The lure of Victorian architecture

For as long as I remember I have had a fascination with Victorian houses. Porches, turrets, mansard roofs, nooks and crannies, hidden passageways behind the stairs, secret corridors leading you to a hidden room in the attic or cellar. Oh the treasures a Victorian house can hold. I love it all. That said… I only love the architectural features both inside and out. Most certainly NOT the interiors.

I love all the styles but my heart especially goes out to the:  

Queen Anne style – for the angles, the turrets and the porches
This fine example is in Yonkers, NY and still standing beautiful to this day!

Gothic Revivals – for the elaborate millwork and the overall storybook style

Second Empire style – they are just so very Addams Family, don’t you think?

 My passion for these lovely Victorian homes goes hand in hand with my other passion: Halloween. Whenever I see a “normal” Victorian house I immediately add a fallen shutter or two, broken windows, cobwebs, lack of paint, lurking eyes, a shadowy figure, some ghosts and if the garden is wild enough some tombstones.

I also like to search for the history of the houses I find and get as many pictures per house as possible. For some houses I also have details of who lived there, what they added to the house or maybe had removed. Or maybe the house was burned down or demolished or even still standing today. Some houses changed hands many a times with as many name changes. Some houses have stayed within the same family to this day (amazing when you think of it).

I love to draw and paint them too. Here is a Lazy Susan I did.

If these houses could talk, oh the stories they’d tell.