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snoggle75

What style is my 1904 farmhouse?

snoggle75
12 years ago

So we're in the process of buying a 1904 farmhouse in Ohio and I'm trying to figure out what "style" of house it is to give me direction in decorating. I'm clueless about this stuff, but I've seen pictures of "Greek Revival" which seem similar to the front of this house, but it was built a little too late for that.

Does anyone know what to call it? (BTW - the addition on the back of the house was added in the 1960's or so.)

Here is a link that might be useful: Front View

Comments (14)

  • snoggle75
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Here's another view

    Here is a link that might be useful: Side View

  • kompy
    12 years ago

    That is Greek Revival style but I have doubts that is the original facade of the house. The proportions look off (ie. the pillars are not big enough) and the side of the house has a gabled roofline. Look at the photo in my link....the side of the house is straight back, not gabled. I imagine a past owner liked Greek Revival style of architecture and re-did the front of the house.

    Post pics of the interior....like your interior doors, staircase, original fixtures...etc. Many times you can define a house's style by that.

    If built in 1904, possibly it was originally 'Colonial Revival'....or a mix of architecture like my last house...it was a "Craftsman-Colonial" built in 1910.
    Cut and paste this link to see Colonial Revival.
    http://architecture.about.com/od/periodsstyles/ig/House-Styles/colonial-revival-jpg.htm

    Congrats on your beautiful, old home!
    KOMPY

    Here is a link that might be useful: Greek Revival Home Example

  • renovator8
    12 years ago

    The date and appearance are appropriate for a "full-facade porch" version of the Neoclassical style although the porch may have just been added on later like the back part.

  • snoggle75
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I actually noticed that the pillars look too small. Yeah, I bet it was added later, 'cause it just doesn't seem to fit the rest of the house. I'll post some interior pics later.

  • kompy
    12 years ago

    Looking at the pics again....I noticed there a vast amount of space between the upstairs, front windows. A house from that time period would typically have had another smaller window there inline with the front door.

    I speculate the porch used to be more like the one below...and maybe even had a gabled peak in the middle.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Porchline

  • snoggle75
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Here are more pictures, including of the inside

    Here is a link that might be useful: Ohio House Pictures

  • columbusguy1
    12 years ago

    Congratulations Snoggle, but I don't envy you the paint stripping you have coming! :)

    I agree with Greek Revival, and I'd lay money that the porch was altered from a one-story full front shed roofed one--that was popular with a lot of farm houses, and very practical. Until I saw the interior moldings, I thought the two lower windows in front were altered also--they are a different proportion from the upstairs ones--but the trim doesn't suggest that.

    Nice floors upstairs, bet you have nice ones downstairs also under the later coverings. By the way, I'd remove that partial wall at the stairs near the stained glass window--it is obviously a later addition.

    I'll say this for the previous owners: they sure liked lots of color, and leave it at that. :)

  • snoggle75
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Yes, they did like color and lots of different floorings. I don't think I posted pictures of the office - the carpet is a bright red plaid! I'll be having nightmares of turquoise walls for a long time. I might just go through and paint all of the walls white, just to de-ugly the place, then worry about further decorating later.
    As far as the floors, the current owner said that there are hardwood floors underneath the carpet, etc. I have no idea what kind of condition they are in. The room with the red carpet reeks of kitty pee, so the floors under that might be pretty challenging!
    Yeah, I plan on doing lots of paint stripping. My husband doesn't understand this - he keeps saying "It's just an old farmhouse, the woodwork probably isn't nice at all. Just paint over it!" I have a feeling he'll be surprised by what I find under those layers of paint. BTW, some of the woodwork in the kitchen and family room (yellow walls) are pieces of wood from an old barn they took apart years ago - not original, but some of it looks kinda nifty.
    I didn't notice that partial wall, but it does look kind of out of place, doesn't it? I'll have the inspector check that and the porch construction out when he looks at it next week.

  • columbusguy1
    12 years ago

    The partial wall caught my eye right away because the trim is different from the rest of the room--and it sticks out farther than the original section. It will be easy to remove as it isn't load-bearing. I can't say whether there was a nice railing along the stairs originally--my sister's farmhouse has a solid wall on both sides of the stair--but her house (circa 1860s?) has undergone some alterations--her previous one had a nice walnut newel and heavy balusters and balcony going around all four sides of her hall.

    I'd also take out that side porch under the plastic awning--and get rid of that door; you have the much nicer one in the little area right next to it.

    I'm also in Ohio, and so is my sister's farm. I love the flowers along the front porch!

  • sombreuil_mongrel
    12 years ago

    It's REBAR: Remodeled beyond any reckoning. What ever it was originally, it ain't no more.
    I think you may find, if you tore away all the surfaces, that the one huge room with gray trim was two rooms and a hallway. And the double doors were cut in later, the front door being originally closer to the stairway. The Tara-style front portico with aluminum columns is pretty recent.
    Casey

  • snoggle75
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Yeah, the plastic covered "side porch" really does need to go. If for no other reason than there are 4 doors on that side of the house, and 6 for the whole house, which looks a bit ridiculous. I'd eventually like to add a screened in porch where the French doors are, but with the roof line, I'm not sure it would work too well.

  • renovator8
    12 years ago

    Since it was built so many years later than the Greek Revival period and there is so little Greek Revival detailing (unless it is covered up) it should be considered of the Neoclassical style that was so fashionable in the first half of the 20th century as a response to the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. Since the full-facade porch was a later version of the Neoclassical style, the porch might have been added to the house between 1925 and 1950.

  • snoggle75
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    It's been several years since I posted this question, but I wanted to give a little update of sorts.

    We did buy this house and have been in it since August 2011. There is soooo much we need to renovate and restore that it is overwhelming. Anyway, I found out that the partial wall and hideous side porch were put in to make the upstairs an apartment at one point. We plan to eliminate the ugly porch/door and rip down the partial wall to open the stairway back up in a few years. For now we're keeping the stairway more closed because we have a 13 month old, and it is easier to baby-proof it the way it is right now!

  • Imhappy&Iknowit IOWA zone 4b
    10 years ago

    I see this old post has come to the top again. I think what your house started out to be was Folk Victorian

    Here is a link that might be useful: Folk Victorian homes