Victorian Architecture: East vs West
 

Here's one for the architecture buffs.

I've always found remarkable the great difference between Eastern and Western Victorian architecture. Bearing in mind we're talking about the same country, the same period and the same influences I think it's quite surprising. Let's take San Francisco as a the Western paradigm, being as it was THE city in the West, and Boston as the Eastern stereotype. If you think about wooden architecture, the ornate San Francisco victorians with their bay windows have nothing to do with their Eastern counterparts. And where you see brownstones and red brick rowhouses in the East you see stucco in the West. We're actually talking about cities of a similar size, 342k San Fran against 560k Boston, according to the 1900 census. How do you explain the difference in architectural styles?

Well, absolutely, but the Spanish revival came later, I would say from 1915 on, and it seeks inspiration from autochtonous Southwestern sources, but what I find remarkable about Victorian architecture is that, being entirely of Anglo-American inspiration like its Eastern counterpart, it managed to create a language of its own.

This is a good observation. There is a also a sort of vernacular going on here with West Coast victorian, with the raised main floors. This seems peculiar to older Norhtern Califorina towns, as one sees this style in Sacramento and Suisun City as well as SF.

I believe you will find this page interesting,
http://www.inetours.com/Pages/SFNbrh...ian_Homes.html
It's a pretty simplistic page that deals with Victorian architecture in SF. Also, Gothic Revival is one of my favorite architectural styles from that period.
http://www.inetours.com/images/Victo...ld_Hs_6235.jpg
http://www.inetours.com/images/Victo...ld_Hs_6235.jpg

Throw the Midwest into the mix. In my current hometown (Oconto, Wisconsin) we have several fine examples of Victorian architecture in both wood and brick. A few were earlier Italianate designs from the 1860s remodeled into Queen Anne or more typical Victorian styles. This Victorianizing was usually accomplished though adding a rap around front porch, a corner tower, bay windows, and sometimes modifying the roof as well. Oconto (5,000 people) is no exception to this patern. Many of the small and large cities in the Midwest that had a business heyday during the late 1800s have wonderful examples.