Monographs Archives - Page 10 of 13

Architectural Monographs: Unusual Wooden Architecture of the Berkshires

Posted on September 20, 2013October 21, 2021 by Jeff Easterling

Lying along the stagecoach route of Massachusetts, the towns of the Berkshire mountain range found themselves open to a wide variety of visitors, and thus, stylistic influences. That variety, and the willingness of local craftsmen to experiment, can still be seen today in the wooden details of the architecture in towns like Stockbridge and Williamstown. Volume X, Issue V of the historic White Pine Architectural Monographs captures many of these details as they were in 1924.

In a single entranceway, taking a careful look at the door, porch and cornices, you might notice Baroque interpretations of Classic styles as well as Roman No-Classicism right alongside the spare and practical Colonial aesthetics developed more out of necessity than visual flair. “The complete record lies open to be read in the Berkshire towns,” writes the author.

“The Berkshire towns were so unlike so many other New England towns that displayed with singular nicety some one type of architectural development and became classics for the particular style that dominated their streets.” Periods of prosperity led to architects nailing on extra ornamentation over the original structures, often in disparate styles, leading to buildings of a Frankenstein’s monster sort.

“The Berkshire towns, it is true, suffered their share of calamities and accidents during the era of [architectural] unenlightenment, but they have managed to preserve intact a great deal that is well worth while – enough to retain their character and afford instances of architectural excellence and elegance that ought not to be overlooked in any survey of wooden architecture.”

Architectural Monographs: Greek Revival in Owego, New York

Posted on September 13, 2013October 21, 2021 by Jeff Easterling

An architect who was not exactly the biggest fan of the Greek Revival style was sent by the editor of the Architectural Monographs to write a piece on such homes in New York, finding them to have, at least a little bit, an unexpected charm. Author Alexander B. Trowbridge jokes that perhaps seeing such a house was what led to the temperance movement, as a group of drinkers saw ‘certain queer shapes frisking on the roof just above the eaves.’ He writes, “The experience sobered them and the temperance society followed.”

“Why the citizens of this section of our country chose pseudo-Greek architecture translated rather unintelligently into wood is a secret that disappeared with the whiskers. It is clear, however, that the finest homes of that period indicated an approval of the Greek revival by the best families. Why does the average educated architect dismiss the Greek Revival with a shrug? Is it not because he notes that the translation from the stone architecture of classic days to a white pine treatment was merely badly done?”

Trowbridge argues that the giant wooden porticoes and pediments in wood are out of scale, and clumsy at times. But from the houses built in this style, something could be learned. Using the Greek style as inspiration, rather than imitating it, is the only way to incorporate such bold and ornamental details into Colonial American architecture, he says.

Architectural Monographs: Interior Woodwork in New England

Posted on September 6, 2013October 21, 2021 by Jeff Easterling

From the earliest interiors of colonial houses, which were almost medieval in nature, to the more refined details of subsequent periods throughout history, American interiors have one thing in common: woodwork rich in character, lending a sense of time and place. Volume XI, Issue II of the historic White Pine Architectural Monographs explores the evolution of interior woodwork in New England, and how it related to furnishings and other elements of the home.

“Every joiner, cabinet-maker, housewright, carpenter, or carpenter-builder of the 18th century worked in the style of the time freely interpreted,” writes author Edwin J. Hipkiss. “All moulded work from the cornice of a high chest to the cornice of a mansion was cut by hand with planes formed to make the curved elements of this simple architecture of classical origin.”

“In the woodwork of both the 17th and the 18th centuries the element of craftsmanship is important. The work of intelligent men, proud of a manual skill passed on from master to apprentice or from father to son, produced an ever fresh handling of well-known forms that were acceptable to several generations.”

While some modern architectural styles of the 21st century have done away with detailed woodwork in favor of cleaner lines, there’s still an appreciation for such craftsmanship to this day, and contemporary woodworkers strive to preserve these arts. This volume of the White Pine Monographs goes into detail about the wooden elements that could be found in the homes of various time periods, with lots of photos and architectural drawings.

Architectural Monographs: Early Wooden Architecture of Massachusetts

Posted on August 30, 2013October 21, 2021 by Jeff Easterling

Since they were founded in 1646, the towns of Andover and North Andover in Essex County, Massachusetts have served as an example of typical New England tradition and civilization, and that includes their architecture. These towns may have changed, like the rest of America, since this issue of the White Pine Architectural Monographs was written in 1917, but many of the homes featured here as illustrations of early wooden architecture still stand.

Of particular note is Andover Hill, where a group of about fifty houses sprung up after the establishment of the Phillips Academy in 1778. The author of this monograph, Addison B. LeBoutillier, notes that the occupants of these houses “left names well known in history, literature and theology.” Among notable early Andover residents are New England’s first published poet, Anne Bradstreet, and her husband, Massachusetts Governor Simon Bradstreet. When this monograph was written, the house labeled ‘Governor Bradstreet House’ was believed to have truly been that of the Bradstreets, built in 1667, but historians have since realized that it was misidentified. It’s now known as the Parson Barnard House, believed to have been built in 1715.

Other interesting wooden buildings in Andover and what is now West Andover include a number of gambrel houses, and spacious three-story houses “of a courtly period when the aristocratic ideas of old-country traditions still held in the style of living and social customs of the Colonies.”

Learn more about the history of America’s earliest architecture in Volume III, Issue II of the historic White Pine Architectural Monographs.

Architectural Monographs: Old Houses on the Southern Coast of Maine

Posted on August 23, 2013October 21, 2021 by Jeff Easterling

“It is a strange anomaly that the white pine, with its home in a land of harsh winters, growing amidst the constant stress of wind and storm, should have a fiber straight as a ruled line, a surface soft and smooth as silk, and that its grain, instead of being gnarled and twisted, should be so even and fine that it will respond to the most delicate of carving,” observes C. Howard Walker of watching the logs come down the Penobscot River in Maine in Volume VI, Issue II of the White Pine Architectural Monographs. Written in 1918, this issue covers older homes on the southern coast of Maine, as well as the challenges faced by the lumber industry during World War I.

Portland, Bath and other Maine coast towns benefited economically from the East India trade in the first century after the Revolutionary War, leading to ‘comfortable fortunes’ and the construction of a number of private homes for ‘amphibiously minded merchants of Maine.’ Many were built between 1800 and 1810 with a combination of hardware, relief ornaments, wallpaper and other materials brought in from London, and other elements created by skilled New England carpenters.

A special section in this issue addresses how the lumber industry shifted to meet war conditions, particularly transportation problems due to a railroad embargo. “Every order placed for lumber at the present time must carry with it the understanding that there can be no guarantee as to shipment. …But with a patriotic spirit the existing situation can be met so as to cause no real hardship to anyone. There is one encouraging feature of the situation. The problems of the lumber industry are no worse than those that many other businesses are obliged to meet – perhaps not as difficult as some. Lumbermen are not slackers.”

Architectural Monographs: A New Beginning in Modern Times

Posted on August 16, 2013October 21, 2021 by Jeff Easterling

In 2006, nearly seventy years after the last White Pine Architectural Monograph was published, NeLMA revived the series with Volume XXVII, Issue I, ‘A Historical Perspective And A New Beginning.’ The series that started in 1915 to promote the use of Eastern White Pine was an industry favorite during the 1920s and 1930s, gaining a readership around the country, is back with a fresh perspective, covering new ground.

Each issue of the White Pine Monographs has featured diverse topics relating to the architecture and construction industry in the United States, particularly the use of wood, with a special focus on Colonial buildings. A unique author, often an architect or architectural historian, wrote each introduction, and the issues included large photographs, sketches and blueprints.

The revival “takes a glimpse at the past while keeping a pulse on the future,” opening with ‘The King’s Broad Arrow: A treatise on early building with Eastern White Pine,’ and continuing with features on sheathing techniques and craftsmen inspired by the original White Pine Series of Architectural Monographs.

Also featured in this issue is the story of Limington Lumber, an Eastern White Pine lumber mill that has survived and thrived during the industry’s transitory phases over fifty years.

Read more at the White Pine Monograph Library.