Stick style
The Stick style was an American architectural style that was prevalent between around 1860 and 1890.
The most distinctive stylistic element of the Stick style is the decorative stickwork or bands of wood trim applied horizontally, vertically or diagonally to the exterior wall surfaces. A similar pattern of decorative wood trim appears in the trusses of the gables and across gables and on the porch braces.
The Stick style is considered to be a transitional style, with decorative details similar to the preceding Gothic Revival style, and a shape and form closely related to the following Queen Anne style. All three styles are inspired by Medieval English building tradition and therefore, share some common features.
Unlike the Gothic Revival style, the Stick style treats wall surfaces, not just doorways, cornices, windows and porches as decorative elements.
Like other Picturesque styles, the Stick style was promoted by the pattern books of Andrew Jackson Downing in the mid-1800s.
The exterior stickwork was considered to be display structural honesty by showing the supportive wooden understructure on the outside. Since the stickwork on the walls was purely decorative rather than structurally relevant, such an argument for the greater integrity of form of this style seems somewhat unfounded.
The Stick style was never as popular and wide spread as the somewhat later Queen Anne style which appears in various forms all over the United States.
Some of the key identifiable features of the Stick style are as follows:
- Steeply pitched gable roof.
- Cross gables.
- Decorative trusses at gable peak.
- Overhanging eaves with exposed rafters.
- Wood exterior walls with clapboards.
- Horizontal, vertical or diagonal decorative wood trim - stickwork.
- Porches with diagonal or curved braces.
- Towers.
--Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
[edit] Find out more
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
IHBC NewsBlog
COVID-19: Advice and Updates collated from the Heritage Sector
Organisations with conservation links have been collating resources on COVID-19 impacts, including Built Environment Forum Scotland (BEFS), Historic Environment Forum, The Heritage Alliance (THA), and Historic England, on cleaning surfaces.
Councils considering ‘executive powers’ as measures to avoid planning gridlock
Councils are reported to be considering taking up rarely-used executive powers to keep the planning and development system moving during the coronavirus pandemic.
Historic England provides updated flood recovery advice
Historic England's 'After a Flood' provides timely advice on how to dry walls properly and avoid further damage to the building fabric.
Conservation of Timber Buildings: an example of evolving conservation techniques
Context Issue 162 offers a peek into an archive of timber conservation history through the records of the practice of FWB and Mary Charles Chartered Architects.
Call for VAT rates for Refurbishment to be Reduced
To meet the government’s target of being carbon neutral by 2050, we must recycle, reuse and responsibly adapt our existing historic buildings, according to this year’s Heritage Counts report, so Historic England and partners are calling for a reduction in VAT rates to incentivise this more sustainable option.
Grade II Edwardian swimming baths in Birmingham restored
Donald Insall Associates, with the help of Historic England, has completed restoration work of Moseley Road Baths, being converted for use as an arts and culture venue.
IHBC Marsh Award Nominations – Closing Date 30 March
Celebrate your local ‘retired members’ and ‘successful learners’ with £500 cash prizes and 2020 Brighton School places!
Biodiversity Net Gain through UK Construction Projects
The Conservation Hierarchy is a new framework developed by the University of Oxford to help construction projects achieve Biodiversity Net Gain.
How Project Managers for Town Centre Developments can Balance Risk
Jacqueline Hughes, senior risk analyst at Equib, in pbctoday discusses how project managers for town centre developments can get their risk management strategies right.
Red Tape is Strangling our High Streets
A new paper from the Adam Smith Institute argues that the problem with the High Street has been totally misunderstood, saying that we need to reform restrictive planning rules and reject a policy of managed decline to reinvigorate our town centres.
Calculating the full cost of energy used by buildings
The Whole Life Cost of Energy (WLCoE) calculator – issued by government in BETA form – is intended to help building owners and operators to understand the full financial cost of the energy their buildings use, and welcomes feedback
England’s heritage worth £31Bn: New Historic England report
New research published by Historic England (HE) shows the value of heritage to England’s economy as it contributes to economic prosperity and growth through jobs in the heritage and construction sectors and from tourism.