The Fredösphere

I promised you some pictures from my whirlwind photo tour of Coldwater, Michigan.  Today we begin by looking at a few Italianate houses from that fine old town.

The Italianate style was dominate throughout the northern U.S. in the third quarter of the 19th century.  Because my home area of southern Michigan saw a lot of construction during that period, the Italianate style says "fine old home" to me more than any other.  It vexes me that Queen Annes and even the never-quite-satisfying Second Empires have a clearer identity and fan base; I suppose nothing succeeds like excess.  Today I intend to show that nothing succeeds like obsess; I love these stately Italianates, and when I'm done with you, so will you.  Oh yes, yes, you will.

Italianates are characterized by:  narrow, arched windows with elaborated crowns; cupolas or -- in the sub-style Italian Villa -- towers;  low pitched hip roofs; and above all, decorative brackets in the eaves.  If you see brackets, and the roof is anything but a mansard, you can safely name the building an Italianate.

Had I more time, I could have found many more examples in Coldwater, including some finer than what I have here.  Nevertheless, these pictures should tell the tale.  (Click on any image to see a larger version.)  The first is a well-maintained example on Chicago St., the main drag.  The central dormer is typical, although if were arched, it would be more so.  The second is odd, but charming; its narrow facade reminds me of the many store fronts from that period.  (Nearly all the commercial districts of the towns in the Midwest are dominated by Italianate styling.  Indeed, I can honestly say I can't even imagine what a traditional American downtown would look like if it weren't Italianate.)  The third is disappointing.  The photo turned out poorly, and the house itself is not well maintained.  I include it to expose some of the less successful variations on the theme.  (See, I'm not a reactionary; not everything tradition gives us is wonderful.)  The fourth house is a gem from down the road in Burr Oak, Michigan.  I passed this house probably thousands of times during my childhood, but never really noticed it.  I was stunned to rediscover it, and I marveled at the way it could seem so fresh, yet so familiar, at the same time.  It's highly dominant cupola and the Palladian styling of the porch are daring and satisfying to my eye.

I may have inspired you to build an Italianate house, but really, I'd rather you didn't.  My plan is to build one myself when I retire, and my fear is that baby boomers will notice the style and smother it in their embrace.  If that happens, by the time I'm ready to build, the style will have jumped the shark.  So please, wait your turn; I saw it first.