. Los Angeles.
57. San Francisco. Queen Anne town homes with Mission-style elements, including red tile roof and mission parapets
58-60. San Francisco.