Carpenter Gothic, also sometimes called Carpenter's Gothic, and Rural Gothic, is a North American architectural style-designation for an application of Gothic Revival architectural detailing and picturesque massing applied to wooden structures built by house-carpenters. The abundance of North American timber and the carpenter-built vernacular architectures based upon it made a picturesque improvisation upon Gothic a natural evolution. Carpenter Gothic improvises upon features that were carved in stone in authentic Gothic architecture, whether original or in more scholarly revival styles; however, in the absence of the restraining influence of genuine Gothic structures, the style was freed to improvise and emphasize charm and quaintness rather than fidelity to received models. The genre received its impetus from the publication by Alexander Jackson Davis, Rural Residences and from detailed plans and elevations in publications by Andrew Jackson Downing.

History

Carpenter Gothic houses and small churches became common in North America in the late nineteenth century. These structures adapted Gothic elements such as pointed arches, steep gables, and towers to traditional American light-frame construction. The invention of the scroll saw and mass-produced wood moldings allowed a few of these structures to mimic the florid fenestration of the High Gothic. But in most cases, Carpenter Gothic buildings were relatively unadorned, retaining only the basic elements of pointed-arch windows and steep gables. Probably the best known example of Carpenter Gothic is the house in Eldon, Iowa, that Grant Wood used for the background of his famous painting American Gothic.

Characteristics

Carpenter Gothic is largely confined to small domestic buildings and outbuildings and small churches. It is characterized by its profusion of jig-sawn details, whose craftsmen-designers were freed to experiment with elaborate forms by the invention of the steam-powered scroll saw. A common but not necessary feature is board and batten siding. A less common feature is buttressing, especially on churches and larger houses.

Ornamental use

Carpenter Gothic ornamentation is not limited to use on wooden structures but has been used successfully on other structures especially Gothic Revival brick houses such as the Warren House in a historic district in Newburgh, New York, which is said to epitomize the work of Andrew Jackson Downing, but was actually done by his one-time partner, Calvert Vaux.

Geographic extent

Carpenter Gothic structures are typically found in most states of the United States, except the desert states of Nevada, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. Carpenter Gothic places of worship are found in all provinces and the Northwest Territories of Canada, while Carpenter Gothic houses seem to be limited to Ontario, Quebec and the Maritime Provinces in Canada.

Endangered Carpenter Gothic buildings

Many American Carpenter Gothic structures are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which may help to ensure their preservation. Many, though, are not listed and those in urban areas are endangered by the increased value of the land they occupy. A current example of this is St. Saviour's Episcopal Church, Maspeth, New York, built in 1847 by Richard Upjohn.. Its rectory has already been demolished and a deal with the city of New York to preserve the church in exchange for higher density on the remaining vacant land has fallen through and the parcel is now on the market for $10 million.

Relocation

Some Carpenter Gothic buildings have been relocated for reasons ranging from historic preservation to aesthetics. Some, such as All Saints, Jensen Beach, Florida, have been moved only a few hundred feet on the same property in order to get a better view and to allow for expansion, while others such as Holy Apostles, Satellite Beach, Florida, have been barged many miles in order to be preserved. Others such as All Saints, DeQuicy, Louisiana, have been dismantled, transported long distances and then reassembled in order to be preserved and reused. Some structures have been moved many times.

St. Luke's, Cahaba, Alabama, has had an interesting history of moves. In 1876, due to the danger of flooding in Cahaba, it was dismantled and moved from its original location 25 miles or so to Browns where it was reassembled. In 2006-2007, it was carefully dismantled by students from Auburn University and moved back to Cahaba, where it is now being reassembled by the students on the Cahaba State Historic Site not too far from its original location.

Exterior alterations

Some Carpenter Gothic structures such as St. Stephen's in Ridgeway, South Carolina, have had their exteriors altered by stuccoing, brick veneering, etc., so that their original style is no longer apparent.

Outside North America

The designation "Carpenter's Gothic" might equally be applied to nineteenth-century timber Gothic Revival structures in Victoria and New South Wales, Australia, and Old St. Paul's, Wellington in New Zealand.

Frederick Thatcher in New Zealand designed wooden churches in the Gothic Revival style, eg Old St. Paul's, Wellington, although the term "Carpenter Gothic" is not applied to them. Benjamin Mountfort in Canterbury, New Zealand, designed Gothic Revival churches in both wood and stone.

Current use

Carpenter Gothic structures are still being built today. St. Luke's Church in Blue Ridge, Georgia, was built in 1995, while Carpenter Gothic house plans are available.

Steamboat Gothic

Steamboat Gothic architecture, a term popularized by Frances Parkinson Keyes's novel of that name, is sometimes confused with Carpenter Gothic architecture, but Steamboat Gothic usually refers to large houses in the Mississippi and Ohio river valleys that were designed to resemble the steamboats on those rivers.

Gallery

Churches, synagogues, etc.

Image:Eastsound WA - Emmanuel Episcopal Church 02.jpg|Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Eastsound, Orcas Island WashingtonImage:Dwight IL Pioneer Gothic Church7.JPG|Pioneer Gothic Church, Dwight, Illinois, originally a Presbyterian churchImage:UU_San_Mateo.jpg|Unitarian Universalists of San Mateo, California, California, originally a Methodist churchImage:All Saint's Episcopal Church in Enterprise1.jpg|All Saints Episcopal Church Image:St Andrews Church 01.jpg|St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Prairieville, Alabama Note the buttresses.Image:Lagrangechurch.jpg|La Grange Church, Titusville, Florida, originally non-denominational ProtestantImage:Palatka Saint Marks01.jpg|St. Mark's Episcopal Church . Note the buttresses at the base of the belfry.Image:Oldstlukes.jpg|St. Luke's Episcopal Church and Cemetery Image:Port Orange Grace Episc Church01.jpg|Grace Episcopal Church and Guild Hall Image:Dunedin Andr Mem Chapel01.jpg|Andrews Memorial Chapel , originally a Presbyterian churchImage:Bethany-2-kendrick-id-us.png|Bethany Memorial Chapel , originally a Norwegian Lutheran churchImage:FL Ocala Bible Chapel03.jpg|United Hebrews of Ocala , synagogue, now Ocala Bible Chapel.Image:Holytrinfruitlandpark6.jpg|Holy Trinity Episcopal Church Image:Old Scotch Church autumn - Hillsboro Oregon.jpg|Tualatin Plains Presbyterian Church, Hillsboro, OregonImage:Holy Trinity Episcopal Church (Melbourne, Florida) Oblique View.jpg|Chapel of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church Image:Lowdnesborostpauls.jpg|St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Lowndesboro, AlabamaImage:St Johns in the Prairie 01.jpg|St. John's-In-The-Prairie Episcopal Church, Forkland, AlabamaImage:StLukesCahaba.jpg|St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Martin's Station, AlabamaImage:St_Margarets_Hibernia_chapel.jpg|St. Margaret's Episcopal Church .Image:AllSaintsEpisJensenBeachFL.jpg|All Saints Episcopal Church, Waveland Image:Zion Memorial Chapel, New Hamburg, NY.jpg|Zion Memorial Chapel, New Hamburg, New YorkImage:Gethsemane Evangelical Lutheran Church Detroit MI.jpg|Gethsemane Evangelical Lutheran Church, Detroit, MichiganImage:StJohnsWilmot1.jpg|St. John's Wilmot Church Image:HWPC-front.jpg|Hickory Withe Presbyterian Church Hickory Withe, TennesseeFile:Moose Factory.jpg|St. Thomas' Anglican Church File:StPaulsChapel.jpg|The original St. Paul's Episcopal Church File:DeFuniak Springs Hist Dist CD0144a St Agathas.jpg|St. Agatha's Episcopal Church, DeFuniak Springs, Florida. Note the unusual tower.File:First Baptist Church Methuen MA.jpg|First Baptist Church File:Calvary Lutheran Church - Silverton Oregon.jpg|Calvary Lutheran Church File:St Pauls Chapel Jul 09.JPG|St. Paul's Chapel File:St. Paul's by the Sea Protestant Episcopal Church.jpg|St. Paul's by-the-sea Protestant Episcopal Church, Ocean City, Maryland

Houses

Image:2007-06-04-Gothic House.jpg|American Gothic House in Eldon, Iowa, used by Grant Wood in his famous painting.Image:Indian Ridge Jul 09.JPG|Indian Range, in Davidsonville, Maryland, built in 1852]]Image:Roseland Cottage (Bowen Cottage) - entryway.jpg|Roseland Cottage, Woodstock, ConnecticutImage:Roseland Cottage (Bowen Cottage) - general view.jpg|Roseland Cottage - general viewImage:OakBluffs1.jpg|Cottages in a former Methodist camp town in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts on Martha's Vineyard.Image:OakBluffs2.jpg|Another view of cottages in Oak Bluffs,.Image:AVPeters.JPG|Peters-Liston-Wintermeier House in Eugene, OregonImage:Wilson-Durbin1.JPG|Wilson-Durbin House in Salem, OregonImage:Jay-Henry Knox House.jpg|Jay and Henry Knox House, Saint Paul, MinnesotaImage:JSMorrill-House.jpg|Justin Smith Morrill Homestead Strafford, VermontImage:Athenwood1.JPG|Athenwood, Montpelier, Vermont, built 1850Image:Waldwic 1.jpg|Waldwic, Gallion, AlabamaImage:Moss mansion.jpg|J. Mora Moss House in Mosswood Park, Oakland, CaliforniaImage:Ashe Cottage.jpg|Ashe Cottage, Demopolis, AlabamaFile:James and Jennie Cooper House.JPG|James S. and Jennie M. Cooper House, Independence, OregonFile:Joseph & Priscilla Craven House Monmouth.jpg|Joseph and Priscilla Craven House, Monmouth, Oregon

Ornamental use

Image:Warren House, Newburgh NY.jpg|Warren House, Gothic Revival brick house with Carpenter Gothic trim and features, Newburgh, New York, Historic District

See also

• American Gothic
• Gothic Revival
• Andrew Jackson Downing
• Richard Upjohn
• Springside
• Structure relocation
• United Hebrews of Ocala, a Carpenter Gothic synagogue
• Wedding Cake House . Called the "most photographed building in Maine," it is an example of Carpenter Gothic remodeling of a frame building originally built in another style of architecture.
• Harmony School, School District No. 53 in rural Otoe County, Nebraska is an example of a Carpenter Gothic one-room schoolhouse.

References

1. The British denigration of Sir George Gilbert Scott's restorations at Ely Cathedral as "Carpenter's Gothic" are discussed in Phillip Lindley, "'Carpenter's Gothic' and Gothic Carpentry: Contrasting Attitudes to the Restoration of the Octagon and Removals of the Choir at Ely Cathedral" Architectural History 30 (1987:83-112).
2. What Style Is It?, Poppeliers, et al., National Trust for Historic Preservation
3. AGHC: Home
4. "Ontario Architecture:Carpenter's Gothic"
5. "Ontario Architecture:Carpenter's Gothic"
6. The serious side of Carpenter Gothic: Richard Upjohn and St. Saviour's Church, Maspeth, Queens, New York
7. Daily News article 12-13-2007
8. St. Luke's Episcopal Church of Blue Ridge, Georgia - Episcopal Missionary Church
9. Steamboat Gothic
10. Steamboat Gothic by Frances Parkinson Keyes
11. http://www.mississippivalleyrealty.com/all.htm See listing number 235, accessed 11-5-2007
12. steamboatgothic - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

External links

• The Carpenter Gothic, 1840-1870 on The Old House Web
• Gothic Revival (including Carpenter Gothic (1840-1880)) with Churches through 1940s
• Carpenter Gothic houses
• Bargeboards or vergeboards
• Gothic Revival and Carpenter Gothic in Buffalo
• The serious side of Carpenter Gothic: Richard Upjohn and St. Saviour's Church, Maspeth, Queens, New York
• Website of the C.G. House used by Grant Wood
• Village of Round Lake, New York