Vernacular Wood Frame
By far the most common style of architecture, vernacular wood frame structures
have been built throughout Colorado since 1860. With an absence of architectural
features and ornamentation that can distinguish a specific style, these simple,
modest homes are divided into types according to floor plan and roof shapes.
The gabled L usually follows a L-shaped floor plan, with a front facing gable
and intersecting side gable. A variation of this type is a U-shaped, double
gabled structure.
The front gabled structure is perhaps the plainest of the vernacular types.
The front gable is commonly used for churches and school houses as well as
public buildings in rural settings.
The hipped box is a small, one-story structure with hipped roof and usually
a front porch. These structures are commonly confused with the more elaborate
classic box or Bungalow. Ornamentation is the key to distinguishing between
these styles. The hipped box has no decorative elements.
The roof of the side gable is parallel with the facade or front entrance,
with the gable ends facing the side. Detailing is again limited, with a simple
dormer centered in the gable.
The false front commercial structure is simply a front gabled structure faced
with a plain wooden facade extending above the peak of the gable.
Here are some designated landmarks in Longmont that are representative of
the Vernacular Wood Frame style.
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