Bicknell's Victorian Buildings

A. J. Bicknell

• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9780486239040
• eBook ISBN: 9780486157245
• Topic: Architecture
• Subtopic: History of Architecture

By the 1880's, American architecture had turned to a heavily formal, almost grandiose style, forsaking the more delicate ornamentation and graceful line of the previous decade. Just prior to the shift, A. J. Bicknell & Co. published a handsome volume of contemporary designs, plans and specifications for a wide range of public and private buildings from many parts of America. Their intention was to feature a complete village which could be constructed at moderate cost; in fact they published one of the last inclusive documentations of that style of mixed Gothic, Romanesque and classical cornices, pedestals, spires and gables known as "Victorian."
Forty-five buildings of all sorts — cottages, villas, suburban houses, town houses, a farm, a jail, courthouses, banks, store fronts, churches, schools, even stables — are portrayed in beautiful architectural drawings of scaled elevations and floor plans. Large-sized details show the principal corners, panels, railings, arches, finials, window and verandah sections; scales range from 3/32 of an inch to the foot for the elevations, to 1/2"/1' for the details.
The designs come from architects in Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, St. Louis, Nashville, and were built in many large and small communities. Along with the private homes and standard public buildings, there are plans for the first completely fireproof courthouse (built of marble and cast iron) in the United States, at Macoupin County, Illinois; the Bay County Courthouse in Bay City, Michigan, may also be numbered among the noteworthy inclusions. A three-story home in this book, with four bedrooms, dining room, kitchen, parlor, verandah, hall, portico, and cellar (with servants' quarters, if necessary) cost, at that time, $5000 to build; a series of specifications, both general and particular (for carpenters, plumbers, painters and masons) and sample contracts (with provisions for bad weather and striking workmen) offer some idea how such buildings were possible at such prices.
The detailed measurements and specifications provide modellers, miniaturists, set designers, woodworkers, or even full-scale builders, with the information necessary to recreate these designs. Historians of architecture, home restorers, anyone who delights in the felicities of American Victorian, will find this book a superb primary source of authentic building style.

PLATE 1.

THREE DESIGNS FOR CHEAP FRAME COTTAGES.

 

Fig. 1. Front elevation of cottage with hip roof.

Fig. 2. First floor plan, containing three rooms and porch. This design can be built for $750.

Fig. 3 . Elevation of cottage, suitable for plan of Fig. 1. Cost $1,000.

Fig. 4. Front elevation of cottage, containing six rooms.

Fig. 5. First floor plan of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6. Second floor plan of Fig. 4. Cost $1,200.

The designs on this plate are drawn on the scale of one-eighth of one inch to the foot.

PLATE 1

PLATE 2.

DESIGN FOR A FRENCH COTTAGE.

LYMAN UNDERWOOD, Architect, 13 Exchange Street, Boston.

The front elevation and floor plans of this cottage are perhaps, sufficiently explicit. It is simply but conveniently arranged for a small family. It is intended to be built of wood, and painted to harmonize with the surroundings. The stories are ten and nine feet. The elevation is drawn to a scale of eight feet to one inch, and the floors sixteen feet to one inch. The cost under ordinary circumstances would be about $3,8oo.

PLATE 2

PLATE 2B

SPECIFICATIONS.

SPECIFICATION of the Materials to be Furnished and Labor to be Performed in the Erection and Completion of a Wooden Dwelling-House, according to a set of plans, shown on Plate 2, furnished by L. Underwood, Architect, 13 Exchange Street, Boston.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION.

The size of the house and the size and arrangement of all the rooms, etc., are to be as shown on the plans, which are to be considered as a part of this specification; and which, with the writing and figures thereon, together with the detail drawings, are to be adhered to in every respect. The figures in all cases are to take the precedence of measurements on the plans.

EXCAVATION, STONE WORK, &c.

The contractor is to do all of the excavating for the cellar, drains and cistern, dig well, etc., and to put in the cellar and bulkhead walls, build foundations for piers and chimneys, and to do all the stonework necessary to receive the frame. The cellar and bulkhead walls are to be 18 thick at the bottom and 14” at the top, built with stone laid in cement mortar, and are to be carried up to the proper height to receive the sills. The cellar is to be 8’ 6” deep in the clear of the joists. There is to be a dry well, 4 in diameter at the bottom and 2 6” at the top, and 6’ deep, built where shown on the plans. The walls are to be of stone laid dry, carried up to within 18” of the top of the ground and covered with fiagging stones. There is to be a 5” vitrified earthenware drain pipe from the waste-pipe to the sink, to the dry well, provided with a stench trap. The cellar wall above the grade is to be built of large stone, with an even face on the outside. The joints are to be well pointed and drawn. There is to be a well located as per plan, and bricked up with a 4’ wall of hard burned brick, laid in cement and is to be covered with flagging stones.

All earth that is excavated is to be deposited in such places in the lot as the proprietor may direct

BRICKWORK.

Piers are to be built, as shown on the cellar plan, with good hard burned brick, and carried up to the sills. The chimneys are to be built, as shown on the plans, of a good quality of chimney brick,. and to be topped out with good hard burned brick of uniform color, according to designs given in the elevations. All of the flues are to be fastened throughout on the inside. There are to be funnel irons, of such sizes as may be directed, put in the chimneys, so that stoves may be put up in all the rooms.

There is to be a rain-water cistern, as shown on the plans, of 2,500 gallons capacity, built in the usual manner, with hard burned bricks laid in cement, and is to be thoroughly cemented on the inside, and provided with a flagging stone cover and a vitrified earthen overflow pipe connected with the drain running to the dry well. The overflow pipe is to have a bend-trap.

CARPENTERS’ WORK.

The frame is to be made and set up in a good and workmanlike manner, with good, sound, square-edged spruce timbers and joists of such sizes as are marked on the plans. The floor joists are to be bridged with truss bridging. The walls and roof to be boarded with sound pine boards, mill-planed and matched; to be well laid and nailed. The roofs are to be prepared for slating or tinning, as may be required. The outside finish is to be well wrought and put up according to the detail drawings, and is to be of sound, seasoned pine lumber, free from knots, sap or shakes. The walls of the house are to be clapboarded with Eastern pine clapboards, planed to an even thickness and moulded, and laid so as to lap not less than

, and all to be thoroughly nailed.

All projections, mitre-joints, and other exposed places are to be well leaded with sheet lead so as to prevent all leakage.

SLATING AND TINNING.

All the roofs are to be slated with good Pennsylvania slates of uniform color, laid on tarred sheathing paper, and secured with Swedes iron nails. The slates on the Mansard roofs are to be 8” x 12”, with the lower ends rounded.

The roofs of the Bay and Luthern windows, and of the piazza, are to be tinned with the best quality of roofing tin, put on with soldered joints. The chimneys and all other places liable to leak are to be secured with lead or zinc and made perfectly tight.

The gutters to the main roof are to be of wood and formed as shown on the details of cornice, and to have lead eaves pipes, and two 3” (inside measurement) round wooden conductors put up where directed. The gutters for piazza and bay window are also to be of wood, with 2” wooden conductors. As many of the conductors are to connect with the cistern as may be directed. All others are to have proper turnouts at the bottom.

WINDOWS.

The window-frames are to be made according to the detail drawings, with Southern hard pine, pulley stiles and parting beads. The pockets for the weights are to be cut into the pulley stiles and secured with screws. The sashes are to be of pine

thick, and double hung with weights, best hemp sash cord, and

axle pulleys, and to be provided with good bronzed sash fastenings. The stop-beads are to be of soft pine, and are to be secured with round-headed blued iron screws.

The cellar windows are to have plank frames made in the usual manner, and the sashes to be hung so as to swing up under the first floor. The glass is to be of such sizes as are figured on the plans.

There are to be outside blinds on all the windows, to be hung with wrought-iron hinges and secured with good substantial fastenings.

PARTITIONS AND FURRINGS.

All partitions are to be set with 2” x 3” joists, placed 16” from centers and bridged. All are to be of even widths, and to be set straight and true. The cappings to the hall partitions are to be 3” x 4”. All the partition joists, when practicable, are to go through the floor and stand on the partition cap below.

All ceilings are to be furred with 1” x 3” strips, placed 16” between centers, made straight, and all to be well nailed. All necessary grounds are to be put on to fully prepare for plastering. All other places requiring it are to be furred in a proper manner.

LATHING AND PLASTERING.

All the walls and ceilings throughout the house are to be lathed with good pine or spruce laths, assorted so as to be entirely free from knots, in all of the principal rooms. All are to be plastered with a heavy coat of lime and hair mortar evenly floated, and skim-coated with beach sand finish. All angles are to be made straight and true.

There are to be stucco cornices and centerpi...

Table of contents

• DOVER BOOKS ON ARCHITECTURE
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• INTRODUCTION
• PLATE 1. - THREE DESIGNS FOR CHEAP FRAME COTTAGES.
• PLATE 2. - DESIGN FOR A FRENCH COTTAGE.
• PLATES 3, 4. - DESIGN FOR A COTTAGE.
• PLATE 5. - DESIGN FOR ITALIAN COTTAGE.
• PLATE 6. - C. EDWARD LOTH, Architect, Troy, N.Y.
• PLATES 7, 8, 9. - ELEVATIONS, PLANS AND DETAILS FOR A GOTHIC COTTAGE.
• PLATES 10, 11, 12. - DESIGN FOR A FRAME COTTAGE VILLA.
• PLATES 13, 14. - DESIGN FOR A CHEAP RESIDENCE WITH FRENCH ROOF.
• PLATE 15. - DESIGN FOR A TWO STORY BRICK SUBURBAN RESIDENCE.
• PLATES 16, 17. - DESIGN FOR A DWELLING, STYLE FRENCH MANSARD.
• PLATES 18, 19. - DESIGN OF SUBURBAN RESIDENCE.
• PLATES 20, 21, 22. - DESIGN FOR A FIRST CLASS DWELLING.
• PLATES 23, 24, 25, 26. - DESIGN FOR A FARM HOUSE.
• PLATES 27, 28, - DESIGN FOR A HANDSOME SUBURBAN RESIDENCE.
• PLATE 29. - MODEL DESIGN FOR A CHEAP CITY DWELLING.
• PLATES 30, 31. - PERSPECTIVE VIEW, FRONT ELEVATION AND PLAN FOR A FIRST-CLASS STABLE.
• PLATE 32. - ELEVATIONS AND PLANS FOR A CARRIAGE-HOUSE AND STABLE.
• PLATE 33. - ELEVATION OF BLOCK OF TWO STORE-FRONTS.
• PLATE 34 - DESIGNS FOR STREET FRONTS FOR STORES.
• PLATE 35. - DESIGNS FOR FOUR STORES.
• PLATE 36. - DESIGN FOR A FRAME SCHOOL-HOUSE.
• PLATES 37, 38. - DESIGN FOR A BRICK SCHOOL-HOUSE WITH MANSARD ROOF.
• PLATES 39, 40, 41. - DESIGN FOR A SMALL CHURCH.
• PLATE 42. - DESIGN FOR A CHAPEL CHURCH.
• PLATES 43, 44. - DESIGN FOR A CHURCH.
• PLATES 45, 46, 47, 48. - DESIGN FOR A FIRST-CLASS COURT-HOUSE.
• PLATES 49, 50, 51. - DESIGN OF BAY COUNTY COURT-HOUSE, BAY CITY, MICH.
• PLATES 52, 53, 54. - DESIGN FOR A MODEL JAIL AND JAILOR’S RESIDENCE.
• SUPPLEMENTARY PLATES - ARCHITECTS WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS WORK.