SAH Archipedia uses terms from the Getty Art and Architecture Thesaurus (AAT) to categorize and classify metadata for the entries in the database. For more information on the Getty AAT, click here.

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soda fountains
Restaurants with counters at which soda water, ice cream, and light meals are served; may also be used to designate the dispensing equipment or counter itself, especially when found as fixtures in commercial buildings, such as drugstores.

softball fields
Refers to the entire playing area upon which softball is played.

solar buildings
Buildings designed to store and use solar radiation for heat or electricity.

solar houses
Houses designed to store and use solar radiation for heat or electricity.

solariums (building spaces)
Sunny rooms or balconies designed for exposure to the rays of the sun. In ancient Greek and Roman houses, solariums were open sunporches or apartments on the roofs of buildings. In modern usage, may also refer to rooms having large windows, particularly rooms provided for patients in hospitals or clinics.

soldiers' monuments
Monuments honoring soldiers, often of a particular military branch, regiment or other group, or battle.

sorority houses
Dwellings in the United States owned and operated by societies for women for the benefit of their constituents and not open to the general public. They generally serve as a dormitory for sorority members in a college or university setting.

sound studios
Buildings or spaces designed or used for audio recording, typically conforming to special acoustical requirements and having specialized equipment.

spas (health resorts)
Resorts or other facilities possessing or located near natural mineral springs or pools that are valued because of the believed restorative or curative powers of the water; also, artificial pools or other aquatic facilities containing waters believed to have restorative powers. The term is derived from the proper name of Spa, Liège province, Belgium, celebrated for the believed curative properties of its mineral springs.

special libraries (buildings)
Buildings housing privately owned libraries established to meet the needs of the members or staff of the owning institution.

special libraries (institutions)
Privately owned libraries established, supported, and administered by a business firm, private corporation, association, government agency, etc., to meet the needs of its members or staff in pursuing the goals of the organization.

special needs
No description is available for this term.

specialty stores
Stores that carry a deep assortment within a narrow line of goods, such as furniture stores, florists, sporting goods stores, and bookstores.

speedways (roads)
Tracks or roads prepared for fast transportation, including roads for horses or motor vehicles where the dirt surface has been packed or covered with asphalt or another material, and the course is generally straight and flat, where possible.

spheres (geometric figures)
A geometrical figure comprising the set of all points in three-dimensional space lying the same distance (the radius) from a given point (the center), or the result of rotating a circle about one of its diameters.

spinning mills
Textile mills in which thread is spun.

spiral stairs
Staircases that are circular in plan, consisting entirely of winders or wedge-shaped steps.

spires
Tall structures that are at least roughly pyramidal, polygonal, or conical and that rise from towers or roofs.

spirit houses (religious structures)
Small or miniature houses in which guardian or deceased spirits are invited to live. They may be set on wooden posts; they may exist in groups together in house compounds. The practice is common in several cutures, including among Native Americans, in Japan, in Thailand, and in other locations.

spirit ways
The processional approaches to tomb sites, flanked by pillars, stelae, and stone carvings which often take the form of guardian figures.

split-level houses
Houses in which the floor levels of adjacent living areas differ by less than a full story.

sporting goods stores
Stores specializing in the retail sale of sporting equipment, such as rackets, balls, clubs, etc., and specialized clothing designed to be worn while playing sports.

sports buildings
Designates buildings providing facilities for athletic events or training and, usually, support facilities for participants and spectators.

sports complexes
Building complexes and associated grounds that are designed for playing sports and the accommodation of large crowds of viewers, including seating or other viewing areas, dining facilities, tracks, pools, or various other playing areas. For inhabited places having sports as a focus, use "sporting centers (inhabited places)."

springhouses
Buildings enclosing a natural spring; sufficiently cool for use as a storehouse of milk and other dairy products.

springs (bodies of water)
Water issuing naturally from the rock or soil upon the land or into a body of surface water.

squares (open spaces)
Open public spaces in cities or towns, usually rectilinear, surrounded by buildings, and located at the junction of two or more thoroughfares.

squash courts
Four-walled, enclosed courts marked for the racket and ball game of squash racquets.

stable and barn spaces
No description is available for this term.

stables (animal housing)
Buildings or portions of buildings for the housing and feeding of horses, cattle, and other such domestic animals, and often also for storing riding equipment and vehicles, and which occasionally have living quarters for associated personnel. For barnlike structures used primarily for housing farmstock and feed, see, for example, "horse barns" or "cattle barns."

stacks (shelves)
Areas of shelves in a library.

stadiums
Large usually unroofed buildings with tiers of seats for spectators built in various shapes and enclosing a field used for sports events.

stage houses
Parts of theaters holding the stage and the space above it.

stage stations
Stations or inns located on a stage route that provide change of horses for couriers and provisions for passengers.

stages (performance spaces)
Theatrical platforms, visible to an audience and commonly framed by a proscenium arch, on which performances are carried out.

stair towers
Clearly articulated, often towerlike, building appendages containing only stairs.

stairwells
Spaces, extending through one or more floors, that contain staircases.

stalls (stable spaces)
Divisions of stables or barns, each accommodating one animal.

standpipes (plumbing)
Tanks or vertical pipes connected to water-supply systems and used to insure uniform pressure or to store water for emergency use.

state capitols
Buildings housing state legislatures in the U.S. states.

state colleges (buildings)
Buildings that house colleges that are financially supported by a state government, either the government of a U.S. state or the national government of certain other nations.

state libraries (buildings)
Buildings housing libraries maintained by state funds.

state parks
Parks owned or maintained by the state, particularly a U.S. state.

state prisons (buildings)
Buildings that house prisons administered by the state, particularly a state in the U.S.

state universities (buildings)
Buildings that house universities that are financially supported by a state government.

state universities (institutions)
Universities that are financially supported by a state government.

staterooms
Rooms in a palace or great house, often splendidly decorated and used for official and State entertaining.

stations (transportation buildings)
Intermediate stopping places along transportation routes; for the end points of such routes, use "terminals."

statues
Sculpture in the round, usually but not always depicting humans, animals, mythical beings, or small figure groups. Statues are relatively large in scale, being life-size, larger than life-size, or only slightly smaller than life-size. For small-scale representations of humans, animals, or mythical beings, use "figurines," "statuettes," or another appropriate term. For depictions of humans, animals, or mythical beings in media other than sculpture, use "figures (representations)."

stave churches
Wood churches with walls of vertical planks, used from at least the 9th century, especially in Scandinavia.

steam baths
Establishments containing special enclosures for cleansing or refreshing oneself in a bath of steam.

steam power plants
Power plants in which the prime movers, usually turbines, connected to the generators are driven by steam to produce electricity.

steel mills
Facilities where steel is processed and rolled into sheets.

steeples (building components)
Towers terminated by spires or approximations of spires; refers to the entire construction of tower, spire, and lantern, if present.

stelae
Upright stone slabs, plain or decorated, used as commemorative markers.

stoas
Structures that originated in Greek architecture, comprising freestanding colonnades or covered walkways, or long open buildings with the roof supported by one or more rows of columns parallel to the rear wall. Stoas surrounded marketplaces and sanctuaries, forming places of business and public promenade. Rooms could back onto the colonnade, and a second story was sometimes added. A famous example of a stoa was the great hall at Athens, which was adorned with frescoes of the battle of Marathon, and in which Zeno lectured, giving the name to his disciples, "Stoics."

stock exchanges
Buildings that house a market for the buying and selling of public securities and where an association of brokers and jobbers transact business.

stockades
Defensive barriers of stakes, piles, or other timber and often including loopholes for gun fire, placed across entrenchments and redoubts, a harbor or river, or around a building, village, or another area in need of fortification.

stockyards
Enclosed spaces with pens, stables, and sheds, where beef cattle are confined for fattening prior to market; usually associated with a railroad line.

stoops (uncovered spaces)
Porches, platforms, entrance stairways, or small verandas at house doors.

storage
The safekeeping of objects or materials in a depository, such as a warehouse or cabinet.

storage facilities
Buildings or other structures designed or utilized primarily for storage.

storage spaces
Rooms or areas in a structure that are allocated for storage.

storage tanks
Tanks used temporarily for containing fuel or another substance, usually liquid or gas rather than solid. The tanks are not intended to be linked to the equipment for which that fuel or other substance is intended.

storefronts
Facades of stores or store buildings fronting a street and usually containing window display spaces. Facades of stores or store buildings fronting a street and usually containing window display spaces.

storehouses
Buildings in which goods are stored.

storerooms
Rooms set apart for the storing of goods or supplies in a home, public building, or ship.

stores
Buildings offering merchandise for sale, usually on a retail basis.

storm cellars
Wholly or partially underground refuges from tornadoes or other violent storms.

storm water retention basins
No description is available for this term.

stormwater systems
Systems used for conveying rainwater, surface water, condensate, cooling water, or similar liquid wastes, exclusive of sewage or industrial waste, to the storm sewer or other legal place of disposal.

straits
A narrow waterway, usually narrower and less extensive than a sound, connecting two larger bodies of water.

strapwork
Ornament consisting of twisted and intertwined bands, originally based on leather strips or ribbons; examples are those popular in Northern Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries and in 19th-century revivals.

street elevations
Particular arrangements of vertical elements of a building as seen by observers from the primary street view.

street vendors
Refers to those who sell food or small goods from temporary positions on the street. For those who move about selling small goods from door to door or on the street, see "peddlers."

streets
A road in a city, town, or village, characterized by usually being paved and comparatively wide (as opposed to a lane or alley), and generally running between two rows of houses or other buildings.

streetscapes
Use to designate the physical environment of the streets including such elements as structures, open spaces, and vegetation.

stringcourses
Horizontal bands of masonry, generally narrower than other courses, extending across the face of a wall and in some instances continuing across piers or engaged columns; may be flush or projecting and may be flat surfaced, molded, or otherwise shaped.

strip clubs
No description is available for this term.

structures (single built works)
Refers to constructions of any kind artificially fabricated of parts joined together in some definite manner and which may or may not provide enclosure or shelter. Includes not just buildings, but other structures, for example oil wells, bridges, docks, and railroads. The term normally applies to structures built by humans, but may also apply to those built by other species.

student unions
Buildings on a college campus dedicated to social and organizational activities of the student body.

studies (rooms)
Rooms or spaces in domestic contexts used for reading, writing, and study.

studio apartments
Apartments containing one spacious room, often with large windows, which is or resembles an artist's studio, and serves as both a sitting area and a sleeping area, and with access to a separate bathroom and small kitchen.

studios (work spaces)
Working places set aside for artists to work. The term is generally applied to workspaces used by artists creating fine art, particularly art dating from the 16th century to the present. The characteristics of a studio may be dictated by the practical requirements of adequate light, ample space in which to create the work of art, and storage of materials. Display of the finished art works and training may also be accommodated in a studio. Creation of an art work may require a range of artistic processes; therefore, separate areas of work may be delegated in the studio. The term may also refer to spaces used by dancers, singers, musicians, and other performing artists to create or practice. The term "workshops" is generally refers to spaces used by craftspeople, artists working prior to the 16th century, and industrial workers. For studios that are larger spaces or complexes, and are used to create films, television or radio programs, or other large scale productions, use "motion picture studios," "broadcasting studios," "sound studios," "recording studios," "radio studios," or "television studios."

stupas
Buddhist relic mounds of earth, brick, or stone, dominated by a hemispherical or bulbous dome set on a square or circular base and topped by a small pavilionlike structure and a spire. Stupas often serve as pilgrimage sites and symbols of the Buddha or his teachings.

stylobates
Course of pavement on which columns rest in Greek temples. For similar features in other building types, including Roman or Etruscan temples, use "podiums (building divisions)."

subdivisions (complexes )
Areas of land divided into blocks or lots, provided with streets or roads and open spaces, and then offered for sale or lease.

suburban houses
Houses located away from the urban center in the suburbs, typically segregated from the work place, and often near only limited shopping and entertainment sources. They are typically part of a group of houses having similar floorplans and styles.

suburban landscapes
Town and country areas with heterogeneous patchy mixture of residential areas, commercial centers, cropland, managed vegetation, and natural areas.

suburbs
Compactly developed or developing, usually residential, areas on the outskirts of a central city; distinguished from central cities by their more homogeneous socio-economic and physical character, although rarely is there an identifiable boundary between suburbs and central cities.

subway stations
Intermediate stopping places along subway lines.

sugar houses
Subsidiary agricultural buildings where sugar is refined, especially those where maple sugar and maple syrup are made.

sugar refineries
Refers to a facility devoted to the production of high-quality sugars from remelted raw cane sugar or from remelted and recrystallized lower-grade beet syrups.

suites (rooms)
Successions of connected rooms, generally on one floor, that are occupied as one unit.

summer camps
Camps providing recreational and sporting facilities during the summer holiday period, usually intended for children and often including overnight accommodations.

summer houses (seasonal dwellings)
Homes in the country used as summer residences.

summer palaces
Palaces that provide summer, generally rural, retreats for rulers and their courts.

summer resorts
Resorts that operate seasonally during the summer months.

summerhouses (garden structures)
Structures of varying forms in gardens or parks designed to provide cool shady places of relaxation or retreats from summer heat.

sun decks
Decks or flat roofs intended for sunbathing.

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