A flounder house has a shed roof and lacks windows and doors on its tallest wall.

A flounder house is a term used in some areas to describe a type of house with a roof with a single slope, rather than the double slope of gabled roof.[1] Some are oriented so that the shed roof runs perpendicular to the facade, in these tallest wall of the house lacks windows and doors.[2] The house may align with a property edge, sit at the back of its lot, or align with other houses on its street.[2][3][4] Others have a different number of apparent stories on the facade and the rear elevation, with the ridge line running parallel the facade.

Though modern examples exist, most flounder houses date from the 18th or 19th century.[5] They can be found in cities in the United States from the Mississippi River Valley to the East Coast.[2]

The flounder house's namesake is the similarly asymmetrical flounder fish.[6][3]

Origin

The motivation for building flounder houses is debated.[7][4][8] Common folklore follow one of three themes: "a result of an early restrictive building ordinance, the original owner's plan for future expansion, or a desire to reduce property taxes."[2] In fact, shed roofed buildings are often simply the cheapest to construct.

Residents of various cities with shed-roofed houses believe that these houses are indigenous to their city.[9][10]

Examples

Shed-roof houses can be found across the United States, including in St Louis, Missouri; Cincinnati, Ohio; Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Charleston, South Carolina; Fredericksburg and Alexandria, Virginia; Baltimore, Maryland; New Castle, Delaware; and Boston, Massachusetts.[2] The term "flounder", though, is not used in most of these locations.

277 flounder houses have been cataloged in St. Louis, Missouri as of July 2015.[11][12] The Cassey House is a flounder house in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

In 1960, Alexandria, Virginia, may have had 75 flounder houses,[13] dramatically fewer than the 1500 flounder houses estimated to have existed there in the 19th century.[2] A parsonage built in 1787 claims the distinction of oldest flounder house in Alexandria.[14][15]

Legacy

The Cultural Resources Office of St. Louis began a survey in 2015, in order to better preserve the city's flounder houses.[12] Individuals have also taken interest in flounder houses, sometimes incorporating historical houses into modern renovations.[16]

In The Carlisle Chronicles, a 1986 mystery trilogy by Norma Johnston, the protagonists' family lives in a flounder house designed to avoid a glass tax.[17][18]

See also

References

  1. ^ Harris, Cyril M. (2003-01-17). American Architecture: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 9780393731033.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Martin, Christopher (1986). ""Hope Deferred": The Origin and Development of Alexandria's Flounder House". Perspectives in Vernacular Architecture. 2: 111–119. doi:10.2307/3514322. JSTOR 3514322.
  3. ^ a b Rural & Urban House Types in North America. Princeton Architectural Press. 1982-01-01. ISBN 9780910413152.
  4. ^ a b Feldhaus, Hal (Nov 1987). "Flounder Houses of Old Town Alexandria". Old-House Journal. Retrieved 2015-12-27.
  5. ^ "A New Flounder House in Old North | Preservation Research Office". preservationresearch.com. 9 May 2010. Retrieved 2015-12-27.
  6. ^ "Finding St. Louis' Famous Flounder Houses". 4 March 2015. Retrieved 2015-09-14.
  7. ^ "What Is A Flounder House? A Simple Explanation". Retrieved 2015-09-14.
  8. ^ "Colonial Architecture in Alexandria, Virginia - Old-House Online". Old-House Online. 19 August 2011. Retrieved 2016-02-16.
  9. ^ "Jaybird's Jottings: Flounder Houses in Old Town Alexandria". jay.typepad.com. Retrieved 2015-09-14.
  10. ^ "Fate of Flounder House on Monday's Preservation Board Agenda | Preservation Research Office". preservationresearch.com. Retrieved 2015-12-27.
  11. ^ "St. Louis survey finds dozens of historic, triangular 'flounder' houses are endangered". news.stlpublicradio.org. 29 July 2015. Retrieved 2015-12-26.
  12. ^ a b Bradley, Betsy H. (July 2015). "2015 Thematic Survey of Flounder Houses in St. Louis City Survey Report" (PDF). Cultural Resources Office, Planning and Development Agency, City of St. Louis. Retrieved 2016-02-20.
  13. ^ "Alexandria in the 20th Century". Retrieved 2015-12-27.
  14. ^ Feldhaus, Hal (1986). Flounder Houses of Old Town Alexandria: Where Have All the Flounders Gone?. Do-It Publishing Group. ISBN 9780936265001.
  15. ^ "Old Presbyterian Meeting House: History: Flounder House - Facilities". www.opmh.org. Retrieved 2017-02-25.
  16. ^ Nadel, Barbara A. (2000). "A flounder house provides new space for an old district" (PDF). Inland Architect. 117 (1).
  17. ^ Johnston, Norma (1986-01-01). Carlisle's Hope. Bantam Books. ISBN 9780553254679.
  18. ^ Dale, Alzina Stone (2004-01-01). Mystery Reader's Walking Guide: Washington. iUniverse. ISBN 9780595307159.
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