Term: High Victorian (architecture)
Definition:
a style popular ca. 1865-1900, when eclecticism was the order of the day. Features of Gothic Revival, Italianate, Romanesque, or Second Empire were often combined, resulting in picturesque facades. High Victorian Gothic exhibits heavier detailing and more complex massing than the earlier Gothic Revival; polychromatic effects, a hallmark of the style, are achieved by the use of materials of differing color and texture. Wisconsin's preeminent example of High Victorian Gothic Revival is the National Soldier's Home (1868) in Wood (determined eligible NHRP 1980). Another dominant style during this eclectic period was the High Victorian Italianate, an elaborate expression of the earlier Italianate style. Classical detailing is heavier than that found in earlier Italianate structures, cornice brackets are over-scaled, and window moldings are highly articulated. The style was particularly popular for commercial structures, examples of which abound in the older business districts of Wisconsin's cities and small towns. Outstanding High Victorian Italianate structures include the McClurg Building (NRHP 1977) in Racine and l5 S. Main Street (1876) in Fond du Lac. View more information elsewhere at wisconsinhistory.org
View pictures relating to architecture at Wisconsin Historical Images.
[Source: Cultural Resource Management in Wisconsin (Madison: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1986).
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