Italianate (1860 - 1880)

The Italianate style was the most widely used and adapted of the Italian romantic forms introduced in the Downing pattern books.  The style's most important feature was its plasticity which, given the fresh perspectives of American architects and the remarkable variety of materials available to builders and contractors, led to a uniquely American style so identifiable that virtually every first grader, asked to draw a house, will draw in the Italianate style.

The classic example of Italianate styling is the rectangularly massed, gable-roofed house, whose gable end crowns the facade.  It is well suited to narrow urban lots.  Its detail is generally confined to the facade making the style adaptable to modest budgets.  Decorative brackets support the eaves.  Long windows are usually crowned by arched or elliptical cornicing.  Simple entryways are often surrounded with modest porticos.

[from A Field Guide to the Architecture and History of Allentown, page 42]

Learn more at Buffalo Architecture and History.