The next article in the Richmond Tour Guys Free Walking Tour of Richmond series on architectural styles of Richmond is on the Italianate style. Last time we talked about the Greek Revival Style. Italianate is the architectural craze that dethroned it as the style du jour (yes, I used French because it felt right when talking about fine art!)
The Greek Revival and other classical revival forms of architecture were somewhat dry, formal, and rigid due to their adherence to strict architectural laws. As the United States developed, more people began making their fortunes and moved into the upper class. Traditional, class-based society was deteriorating and giving way to a new group of nouveau rich (more French). As often happens in a societal shift, the physical environment tends to reflect this.
Enter Italianate architecture.
It is vibrant, colorful, decorative, and intricate. There is more artistic expression allowed with this new style.The Italianate style just happened to be the chosen style to represent this yearning of society to break from rigid formalities.
It also became popular because it looked elegant and classy, but was relatively inexpensive to build. Most of the houses were built from brick, stuccoed, and had lines carved into the facade to make it look like real stone.
The Italianate style is loosely based on country houses in Italy. This style was popularized in the United States by Alexander Jackson Davis (no relation, for you Civil War buffs out there). He was one of the most influential architects in the United States at the time.
While the Italianate style marked by its exaggeration and mix of many Renaissance characteristics. They generally have
- Low-pitched roofs.
- Overhanging eaves that have heavy decorative brackets.
- Round-headed windows with hood mouldings that stop partially down the window jamb with a decorated “label stop.”
- Arcaded (closed off with several columns) porches.
- Balustraded (a type of railing) balconies.
Below are some examples:
Putney Houses
Above are the Samuel and Stephen Putney Houses (subject of this website’s first blog post). They are located on the corner of Marshall St. & 11th St. These are perfect examples of Italianate architecture. Low-pitched roofs, arcaded porches, heavy decorative brackets. In the case of Sam’s house,on the left, over-hanging eaves, and round-top windows.
Another thing that these houses illustrate is the type of custom cast iron porches that were en vogue at the time (French again!). You’ll notice these on a lot of mid-19th Century houses because Cast Iron was a relatively new invention at the time and all the rage amongst the wealthy. This porch work is from Phoenix Ironworks, which was a local Iron company.
Don’t let Stephen’s simple facade fool you. He probably spent all of his money on the custom 2-story cast-iron veranda that dominates the East side of the house.
Bolling Haxall House
![Bolling-Haxall House - By Morgan Riley (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://www.richmondtourguys.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Bolling-Haxall_House_1.jpg)
The Bolling Haxall House is an Italianate Mansion built in 1858 for for Bolling Walker Haxall over on Franklin & 3rd Street. It is a rough replica of a Brooklyn Heights, New York house. It has pretty much the same identifying features as the Putney Houses: arcaded porch, hood moulding, the eaves, the brackets, etc.; but has some noticeable differences. It has a tower and a pretty cool looking barreled dormer on the roof.
And, in case your are curious who this Haxall guy is (Courtesy of the Women’s Club of Richmond, Virginia ):
Haxall was a partner in Haxall Mills, which were among the world’s largest flour mills. Flour milling was a huge industry in Richmond at the time, which is one reason the city was so important to the Confederate war machine. He was also president of Old Dominion Iron and Nail Works and part owner of Richmond and Petersburg Railroad Company. He and his family lived here until the Civil War burning of Richmond. Fearing for his family’s safety, he moved them to his home in Orange County, Virginia. After the war, he returned to the house, which had not been harmed in any way, only to find he could not afford to support it as he had lost several of his businesses to the fire. In 1869, Mr. Haxall sold The Bolling Haxall House to Dr. Francis T. Willis, a prominent physician, for $28,000.00.
His story, by the way, is a very common story in Post-Civil War Richmond.
Sheltering Arms Hospital/William H Grant House
![Sheltering Arms Hospital By Morgan Riley (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://www.richmondtourguys.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/OldShelteringArmsHospitalRichmond.jpg)
What we now know as Sheltering Arms hospital is also known as the William H Grant House. It’s located on Clay St. near the White House of the Confederacy , across from The Valentine Museum. It has all of the standard Italianate features.The house was built by rich tobacco manufacturer William H Grant in the 1857 on a lot purchased from John Wickam (a very well known attorney in Richmond). Eventually it became the Sheltering Arms Hospital and functioned as such from 1892 to 1965. It was a free white-only hospital for Virginians. It still functions today as a Physical Rehabilitation Hospital in much more grandiose quarters.
It has since given up its discriminatory practices. Also, I’m pretty sure it’s not free anymore, so I wouldn’t show up there with a bad leg expecting free physical therapy.
Morson’s Row
![Morson's Row By Crazyale (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://www.richmondtourguys.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Morsons_Row1.jpg)
This is Morson’s Row. It was built in the 1850s as an upscale rental property by, you guessed it, James Marion Morson on 12th and Governor Street (the North East part of Capitol Square downtown). It is one of the earliest Italianate Style structures in the city and demonstrates how this style lends itself well to row-housing. One major variation of these units which makes them look so stylish are the bowed (curved) fronts of the houses that place the porches a bit deeper into the structure. Nowadays these are government offices.
That is it for our lesson in Italianate architecture in Richmond. Armed with these examples, you should be able to point out Italianate style structures in Richmond with relative ease. It’s a little more straight forward than some of the other revivalist architectural styles that were chic (French again!) previously and since.