Queen Anne Victorian (1880-1910)

The Fairbanks residence. Perhaps the definitive Petaluma vintage home. This fanciful 5000 sq.ft.+ estate stands as a Sonoma County landmark on historic D Street

Romantic, Exuberant Style

Identifying features:

• Steeply pitched roof of irregular shape, usually with dominant front-facing gable
• Textured shingles (and/or other devices) to avoid smooth-walled appearance
• Partial or full-width asymmetrical porch, usually one story high and extended along one or more or both sides of walls
• Asymmetrical facade

"The Queen Anne house is like a buxom gypsy, her ruffled skirts, billowing blouse and patterned kerchiefs infinitely artful, but always in disarray and never quite matching." -- Source Unknown

Perhaps more than any other vintage style, the Queen Anne Victorian is synonymous with West Petaluma. Pristine examples of these homes can be found in both the vintage East and West parts of town, most notably the Brewster and D Street neighborhoods, and extending into the “East D Street” historic district as well. Brainerd Jones designed many of Petaluma’s well known Queen Anne’s which have made our community a haven for vintage home buyers.

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Historical information provided by Realtor.com

Another exquisite example in Petaluma’s Brewster District

The Queen Anne Victorian house style utterly dominated Victorian residential architecture from 1880 to 1910.

It was one of the more ornate and eclectic examples of the Victorian Style and the one that can legitimately be considered as more American than the Gothic, Italianate, or Second Empire styles.

Though its name indicates a borrowing from England, the Queen Anne Victorian did not look to any historic European models for its inspiration. Rather, it is indicative of the ornamental excess made possible by power tools and mass-produced decorative trim work.

Americans love Queen Annes because they're romantic, exuberant and full of fanciful details. Eclecticism is the keynote of the Queen Anne Style.

The style is varied and decoratively rich, with picturesque and asymmetrical silhouettes shaped by turrets, towers, gables, and bays. It was also the form that gave the front porch its social prominence.

Queen Annes grace Petaluma’s countryside as well, as shown by this home on Bodega Avenue

In addition to all the other decorative elements, the Victorians also painted their Queen Annes in a rainbow of colors. Subsequent generations reverted to the all-white paint scheme that had characterized houses before the Civil War.

However when the Colorist movement of the 1960s and 1970s set in, people once again began painting their Victorian houses in rich colors The movement spread, and today, at least in some locales, many Victorian houses sport three or four bright hues.

Search Other Styles:

• Craftsman/Arts and Crafts - Practical and Open yet Inspiring
• Spanish-Mediterranean and Spanish-Eclectic 1890 - Present California’s Romantic Style
• Queen Anne Victorian (1880-1910) - Romantic, Exuberant Style
• Nostalgic Style - Colonial Revival (1880 - 1940)
• Victorian Stick Style (1860-1885) - Colorful and Unrestrained
• Suburban Style - The Ranch House (1932-1980)

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