Architectural Terminology
Natalie Allen
Arch
Bracket
Ornamental supports, usually of wood or pressed metal, which appear at the cornice line of a building. They may be incised into a scrolled pattern or be more simply molded and are common to all Italianate style buildings, but often appear with other styles as well.
Buttress
A wall support usually of stone or brick placed at the sides of a building, commonly seen on some Gothic Revival style churches.
Chair Rail
Chimney
Chimneys are usually built of stone or brick (more modern chimneys may be of cinder block) and are located at either the exterior side walls of the building or at the center or interior of the building. Certain vernacular folk building patterns locate the chimney at the center of the house or at the corner.
Column
Column Capital
Capitals are the tops of round columns and may be of several distinct types or orders.
Corinthian Style
Greek and Roman Doric
Ionic Capital
Corbel
A decorative use of brick atop the windows, walls or chimney or to create the shape of a bracket or dentil at the top of a building beneath the cornice.
Cupola
A cupola is a decorative, small, projecting tower at the top of the roof of a building, often square, round or octagonal in shape.
Dormer
A window opening at the roof level, topped by a front gable or shed roof.
Eaves
The edge of the roof that overhangs the exterior walls, sometimes with exposed rafters.
Façade
Fanilght
A semi-circular (fan shaped) window placed atop a door, commonly seen in Federal and Colonial Revival style buildings.
Finial
A decorative piece set atop a spire, cupola, gable or gate post.
Floor Plan
Fluting
Fluting is a decorative finish for wooden columns or trim where parallel grooves are carved vertically along the surface.
Frieze
A frieze is the panel beneath the cornice at the top of a building' exterior wall which is often ornamented with brackets, dentils or modallions.
Lintel
Masonry
A type of construction using stone, brick, tile or concrete block using mortar.
Molding
A decorative raised surface along the edge of an architectural feature such as a window, column, door or wall.
Mullion
The wooden divisions between panes of glass on windows.
Parapet
A parapet is a low stone or brick wall at the top of a building. A crenelated parapet has rhythmic breaks in the wall to create a pattern of battlements.
Pediment
A triangular space created by a front facing gable roof, often seen in Classical Revivial style buildings.
Pendant
An ornamental piece of wood or metal hanging down from a porch, cornice or bracket.
Pilaster
A pilaster is a narrowly protruding column attached to a wall, giving the illusion of a real free standing support column.
Pillar
Porch
A roofed space outside the mains support walls of a building.
Portico
Quoins
Quoins are decorative rectangles or squares of stone, brick, wood or concrete, placed at the corners of buildings to add architectural interest.
Rafters
Roofs
Sill
The flat horizontal bottom piece of a window or door, often of wood, but sometimes of stone.
Stoop
The uncovered wide step leading into the front or main door of a building.
Stucco
Tower
A tall structure,either square or round in shape, rising higher than the rest of the building.
Transom Light
Wainscot
The wainscot is the wood covered lower portion of an interior wall, usually topped by a chair rail. A wooden wainscot can be plain or paneled with a patten of raised wooden trim.