Architecture:
The architectural styles of buildings prior to 1900 can be divided into two major categories. The earliest group, structures dating from 1790 to 1850’s consists of traditional house types that originated in Europe. The second group, during the last half of the 19th C, comprises architectural styles that originated in America by selection, imitation and variation of European architectural styles. Many of the structures in Frenchtown are not perfect examples of a particular style, but rather represent a combination of certain characteristics. Individual builders selected the characteristics they liked best and incorporated these into their homes and buildings. Also it should be noted that while discouraged today, it is not uncommon to see an early German or French Colonial home that was “updated” with Victorian details in the 1890’s.
The styles of the first period included the French Colonial House, Salt Box, German Single House and Federal .
Limestone affected the style of a number of houses during the early period. The stone was taken from a single level from the Missouri River bluffs. Construction was difficult and required the skills of a stone mason, as the “dry” method, without mortar, was used.
The French Colonial House (1830-50) is a one and a half story oblong house with two rooms side by side facing the street via outside stairs leading to the full width galleried porch with two separate front doors to the main rooms on the upper level. The large front gallery is achieved with a high pitched roof extended out over several plain square or simply turned posts with simple small square balusters on the handrails. Six over six pane windows had outside shutters and solid four panel doors are placed in symmetric sequence as the typical Six Bay arrangement of window-door-window-window -door- window. Although many of these homes have had roof dormer windows, ornate balusters, brackets and frieze moldings added in the 1880’s the style was historically utilitarian and austere. Interiors had wide random width heart pine flooring, single beaded baseboards and plain casings with sloped top window and door pediments.
The St. Charles German style house (circa 1870-1900)
is a brick one and a half or two story with a cellar built on a stone
foundation which extended above the ground level.
Smaller homes only had access to the cellar via an outside storm
door. Early
examples have a medium pitched gable with paired chimneys at either end.
The front usually has two front doors, each with a transom window
over. Windows are large two over two panes, often with simply carving in
arched wooden headers. Later examples have ornate butterfly or scroll
saw cut casings with bull’s eye corners, flat sawn porch balusters and
brackets. Baseboards were
tall and decorative, often made of two pieces of molding,
flooring was 4” wide heart pine.
A prominent characteristic is the classical decorative brick work
across the cornice. In St.
Charles this included three stepped-out layers of brick with outside
cornice corners built out onto the gable side.
became somewhat more
sophisticated, required greater carpentry and masonry skills, and were
more expensive.
Most of the Federal structures in St. Charles were two story houses, although many story and a half structures exist. They are box-like in shape with a symmetrical façade. Doorways were set to one side with sidelights. The hipped roofline was trimmed with a balustrade, with paired chimneys usually located at each end of the gable.
The architectural styles and building s of the second period, from 1850 to 1900, Buildings during this period included Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne Victorian, Eastlake Victorian and Romanesque.
The Greek Revival structure resembled a classical temple with a low pitched roofline. The triangular gable pediment was shifted to the front of the house. All lines were simple, most of the windows vertical, with architectural emphasis directed to the columns and pilasters. Greek Revival was often the style for larger homes, public buildings and other substantial structures.
In the Gothic Revival styles, emphasis was placed on the vertical effect by the multiple use of sharply pointed gables. These gables were ornamented with decorative barge boards and windows on the house had pointed arches.
Although few, Italianate influenced buildings consist
of a symmetrical arrangement of squared shapes and lines.
Rooflines are slightly pitched with projecting eaves supported by
brackets. In this style, windows are often round headed and set in
groups of two or three. The
Italianate usually had a tall square tower or cupola, bay windows,
balconies and several verandas.
Second Empire houses were characterized by a high massive roof with dormer windows extending from the roofline. Slate was often used as the slope of the roof was fairly steep. Mansard
The Queen Anne Victorian had an irregularity of plan and massing with a variety of shapes, colors and textures. Gables, dormers, brick fluted chimneys, round or polygonal turrets and bay windows were characteristic of this style. Diagonal braces or “stick work” were used on porches , eaves and over clapboards for styling on the Stick Sty7le Victorian. And the exterior walls of the upper stories and a uniform covering of shingles, roofline gabled, hipped or both on Shingle Style Victorians.
Romanesque style in the area was usually a brick structure with stone masonry for details around openings, at corners and on the base of the building. The most noticeable characterization was the semi-circular arches used for all w3indow and door openings.