Stick Style - 1860 to circa 1890

Stick style, short lived, linked the earlier Gothic Revival to the soon to be popular Queen Anne. The style is defined primarily by the multi-structured wall surfaces and cross trusses that mimic medieval half-timbered houses.

This decorative detailing to the house walls, as opposed to windows, doors or cornices, was applied in horizontal, vertical or diagonal patterns that were sometimes raised from the surface for emphasis.

This home at 26 Perrin Street was designed by John Rochester Thomas for Charles H. Howe. It was built in 1882.

Stick had its roots in the earlier Picturesque Gothic ideas of Andrew Jackson Downing and was popularly represented in the house pattern books of the 1860s and 1870s. It was, however, not nearly as popular as its contemporary cousins, Italianate and Second Empire, and was quickly absorbed by the more popular Queen Anne style that incorporated many of its characteristics. In Fairport, the best examples of the Stick style can be found at 26 Perrin Street, and 116 West Avenue. And be sure to admire the beautiful stick detailing located in the gable and upper portion of the home at 25 Woodlawn Avenue.

Characteristic Details

Form

Homes in this style could be constructed with gables and/or squared towers and occur with deeply overhanging eaves. The gabled houses are seen with either side or cross gables, or sometimes secondary cross-gables. Decorative trusses occur at the gable, dormer or porch peaks.

It is all about the surface detail. This home at 25 Woodlawn Avenue, was built in the 1880s and is a designated village landmark.

Roofs and Cornices

Roofs are steeply pitched with deep eaves, and are side or front-gabled. Additional decorations can occur on the cornices.

Porch

These are one-story at the entry or full-width across the facade. The supporting posts often end in triangular patterns.

Windows

Two-over-two paned windows and bracketed tops were common features of this style. Squared bay windows are common but cutaway bays are seen also - a window design, that would become more popular with the Queen Anne style.

Doorways

Doors could be single or paired, sometimes with a glass panel in the top half, mimicking earlier designs.

For an index of other styles that can be found in the Perinton area go to the Architectural Styles page in the History section.