Three trends that occurred in the 1870s are exemplified in the design of the Penn house. The first of these was the increased use of details derived from the French Second Empire style, particularly the mansard roof. The second was the desire to emphasize the vertical, whether in interior space, in volumes, or in detailing. The third was the treatment of ornamental detail in a brittle, angular fashion. Many of the principal features of the Penn house are Italianate—the bracketed eaves, the angular bay windows, and the wood pillared porches with segmental arches. But these elements are here dominated by one single feature, a mansard roof with a concave surface broken by numerous dormers and chimneys.
You are here
Penn House
If SAH Archipedia has been useful to you, please consider supporting it.
SAH Archipedia tells the story of the United States through its buildings, landscapes, and cities. This freely available resource empowers the public with authoritative knowledge that deepens their understanding and appreciation of the built environment. But the Society of Architectural Historians, which created SAH Archipedia with University of Virginia Press, needs your support to maintain the high-caliber research, writing, photography, cartography, editing, design, and programming that make SAH Archipedia a trusted online resource available to all who value the history of place, heritage tourism, and learning.