Italianate
Leech Street, St. Paul, MN
Found in the older parts of St. Paul near downtown built in the 1870's to 1890's IDENTIFYING FEATURES: 2 or 3 stories, rarely 1 story; low-pitched roof, widely overhanging eaves; large, decorative brackets beneath eaves; tall, narrow windows (most often on commercial buildings), commonly arched or curved above; some with square cupola or tower (campanile), elaborate wrap-around porch (or smaller entry porch) with decorative Italianate double columns and other details.
BACKGROUND AND INSPIRATION: Dominated American houses between 1850-1880. Common in expanding towns and cities in Midwest, and still-growing older cities in Northeast. Least common in the South. Very common in San Francisco. Style began in England as part of the picturesque (Romantic) movement: a reaction to formal classical ideas. Emphasized rambling, Italian farmhouses. In U.S., houses followed the informal, rural models of picturesque movement. Modified for use as typical "main street" commercial architecture in Midwest. Popularized by Andrew Jackson Downing, 1840s, 1850s, with Gothic Revival. By 1860s, Italianate overshadowed Gothic Revival as most popular style.
