My Pet Project:The American Rowhouse [Your Discussion Needed]

[CGII]

I've been in the process of sketching out an SSP-esque poster showcasing majour styles of prewar, American rowhouses. It'll show a city block, with each rowhouse being from a different US city, with Westwardmost on the left and Easternmost on the right.
What I need from you (and what is to differentiate this thread from the other) is to discuss what majour US cities feature architecture styles of rowhomes that attribute that style directly to that city. Like, Brooklyn rowhomes are very distinctive and identifyable with Brooklyn. A place like Columbus, however, does not have that type of profile in its rowhouse stock. I need to refine my current list [below] to cover all the bases and get a solid lineup for this:

Boston
NY:SoHo
NY:Brooklyn
Philadelphia
Baltimore
Washington, DC
Pittsburgh
Detroit (in my first draft the Detroit space was an empty lot, as a sort of dark joke)
Chicago
St. Louis
San Francisco

I've got an open mind, so start selling me (but please avoid boosterism, I don't want someone from either an
a:low profile town, or
b:town without prolific rowhouses
to come forward and start boosterising this thread. So, sorry everyone from Plano or Schaumburg).

[Steely Dan]

i don't want to sound like a whiner, but if you're talking about prolific row-house cities, i think cincy deserves a nod, no? but don't ask me about specific city rowhouse styles, that's not my area of expertise.

[CGII]

I'm not familiar with Cincy's housing stock, I'll have to take a look. Certainly not whining. ;)

[STERNyc]

Baltimore's also worth a look.

[CGII]

Of course! I had that in my list, I forgot. :D

[Prahaboheme]

New Orleans? Its pretty distinctive..

[JivecitySTL]

Great idea! While there is a signature St. Louis-style vernacular housing type (the standard 4-flat), the city's rowhouses really run the gamut of different styles. I would say the overwhelming majority of them are simple, with relatively little ornamentation compared to other housing types, and of course everything here is made of red brick.

Some common themes that I would consider unique to St. Louis rowhousing, or at least very prevalent:

Mansard roofs (although an awful lot have the flattops too)
Inset doorways
Arched windows
Red brick
Irregular rows (ex. Federal style abutting 2nd Empire)
Simple, flat facades

If you'd like more pics, I'd be happy to share, I have tons of them.

[hauntedheadnc]

I don't know if it's unique to it or not, but Winston-Salem, NC has a few blocks of rowhouses in Old Salem that feature big front porches.

[Taller Better]

So............ would Canadian cities fit in too, or is this strictly an American project? If not, I still look forward to the pix! I lovvvvvvvvvvve rowhouses!

[bnk]

I am having row-house Deja vu.

Didn’t we have a thread on this topic earlier?:shrug:

[Evergrey]

Pittsburgh has a rather eclectic mix of housing styles, including its rowhomes.

Wood-frame vinyl-sided (and rather ugly) rowhomes are common in the traditionally working-class neighborhoods (Troy Hill, Polish Hill, Bloomfield). The architecture is unrelentingly plain, but generations of incremental modifications have created interesting and distinctive streetscapes. Here is an example from Troy Hill:
http://www.pbase.com/deadwing/image/65536044.jpg

A collection of North Side neighborhoods offer the finest rowhousing in the city... mid/late 1800s Victorians catering to the upper/middle class. These are from Allegheny West's Beech St.:
http://www.pbase.com/deadwing/image/55228344.jpg

The Mexican War Streets (also in the North Side) is interesting due to its complete lack of uniformity... as with most of the city... it was developed lot-by-lot as opposed to block-by-block. The architectural contrasts are striking and create a visually engaging streetscape.
http://www.pbase.com/deadwing/image/55230061.jpg

These simple brick mid/late 1800s rowhomes are typical of large historically working-class neighborhoods like Lawrenceville and South Side. This photo also gives an example of the sloping row, common in Pittsburgh due to the turbulent topography:
http://www.pbase.com/deadwing/image/53037464.jpg

[ColDayMan]

Cincinnati's rowhouse typically have arches over the doors aka:

http://urbanohio.com/SWOhio/Cincinnati/Neighborhoods/WestEnd/WE16.jpg

Columbus DOES have a distinctive style in its rows as they are generally apartment-style and have a flat face with a subtle castle-turret spaced throughout the structure aka:
http://www.urbanohio.com/CentralOhio/Columbus/Neighborhoods/Indianola/I9.JPG

[Segun]

the most 'Chicago' style buildings are not rowhouses, rather they're flats:

http://www.streetsandsoul.com/half/half017.jpg
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/roundup/roundup023.jpg
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/half/half007.jpg

[hudkina]

Detroit isn't a rowhouse city, so it doesn't really belong on the poster. But even still the rowhouses that Detroit does have vary so much that there really isn't one particular style. One thing I have noticed is that a lot of rowhouses that were built on corners have the last house turned to the one side. I'm not sure if this is common in other cities but it happens quite a bit in the rowhouses in Detroit.

For example,
http://www.downriverdetroit.net/rowhouses/detroitrowhouse6.jpg
http://www.downriverdetroit.net/rowhouses/detroitrowhouse8.jpg
http://www.downriverdetroit.net/rowhouses/detroitrowhouse11.jpg
http://www.downriverdetroit.net/rowhouses/detroitrowhouse16.jpg


BTW, I think the cities should run as follows:

San Francisco-New Orleans-St. Louis-Chicago-Cincinnati-Pittsburgh-Charleston-Washington-Baltimore-Philadelphia-New York-Boston

[Shawn]

^---- Good order, but if we are to include Canada, where would you put Montreal, between NY and Boston, or to the right of Boston?

[JivecitySTL]

Well shit, since everyone else is posting pics I guess I should. Sorry if there are too many, I get carried away sometimes.

St. Louis rowhouses:

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/21411654.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/21412143.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/21412392.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/21412545.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/21518802.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/21518968.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/21519036.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/21519125.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/24225656.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/23563473.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/23563530.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/23566456.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/25996547.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/23326744.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/23326752.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/23326974.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/25995743.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/25996105.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/25996255.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/25996525.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/25996542.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/25996532.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/26640308.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/29764282.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/32148263.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/53892449.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/53892452.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/53892455.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/53892477.jpg

[sharkfood]

There is a noticeable pattern to which cities are being mentioned and not mentioned in this thread. Philadelphia is the point of origin of the archetypical American rowhouse. It was the first city in which the rowhouse was the basic structure in the urban fabric (the rule not the exception). In Boston and New York, by contrast, the detached house was the basic structure and attached housing only developed as the cities densified.

The line of settlement west of Philadelphia runs through Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Columbus, and St. Louis. Hence, those cities have an abundance of rowhouses by American standards. By contrast, the line of Yankee settlement runs through upstate New York, Cleveland, Detroit and Chicago. In these cities, rowhouses are much less common if not unheard of. This is the Yankee influence. While Boston has its Beacon Hill and Back Bay, as soon as you leave the immediate vicinity of downtown, the housing becomes a mixture of detached homes and small apartment buildings. You see a similar mix in the northern cities of the midwest.

Other places with an abundance of rowhouses? Anywhere on the Northeast corridor from Trenton to Alexandria, Virginia is prime rowhouse territory. Also, Pennsylvania cities north and west of Philadelphia like Allentown, Reading and Lancaster. Outside of that orbit, I have heard that Albany has some stock of old Dutch rowhouses but never seen pictures. Richmond has an abundance in Church Hill and the Fan District. Charleston and Savannah have some. Others?

[village person]

Charleston doesn't have very many rows to speak of. Its famous Rainbow Row, I've learned, originally had storefronts on the ground floors of most of the houses, so it's kind of iffy. The rest of its rows aren't nearly as remarkable as the city's more characteristic stand-alone town houses.



Savannah has considerably more rows, but not as unique a style of its own. It generally has a mix of housing types and styles all next to each other with little monotony -- more detached/semi-detached than rows. Its longest row has 15 triple-bay houses and is a most uncharacteristic stretch of homogeniety for Savannah.

I'd say the unique elements of Savannah's row house stock are A) "high basements" due to the shallow water table and B) basement-less clapboard rows outside the wealthier wards.



Pics:

http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/2629/108116gastone01qt8.jpg

http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/3678/111119jonese01db1.jpg

http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/8048/215229gordone01fc1.jpg

http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/3026/202206gastone01uq6.jpg


high basements:
http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/8558/101129gordonw01ob7.jpg

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/6238/443455barnard01qf8.jpg

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/5880/117123gastonw01bz6.jpg

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/6850/1731jonese01cy5.jpg

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/7294/213221gastone02pc2.jpg

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/4593/1115gordone01wc1.jpg




A variety of oddly different houses neighboring one another is a more common sight, though usually detached/semi-detached:
http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/5307/1418hullw01sj4.jpg





And here are some clapboard rows, no basements:
http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/7965/440448price01sp1.jpg

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/2884/pricestreet01tm1.jpg

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/4922/pricestreet03tc8.jpg

[Cirrus]

Canada is great and all, and yeah yeah, I know, North America, but I suspect CGII is talking about just the US.

Anyway, for Washington you should use this (http://ct.pbase.com/v3/25/568725/1/46152158.dc07.jpg), with optional turret as shown here (http://www.pbase.com/step2me/image/46152156) (the hex version is the most common).

Baltimore is easy. It should be one of these (http://www.pbase.com/step2me/image/46152097).

[mrherodotus]

Keep in mind, that every rowhouse city tends to have a variety of styles. That said, here are some characteristics that are common to rows in certain cities.


Boston: The curved projecting bay that runs the full height of the house. South End houses have high stoops.

NY: Brownstone, and the high stoop. Nothing is more NY than that.

Philly: The West Philadelphia style porch fronted row.

Baltimore: Low marble stoops, and extensive use of marble trim.

DC: Turrets and projecting bays. Cast iron stoops and railings. Rows are set back from the sidewalk.

Pittsburgh: Dormers. Sideways stoops. Elaborate wooden window hoods and door surrounds.

Columbus: Short porch rows.

Cincy: Semi-circular hood mouldings.

St Louis: Dormers. Recessed doorways.

[Prahaboheme]

Those Savannah rowhouses are absolutely gorgeous! I can't get enough of this city.

[Wheelingman04]

Does anyone have a couple of pictures of Milwaukee rowhouses?

[CGII]

Does anyone have a couple of pictures of Milwaukee rowhouses?
Sadly, there are no Milwaukee rowhouses (well, I suppose that's not entirely fair, as there are maybe one or two small rows), bu rather large duplex flats.


I've compiled some photos of rowhomes for cities and updated my list (no Detroit, yes Columbus, yes Cincy, maybe Savannah) and I'll show you all what I'm planning to do in a bit.

[CGII]

Here's a more finalized lineup, with some pictorial examples of what I think I'll do:

Boston:
http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/5664/bostonyv3.jpg
New York:
http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/8121/brooklyngu7.jpg
Philadelphia
http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/6646/philadelphiabx2.jpg
Baltimore
http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/152/baltimorenc7.jpg
Washington
http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/9631/washingtonxg3.jpg
Pittsburgh
http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/4697/pittsburghkt9.jpg
Columbus
http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/7153/columbuslc2.jpg
Cincinnati
http://img325.imageshack.us/img325/2825/cincyuy8.jpg
Chicago
http://img325.imageshack.us/img325/8369/chicagopk5.jpg
St. Louis
http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/5153/stlouisql1.jpg
San Francisco
http://img325.imageshack.us/img325/1492/sanfranciscorv7.jpg

And maybe Savannah for some Southern flair:
http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/4848/savannahbc0.jpg

Do all these seem fair?

[ColDayMan]

Seems fine.

[hudkina]

I think you should add New Orleans with the elaborate balconies, even if most of the French Quarter has shops on the first floor.

http://dezso.homeip.net/dezso/newo2003/d1.jpg

[mrherodotus]

Sadly, there are no Milwaukee rowhouses (well, I suppose that's not entirely fair, as there are maybe one or two small rows), bu rather large duplex flats.


I've compiled some photos of rowhomes for cities and updated my list (no Detroit, yes Columbus, yes Cincy, maybe Savannah) and I'll show you all what I'm planning to do in a bit.



Milwaukee Rowhouses.

http://www.pbase.com/step2me/image/69650784.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/step2me/image/69650763.jpg

[CGII]

http://www.pbase.com/step2me/image/69650763.jpg
The Graham Block is one of my favourite rowhouses anywhere, but I still wouldn't give Milwaukee much credit for rowhouses, espeically compared with the powerhouses like Pittsburgh or Baltimore.

[Urban Zombie]

While not a "rowhouse city", Seattle has its fair share scattered around its various central neighborhoods, (actually a lot more than even city residents seem to realize...)

Already posted these in the other thread, but oh well, I'll do it again here. I managed to find these in my stash of photos from the last few years, sorry the quality is such shite. The complex in the second shot is most likely pre-war, as most buildings in that area date back to the teens or earlier. The other 2 I'm not sure about:

http://ct.pbase.com/o6/45/599045/1/70939657.MHlmrLm3.P1010373.jpg

http://ct.pbase.com/o6/45/599045/1/70939658.XPXRijsL.P1010377.jpg

http://ct.pbase.com/o6/45/599045/1/70939659.iRoi1zZv.P1030576.jpg

[BTinSF]

Here's a more finalized lineup, with some pictorial examples of what I think I'll do:

San Francisco
http://img325.imageshack.us/img325/1492/sanfranciscorv7.jpg


To my eye, those look inauthentic. First of all, at least a couple of them have had what was almost certainly their original wooden siding removed and replaced with stucco (this was done a lot, but it's sad IMHO). Secondly, they have brick veneers on the ground floor which probably isn't original either. Finally, that is but one rather rare style of architecture--kind of pseudo Queen Anne I guess. Much more common is Italianate and/or "stick" Victorian and almost all older SF homes would have originally been wood.

Here's among the best known examples, of course:

http://www.geraldbrimacombe.com/Midwest/California%20-%20San%20Francisco%20Painted%20Ladies%20Hz.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0c/Paintedladies.jpg

Here's some Italianate ones:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/Western-Addition.jpg/800px-Western-Addition.jpg

http://www.inetours.com/images/Victorians/Calif_St_5933.jpg

The middle one here has been trashed as I describe above but its neighbors tell you how it used to look
http://www.inetours.com/images/Victorians/Buchanan_Italianate_5956.jpg

Another very common SF style are these Mediterraneanesque stucco houses built after WW II. You find them most commonly in the newer neighborhoods like the Richmond and Sunset:

http://images.worldofstock.com/slides/TAC1055.jpg

[CGII]

I thought briefly of doing the Steiner St homes, but not only would that be kitschy, but also inauthentic, as they technically aren't rowhomes.

This, however
http://www.inetours.com/images/Victorians/Calif_St_5933.jpg
Is perfect. I really like that green one. I think I'll do that.

[tech12]

Here are some more San Francisco rowhomes. I realize they're stucco'd over as well (except for the one on the far left), but they're of a different style then the other ones pictured so far:

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/2081/p1010028xa8.jpg

I don't know much about architecture...anyone know what these are?

[mrherodotus]

To my eye, those look inauthentic. First of all, at least a couple of them have had what was almost certainly their original wooden siding removed and replaced with stucco (this was done a lot, but it's sad IMHO). Secondly, they have brick veneers on the ground floor which probably isn't original either. Finally, that is but one rather rare style of architecture--kind of pseudo Queen Anne I guess. Much more common is Italianate and/or "stick" Victorian and almost all older SF homes would have originally been wood.

Here's among the best known examples, of course:

http://www.geraldbrimacombe.com/Midwest/California%20-%20San%20Francisco%20Painted%20Ladies%20Hz.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0c/Paintedladies.jpg

Here's some Italianate ones:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/Western-Addition.jpg/800px-Western-Addition.jpg

http://www.inetours.com/images/Victorians/Calif_St_5933.jpg

The middle one here has been trashed as I describe above but its neighbors tell you how it used to look
http://www.inetours.com/images/Victorians/Buchanan_Italianate_5956.jpg

Another very common SF style are these Mediterraneanesque stucco houses built after WW II. You find them most commonly in the newer neighborhoods like the Richmond and Sunset:

http://images.worldofstock.com/slides/TAC1055.jpg


Most of those are not rowhouses. They would be considered semi-detatched.

[Xing]

Shit, I didn't even realize these were connected. The gap in the middle, makes you think they're single family.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0c/Paintedladies.jpg

[i_am_hydrogen]

Wilmington, DE rocks the row as well.

[NathanHota]

This is an interesting topic, here's some more San Francisco ones .....

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y221/nathanh6686/RH3.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y221/nathanh6686/RH2.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y221/nathanh6686/RH1.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y221/nathanh6686/1victorians-02-big.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y221/nathanh6686/RH6.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y221/nathanh6686/RH4.jpg

... and in the Presidio ...
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y221/nathanh6686/RH5.jpg

[mja]

Philly is all rowhouses and they range dramatically in style.

[Wheelingman04]

Thanks for posting those pics of Milwaukee rowhouses, Hero.:)

[CGII]

Philly is all rowhouses and they range dramatically in style.
That doesn't help at all. I think we all concluded from the start that each city is diverse in rowhouses and that's why I came to this forum to discuss which type is best representative for each city, and I can't imagine someone from Philadelphia would be upset with my choice of the patioed two and a half floor walkup I posted.

[xzmattzx]

If you are going to include a mid-sized city like Savannah ni your project, Wilmington DE is another mid-sized city you might want to include. The rowhouse is most common type of housing in Wilmington. Here are pictures of most of the types of rowhomes you can find in Wilmington.

http://img105.imageshack.us/img105/1853/dscf2602xxxp8.jpg

http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/852/dscf2606xxaf5.jpg

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/8478/dscf2668xxtf6.jpg

http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/2916/dscf2671xxpd5.jpg

http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/1027/dscf2676xxmz8.jpg

http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/6223/dscf2835xxyx2.jpg

http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/8059/dscf3341xxya3.jpg

http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/343/dscf3347xxhe2.jpg

http://img71.imageshack.us/img71/6513/dscf3356xxko4.jpg

http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/1846/dscf3357xxvo1.jpg

http://img71.imageshack.us/img71/6793/dscf3376xxyi3.jpg

http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/6484/dscf3377xxfj4.jpg

http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/3589/dscf3385xxsk3.jpg

http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/2518/dscf3386xxke1.jpg

http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/6900/dscf3399xxte4.jpg

http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/6092/dscf3400xxix8.jpg

http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/4159/dscf3408xxuq7.jpg

http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/57/dscf3407xxvf4.jpg

http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/7599/dscf3526xxuy2.jpg

http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/2310/dscf3527xxgp2.jpg

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/9132/dscf4548xxwd2.jpg



If I had to pick one rowhouse style that reminds me of Wilmington, this is my choice:

http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/6900/dscf3399xxte4.jpg

[mja]

That doesn't help at all. I think we all concluded from the start that each city is diverse in rowhouses and that's why I came to this forum to discuss which type is best representative for each city, and I can't imagine someone from Philadelphia would be upset with my choice of the patioed two and a half floor walkup I posted.

Where did you post that, I must have missed it?

Philly has a long history and has gone through many different styles. As a neighborhood was settled, the houses put up were obviously representative of the era. Hence, Society Hill Georgian and Federal rows (or their later copies) are much different from Rittenhouse brownstones or West Philly Victorians or Northeast Philly tract housing. A person from NE Philly has a drastically different idea of what your typical rowhome is than a person from West Philly.

[CGII]

Where did you post that, I must have missed it?

Philly has a long history and has gone through many different styles. As a neighborhood was settled, the houses put up were obviously representative of the era. Hence, Society Hill Georgian and Federal rows (or their later copies) are much different from Rittenhouse brownstones or West Philly Victorians or Northeast Philly tract housing. A person from NE Philly has a drastically different idea of what your typical rowhome is than a person from West Philly.
Naturally. My point is that every city with rowhouses will have the same thing, different styles in different neighbourhoods, etc. I'm just looking for one good example of a rowhouse from each city, and this is what I took from Philly:
http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/6646/philadelphiabx2.jpg
It's against the point and irritating when one just states that there are a variety of styles. I know that, but that's not what I'm asking for.

[mja]

Naturally. My point is that every city with rowhouses will have the same thing, different styles in different neighbourhoods, etc. I'm just looking for one good example of a rowhouse from each city, and this is what I took from Philly:
http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/6646/philadelphiabx2.jpg
It's against the point and irritating when one just states that there are a variety of styles. I know that, but that's not what I'm asking for.

I'm sorry that you find it irritating. I'm really not trying to be annoying. But as a quick example, I think it is fair to say that the pick you posted is not what most Philadelphians would have in mind when asked to think of a representative Philadelphia rowhome. In fact, I think that would be among the last.

A red brick rowhome - georgian, federal, victorian, etc. - would probably be far more representative choice.

[CGII]

I'm sorry that you find it irritating. I'm really not trying to be annoying. But as a quick example, I think it is fair to say that the pick you posted is not what most Philadelphians would have in mind when asked to think of a representative Philadelphia rowhome. In fact, I think that would be among the last.

A red brick rowhome - georgian, federal, victorian, etc. - would probably be far more representative choice.
Don't worry about being irritating, I think I'm just a little irritable. ;)

In any case, what you must also consider is that these rowhomes are distinct to Philadelphia, they are unique to Philadelphia, and outsiders would most likely think of them as Philadelphian. A Georgian/Federal/Victorian red brick rowhome is too identifiable with other majour cities (baltimore, st. louis, etc...), and the patioed 2 and 1/2 floor rowhome is something that really stands out from the Philly crowd as truely being from Philly. I'd go so far as Philly has the most identifiable and distinct rowhome out of my whole list.

[passdoubt]

How 'bout the West Philly rows w/ the 2 story porches? I think those are the most unique style of row that predominate in Philadelphia. I don't think I've ever seen them outside of West Philly.

[volguus zildrohar]

CGII, the typical rowhouse has a porch much closer to the ground. I'm willing to put money down that photo was taken somewhere in the Overbrook area. This is more the standard model and around 70% of the city's two story rowhomes follow this design (some feature post-built enclosed porches or have second floor bays instead of a full wall flush to the porch line).

http://www.pbase.com/image/71161472.jpg

[mja]

Not being particularly aware of these things, does anyone know if the god-forsaken NE Philly quasi-suburban rowhome can be found anywhere else on the planet?

Anybody have a pic of these?

Philly is to rowhouses what France is to cheese. How can John Street lead a city with 300 different types of rowhouses?

[volguus zildrohar]

You tend to find brick twins more often. How far Northeast?

[mja]

You tend to find brick twins more often. How far Northeast?

Actually, not the far NE. Mayfair (my ole hood) as an example. Overwhelmingly consisting of rows.

They have basements that aren't actually underground and which are accessed from the driveways via what we refer to as cubby holes which can be best described as an indentation between neighboring houses. The porches are shared by the neighboring houses and straddle the cubby hole. They have sloping lawns at the front of the house with open patios at the top. Various faux exteriors but there is a particular type I find the most ludicrous where it is just brick with weird wannabe ornamentation that isn't even faux but just plain fake, kind of like what you'd find in the Yorktown section in N Philly. I'll have to try to snap some photos and post them if I get a chance.

[Roanokerichmonder]

Although Richmond and Alexandria were already mentioned I will still touch on some of the VA cities. Since I'm a Virginian these are the cities I know best so I can give you what info I have. I'm no expert on row homes so I will just give you some web sites and let you go from there.

Alexandria:
Primarily this whole city is either high rise apartment buildings or rowhomes

Richmond:
About 40% of this city is rowhomes
http://www.richmondcitywatch.com <don't go to the section that says neighborhoods you will only get an expired page but click on the Photo Gallery at the top right side of the page

Portsmouth:
This city has an abundance of rowhomes in the Olde Town district
http://digitalarchivist.org/photos/browse.htm
http://digitalarchivist.org/photos/15/images/1015013.jpg
http://digitalarchivist.org/photos/15/images/1015014.jpg
http://digitalarchivist.org/photos/14/images/1014035.jpg
http://digitalarchivist.org/photos/28/images/1028105.jpg
http://digitalarchivist.org/photos/31/images/1031005.jpg

Norfolk:
I don't know much about this city but if I'm not wrong the Freemason and Ghent neighborhoods have streets lined with rowhomes.

Petersburg:
Although a very small city(Population 30,000) it is part of the Richmond metro area (1.2million people) there are plenty of row homes in this town. You may find some stuff on Petersburg at http://www.richmondcitywatch.com/

[volguus zildrohar]

mja, I know exactly the type of house you're referring to and I can't recall seeing anything exactly like it anywhere I've been. Such developments are very much a product of their time - with the car in mind, something you won't see in any Philadelphia neighborhood that reached its zenith before WWII (you'll find them in parts of Roxborough and Overbrook as well as Yorktown and the NE).

[mrherodotus]

Although Richmond and Alexandria were already mentioned I will still touch on some of the VA cities. Since I'm a Virginian these are the cities I know best so I can give you what info I have. I'm no expert on row homes so I will just give you some web sites and let you go from there.

Alexandria:
Primarily this whole city is either high rise apartment buildings or rowhomes

Richmond:
About 40% of this city is rowhomes
http://www.richmondcitywatch.com <don't go to the section that says neighborhoods you will only get an expired page but click on the Photo Gallery at the top right side of the page

Portsmouth:
This city has an abundance of rowhomes in the Olde Town district
http://digitalarchivist.org/photos/browse.htm
http://digitalarchivist.org/photos/15/images/1015013.jpg
http://digitalarchivist.org/photos/15/images/1015014.jpg
http://digitalarchivist.org/photos/14/images/1014035.jpg
http://digitalarchivist.org/photos/28/images/1028105.jpg
http://digitalarchivist.org/photos/31/images/1031005.jpg

Norfolk:
I don't know much about this city but if I'm not wrong the Freemason and Ghent neighborhoods have streets lined with rowhomes.

Petersburg:
Although a very small city(Population 30,000) it is part of the Richmond metro area (1.2million people) there are plenty of row homes in this town. You may find some stuff on Petersburg at http://www.richmondcitywatch.com/


I saw very few rows when I explored Petersburg.

40% seems very high for Richmond. I did see many rows, but i saw a ton of detatched townhouses during my trips to Richmond.

[Roanokerichmonder]

I saw very few rows when I explored Petersburg.

40% seems very high for Richmond. I did see many rows, but i saw a ton of detatched townhouses during my trips to Richmond.

Well Petersburg may be a bit exaggurated but in Richmond lets say take away the detatched townhouses and the city is still pretty much 35% rowhomes. What parts of Richmond did you explore because from the east end to the west end of the city is 90% rowhomes. The south side and the north side are detatched homes.

[catlike]

Actually, not the far NE. Mayfair (my ole hood) as an example. Overwhelmingly consisting of rows.

They have basements that aren't actually underground and which are accessed from the driveways via what we refer to as cubby holes which can be best described as an indentation between neighboring houses. The porches are shared by the neighboring houses and straddle the cubby hole. They have sloping lawns at the front of the house with open patios at the top. Various faux exteriors but there is a particular type I find the most ludicrous where it is just brick with weird wannabe ornamentation that isn't even faux but just plain fake, kind of like what you'd find in the Yorktown section in N Philly. I'll have to try to snap some photos and post them if I get a chance.

Someone take a picture of this, please!

[passdoubt]

Yeah, the core of Richmond is definitely a "rowhouse city."

http://www.richmondcitywatch.com/modules/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=4985&g2_serialNumber=1

[mrherodotus]

Well Petersburg may be a bit exaggurated but in Richmond lets say take away the detatched townhouses and the city is still pretty much 35% rowhomes. What parts of Richmond did you explore because from the east end to the west end of the city is 90% rowhomes. The south side and the north side are detatched homes.

I explored The Fan, Church Hill, Jackson Ward, and Carrytown.

I think you might be exaggerating more than a wee bit. I'd say the above areas are pretty well split. About 1/3 detatched townhouses, 1/3 rowhouses, and 1/3 twins (double houses). Nowhere near 90%. DC and Baltimore are serious rowhouse cities, and neither even comes close to 90%.

According to the US Census, Richmond has 44,935 detatched single family homes. Conversely, the city has 7,771 attached single family homes. This includes double houses as well as rowhouses. Obviously there are many large houses that have been cut up into apartments. Some of these are rowhouses, and some are not. Richmond has 13,582 apartments that are in buildings with 2, 3 or 4 units (nearly all subdivided houses will fall into this category, but of course, this category will also include small structures that were built as multi-unit dwellings). Even if I generously assume that all of these units are in rowhouses, (which of couse they are not), and that each only has two apartments, that would only add 6,791 rowhouses to the total. This would give Richmond a grand total of 14,562 rowhomes out of 59,497 houses total. (I'm not counting apartment buildings). That would be a percentage of 24.4752%. This would be assuming that every attached house was a rowhouse, and that every apartment building with 4 or fewer units was a converted rowhouse. Since we know that neither of these suppositons are true, the actual percentage of rowhomes in Richmond is substantially lower than 24.4%. It's probably somewhere in the teens.

You can find the Census numbers here: City Data, Richmond (http://www.city-data.com/housing/houses-Richmond-Virginia.html)

I have a few hundred pics from the most heavily rowhoused sections of Richmond. I'm going to put some of them in a separate thread.

[mrherodotus]

Here are some samples of Richmond housing from the most rowhouse heavy areas.


Rowhouses.

http://www.pbase.com/image/71541536.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/image/71541543.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/image/71541544.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/image/71541546.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/image/71541553.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/image/71541576.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/image/71541579.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/image/71541585.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/image/71541593.jpg


Double houses. There are a ton of these in The Fan. From a distance they look like rows, but they are not rowhouses.
http://www.pbase.com/image/71541571.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/image/71541574.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/image/71541583.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/image/71541586.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/image/71541622.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/image/71541695.jpg


Detatched houses. Closely built, yes. Rowhouses, no!
http://www.pbase.com/image/71541679.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/image/71541700.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/image/71541707.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/image/71541551.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/image/71541588.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/image/71541562.jpg

[Cincinnatis]

i don't want to sound like a whiner, but if you're talking about prolific row-house cities, i think cincy deserves a nod, no? but don't ask me about specific city rowhouse styles, that's not my area of expertise.

I don't think there is any city in the midwest that has more row-houses than Cincy ... hell, probably not too many in the US.

I would bet Newport, KY has more row-houses than a lot of cities in the US.

[Cincinnatis]

Some common themes that I would consider unique to St. Louis rowhousing, or at least very prevalent:

Mansard roofs (although an awful lot have the flattops too)
Inset doorways
Arched windows
Red brick
Irregular rows (ex. Federal style abutting 2nd Empire)
Simple, flat facades


Well, actually ... none of the characteristics are strictly unique to St. Louis. I don't want to sound like a smart ass (seriously, just curious), but have you ever been to Cincinnati?

[mrherodotus]

I don't think there is any city in the midwest that has more row-houses than Cincy ... hell, probably not too many in the US.

I would bet Newport, KY has more row-houses than a lot of cities in the US.

I can think of three that can give Cincy a run for it's money.
Chicago
Saint Louis
Columbus

I didn't see a whole lot of rowhouses in Newport. Lots of detached townhouses though.

For big cities, I'd rank 'em like this;

Tier 1:
Philly
Baltimore
NYC
DC

These are the big time rowhouse cities. Thousands and thousands of rowhomes. Large sections of these cities are almost totally rowhouses.

Tier 2:
Boston
Pittsburgh

Rowhouses are not the predominant housing type, but they are very common, with certain sections containing very heavy concentrations of rows.

Tier 3:

Chicago
Cincy
Saint Louis
Columbus

The first three cities tend to have many good examples of rowhousing concentrated in the old core of the city, while Columbus has rows scattered all over town.

I know there are rows in New Orleans and San Francisco, but I've never been to either city, so I can't rank them.

[JivecitySTL]

Well, actually ... none of the characteristics are strictly unique to St. Louis. I don't want to sound like a smart ass (seriously, just curious), but have you ever been to Cincinnati?
Yes, I have been to Cincinnati, and I realize that STL and Cincy have a lot in common in terms of housing styles. But unlike Cincinnati, Saint Louis is almost entirely a brick city. There are VERY few exceptions to this rule, whereas Cincinnati has much more of a hodgepodge of building materials.

Other differences between STL and Cincy residential vernacular (in general, of course there are exceptions):

CIN: more accented windows, more ornamentation in general, flat-fronted doorways
STL: more simple facades, fewer window accents, more arches in doorways & windows, recessed doorways predominate

[Roanokerichmonder]

I explored The Fan, Church Hill, Jackson Ward, and Carrytown.

I think you might be exaggerating more than a wee bit. I'd say the above areas are pretty well split. About 1/3 detatched townhouses, 1/3 rowhouses, and 1/3 twins (double houses). Nowhere near 90%. DC and Baltimore are serious rowhouse cities, and neither even comes close to 90%.

According to the US Census, Richmond has 44,935 detatched single family homes. Conversely, the city has 7,771 attached single family homes. This includes double houses as well as rowhouses. Obviously there are many large houses that have been cut up into apartments. Some of these are rowhouses, and some are not. Richmond has 13,582 apartments that are in buildings with 2, 3 or 4 units (nearly all subdivided houses will fall into this category, but of course, this category will also include small structures that were built as multi-unit dwellings). Even if I generously assume that all of these units are in rowhouses, (which of couse they are not), and that each only has two apartments, that would only add 6,791 rowhouses to the total. This would give Richmond a grand total of 14,562 rowhomes out of 59,497 houses total. (I'm not counting apartment buildings). That would be a percentage of 24.4752%. This would be assuming that every attached house was a rowhouse, and that every apartment building with 4 or fewer units was a converted rowhouse. Since we know that neither of these suppositons are true, the actual percentage of rowhomes in Richmond is substantially lower than 24.4%. It's probably somewhere in the teens.

You can find the Census numbers here: City Data, Richmond (http://www.city-data.com/housing/houses-Richmond-Virginia.html)

I have a few hundred pics from the most heavily rowhoused sections of Richmond. I'm going to put some of them in a separate thread.

First off those are very nice shots that you have of some of the many rowhomes in Richmond. Second anyone knows you can't rely on statistics 100%. But no way in hell is the percentage of rowhomes in Richmond only in the teens. I would say about 30% and no lower but definitely not the teens. Just like passdoubt said the core of Richmond is rowhomes. BTW do you have any pics of the rowhomes on Franklin St. close to the VCU campus.

[Zerton]

Albany NY has a lot and used to have twice as many before the Empire State Complex.

[ColDayMan]

.

[ColDayMan]

I can think of three that can give Cincy a run for it's money.
Chicago
Saint Louis
Columbus

I didn't see a whole lot of rowhouses in Newport. Lots of detached townhouses though.

For big cities, I'd rank 'em like this;

Tier 1:
Philly
Baltimore
NYC
DC

These are the big time rowhouse cities. Thousands and thousands of rowhomes. Large sections of these cities are almost totally rowhouses.

Tier 2:
Boston
Pittsburgh

Rowhouses are not the predominant housing type, but they are very common, with certain sections containing very heavy concentrations of rows.

Tier 3:

Chicago
Cincy
Saint Louis
Columbus

The first three cities tend to have many good examples of rowhousing concentrated in the old core of the city, while Columbus has rows scattered all over town.

I know there are rows in New Orleans and San Francisco, but I've never been to either city, so I can't rank them.

The list seems accurate, though I'd put San Francisco in the Boston/Pittsburgh category and New Orleans in the Cincinnati/STL/CMH/CHI category. And just an fyi, Columbus is also almost entirely brick as well (the old city, that is). Woodframe can mostly be found on the far southside and ghetto slums of the eastside but Columbus is mostly brick due to brick being plentiful about a 40 minute drive south in Nelsonville.

Covington and Bellevue all have a decent amount of rowhouses but every city on the list have man "rowhouse" in their suburbs as well (yes, even Columbus).

[mrherodotus]

The list seems accurate, though I'd put San Francisco in the Boston/Pittsburgh category and New Orleans in the Cincinnati/STL/CMH/CHI category. And just an fyi, Columbus is also almost entirely brick as well (the old city, that is). Woodframe can mostly be found on the far southside and ghetto slums of the eastside but Columbus is mostly brick due to brick being plentiful about a 40 minute drive south in Nelsonville.

Covington and Bellevue all have a decent amount of rowhouses but every city on the list have man "rowhouse" in their suburbs as well (yes, even Columbus).

Columbus is one of the most "slept on" cities around. People just aren't aware of what it has to offer.

[EtherealMist]

While Boston has its Beacon Hill and Back Bay, as soon as you leave the immediate vicinity of downtown, the housing becomes a mixture of detached homes and small apartment buildings. You see a similar mix in the northern cities of the midwest.

True, Back Bay and Beacon Hill are the neighborhoods to go if you want to see some row houses. However, the Boston area still has plenty of other areas with rowhouses:

Fenway

http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/1911/fenwayou7.jpg

Mission Hill

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/8504/missionhillbx5.jpg

Roxbury

http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/355/roxburypk3.jpg

Cambridge

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/8589/cambridge2lv3.jpg

[someone123]

Those houses in San Francisco remind me a lot of Victorian houses here in Halifax.

Toronto actually has a fairly unique style of rowhouse that I haven't seen in any pictures from American cities. Similarly, Montreal, Quebec City, Halifax, and St. John's all have different kinds of rowhouses. Perhaps I will make a similar Canadian thread.

[shoowaa1]

Just wanted to add theres rows in other Colorado cities other than the ones mentioned like Pueblo and the historic mountain mining towns of Black Hawk, Central City, Victor and Aspen..

Albert (also known as Scott) Shoowaa!

[Exodus]

http://steelflame.zoto.com/img/45/ddb7b482b1576704c72ab0bde02c05d0-.jpg

http://steelflame.zoto.com/img/45/3004dc2b5cd140d73a6c1ce61ea1e403-.jpg

http://steelflame.zoto.com/img/45/0244609c99ad9e38ec9dc0aedfc24032-.jpg

http://steelflame.zoto.com/img/45/78d1c3e7f091b30d8a6de775dc5a0112-.jpg

http://steelflame.zoto.com/img/45/db8789d476df823e21efc6935f62c8a3-.jpg

http://steelflame.zoto.com/img/45/d6dc3ee8634d7971bab71b1ad5556709-.jpg

http://steelflame.zoto.com/img/45/d398f4f4c8ffdfbe421466af44f9bd41-.jpg

http://steelflame.zoto.com/img/45/a1e31bbc57e235d5ece288db296cabdd-.jpg

http://steelflame.zoto.com/img/45/d969693b18047d6c9101443323e301ab-.jpg

http://steelflame.zoto.com/img/original/d35ac18265ea122507411174aa90ffda-.jpg

http://steelflame.zoto.com/img/45/f7201e3b34607f9816a6daf1fe52f23b-.jpg

http://steelflame.zoto.com/img/45/58e030367ae0f9de64cd2c0312a24262-.jpg

http://steelflame.zoto.com/img/45/a5eae3f2b314ffd71f022bafa6957994-.jpg

http://steelflame.zoto.com/img/original/a5bc79893c395f1f75eeee508540bc45-.jpg

http://steelflame.zoto.com/img/original/8fc31ae53d6829b7c6d9bbf0a4020b97-.jpg

http://steelflame.zoto.com/img/45/6ebba3a2f15a381e6239b19f7c968cbf-.jpg

[SuburbanNation]

Woodframe can mostly be found on the far southside and ghetto slums of the eastside but Columbus is mostly brick due to brick being plentiful about a 40 minute drive south in Nelsonville.


brick is not mined directly from the ground, rather it is created through a process involving the heating and shaping of clay (which is mined from the ground) by one method or another.

;)

[SuburbanNation]

Here's a more finalized lineup, with some pictorial examples of what I think I'll do:

Chicago
http://img325.imageshack.us/img325/8369/chicagopk5.jpg

Do all these seem fair?

the chicago picture is a bit vague, i don't understand the larger context of these structures, especially the one on the far left. the rest of the photos do a great job of capturing a distinct style and their larger context (more or less) common to each city.

[ColDayMan]

brick is not mined directly from the ground, rather it is created through a process involving the heating and shaping of clay (which is mined from the ground) by one method or another.

;)

I know that. It was implied that there were clay deposits south of Columbus for which brick was created from.