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   Second Empire

STYLE INFORMATION

Name

Second Empire

General Range

1865-1885


HISTORIC OVERVIEW OF THIS STYLE

Like its contemporaries the Gothic Revival and Italianate, the Second Empire was a modern interpretation of earlier architectural forms. The Second Empire style was re-introduced by Napoleon III of France, who constructed several monumental buildings in the mid-19th century that incorporated the mansard roof, a Medieval French feature. Second Empire residential architecture appeared in the United States almost immediately after the Civil War and was particularly common throughout the 1870s. The key feature of the style is the mansard roof, a "requirement" for a building to be considered part of the style. However, other features are also common, such as decorative iron cresting along the ridge lines; a heavy cornice that incorporated an interior gutter system supported by heavy brackets and/or consoles; tall windows that often featured arched heads; multiple dormers on the third floor; and use of thick molding on doors and window surrounds. A major advantage of the mansard roof is that it made the upper level far more useable in an affordable manner (than a typical attic). The house at 306 West 9th Street in Erie (above) illustrates many of these features.
 
A grouping of Second Empire houses along West 6th Street in the City of Erie represents a subset cluster. These houses feature large hexagonal bays on the main elevation flanking a recessed entrance atop a flight of stairs. Examples were found at 328, 332-334, and 462 West 6th Street, all within the West Sixth Street Historic District. The survey identified several other Second Empire houses of exceptional quality, such as the house at 527 West 6th Street, also in Erie. A block of Second Empire style rowhouses was identified at 201-205 West 8th Street in Erie, and a rather unusual 2-story Second Empire house was identified at 329 West 9th Street in the city.


UPDATE

If you have additional information or corrections to the existing information, send an email to info@preservationerie.org.
Submitted information is reviewed by Preservation Erie prior to updating the database.


EXAMPLE


HISTORIC RESOURCES OF THIS STYLE

Municipality

Historic Name

Address

Edinboro Borough

Wade-Evans Hse

139 MEADVILLE ST

Edinboro Borough

Masonic Hall

105 ERIE ST

City of Erie

 

329 W 9 ST

City of Erie

 

201 05W 8 ST

City of Erie

 

306 W 9 ST

City of Erie

 

437 W 6 ST

City of Erie

Judah Colt Spencer House

527 W 6 ST

City of Erie

Spencer Double House

529 W 6 ST

City of Erie

Addison Leech House

462 W 6 ST

City of Erie

 

332 W 6 ST

City of Erie

 

345 W 6 ST

City of Erie

 

334 W 6 ST

City of Erie

 

328 W 6 ST

City of Erie

 

330 W 6 ST

City of Erie

Olds Houses

349 W 6 ST

Fairview Township

Jerome Gaillard House

7800 MAPLE St

North East Borough

 

25 TOWN ST

Springfield Township

 

12811 SANFORD RD

Springfield Township

 

13982 CHESTNUT ST


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