Victorian Stick Architecture is another variation of Victorian architecture. A forerunner to Shingle architecture, it was in fashion during the late 1800’s in particular from around the 1860’s – 1890’s. You can identify this style by the “stick-work” or false half timber that mimics the Medieval English Tudor Revival buildings. Builders usually finished Tudor Revival houses with stucco, stone, or brick. On the other hand, you will find that Victorian stick style homes are finished with wood in nearly every example.

Many Publishers offered pattern books that showed examples of stick construction during the days of its popularity. Victorian stick architecture was a transitional style that followed Gothic Revival architecture. It preceded Queen Anne architecture which was a more widespread and popular style. San Francisco has a large concentration of townhouses in the stick house plans style and in the northeastern states there are surviving examples of gabled stick Victorian houses.

Defining features of Victorian Stick architecture

Identifying features of Victorian stick architecture includes wooden wall siding (either shingles or horizontal siding) broken up by uniformed patterns of wood (stick-work) in horizontal, vertical, and/ or diagonal boards raised from the surface of the wall. Roofs are steeply pitch gables (except in townhouse versions where the roof is flat) with cross gables present. Trusses decorate the gable apex in Victorian Stick gables. Brackets support overhanging eaves with exposed rafter tails, and the porches usually have diagonal support or curve braces. Some examples even show the addition of a tower either square or rectangular in shape. It is rare that you will find all the these features in one example of Victorian Stick home.