Second Empire Architecture

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About Second Empire Architecture

This group is all about the Second Empire Architectural Style. Second Empire was the first true style of the Victorian Era in the US (roughly 1860-1900). It was considered very modern and immitated the latest French building fashion during the reign of Napoleon III (France's Second Empire) from which the style takes it's name. Most people think of the Second Empire Style as the quintessential "Victorian" house. After the 1870's, the basic Second Empire style had become a composite of an Italian Villa with a Mansard roof and Carpenter Gothic details.

Second Empire architectural elements include the mansard roof, decorative slate roofing, dormer windows, a square tower, deep bracketed eaves, bracketed window hoods, projecting portico, corner boards, window sill boards, paired windows and doors, and a high foundation. A building doesn't have to have all of these to be a Second Empire house, but it must have a few.

If a non-Second Empire building is posted here I will remove it, but I will try and tell you what the architectural style the building really is. I don't want to discourage people from posting, but I do want to keep this SE.