Main Street Revisited: Time, Space, and Image Building in Small-Town America

Glossary

adobe. Unfired brick dried in the sun, commonly used for building in Spain and LAtin America. Art Deco. Adecorative style stimulated by the Paris Exposition International des Arts Decoratifs et Industrielles Modernes of1925, widely used in the architecture ofthe 193os; characterized by sharp angular or zigzag surface forms and ornaments. Art Moderne. A decorative style popular in the 1940S and 1950S that featured curving or streamlined surfaces. balustrade. Ashort post or pillar in a series supporting a rail or coping. Block Square. An entire block within a regular rectangular grid that is not built upon (i.e., it is open) and usually serves as a public park. canales. Spanish term for pipes or tubes used to divert water offa flat roofthrough a parapet wall. Central Hall. A house type featuring a centrally placed door in the far,;ade which leads into a central hallway flanked by rooms such as parlor and living room. Chicago Style. A style ofarchitecture that originated with architects in Chicago in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; it featured the use ofsteel and larger window openings. circle in a square town plan. (Sometimes called Harrisonburg or Philadelphia style plan.) A town plan in which a circular parcel of land is located centrally through the removal ofa corner offour adjacent or contiguous blocks. colonnades. A series ofcolumns set at regular intervals and usually supporting the base ofa roof structure. Often seen in the Southwestern United States. corbels. Projecting blocks, usually of stone, supporting a beam or other horizontal members. cornice. In classical architecture, projecting ornamental moulding along the top ofa building, wall, arch, etc., finishing or crowning it. culture hearth. Asource area in which cultural traits develop, and from which these traits spread. daguerreotype. An early (ca. 1840-50) photograph produced on a silver or silver-covered copperplate. European classical. Adetailed, ornamented style ofarchitecture that developed in the Renaissance (1500-1700) and was used for prominent buildings. fa~ade. The exterior face ofa building which is the architectural front, sometimes distinguished from the other faces by elaboration of architectural or ornamental details. 204] Glossary faux. From the French, signifying false or imitation architectural features and designs. Federal Style. In the U.S., the Classic Revival style, from ca. 1790 to 1830. frieze. 1. The middle horizontal member ofa classical entablature, above the architrave and below the cornice. 2. A similar decorative band in a stringcourse, or near the top ofan interior wall below the cornice. 3. In house construction, a horizontal member connecting the top ofsiding with the soffit of the cornice. gable. The triangular upper portion of a wall to carry a pitched roof. Greek Revival. Greek as opposed to Roman architecture became known in Europe only about 1750-60. It was at first regarded as primitive and imitated by only a few architects. Its popularity culminated in the United States in the 1820S and 185os. green. A public open space, usually located in the center ofa community. hipped roof. A roofwhich slopes upward from all four sides ofa building, requiring a hip rafter at each corner. imbricated. A pattern involving overlapping in a regular order, as shingling, tiles, etc. International Style. A functional architecture devoid ofregional characteristics, created in Western Europe and the U.S. during the early twentieth century and applied throughout the world. Italianate. Ofor pertaining to Italian architecture ofeither the classical or Renaissance periods. Lancaster Square. A square block that is placed at the intersection oftwo major perpendicular streets, containing a central county courthouse. linear. Of, relating to, resembling, or having a straight line. lintel. A horizontal structural member (such as a beam) over an opening which carries the weight ofthe wall above it; usually ofa strong material such as steel, stone, or wood. lithograph. A print made from a plane surface on which the image to be printed is ink-receptive. mandala. A Hindu or Buddhist graphic symbol ofthe universe, usually a circle enclosing a square with a deity on each side. mansard roof. A roofhaving a double slope on all four sides, the lower slope being much steeper. material culture. The physical or tangible objects, such as housing, furniture, and jewelry, ofa people. Mission Revival Style. A popular style in the early twentieth century that made liberal use ofelements seen in earlier Spanish/Mexican buildings; originally regional, the style spread nationwide by 1920. neo-classical revival. The last phase ofEuropean classicism, in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, characterized by monumentality, strict use ofthe orders, and sparing application...