By HOLLIE DEESE
Staff Writer
TheTennessean.com
Sunday, 07/01/07
New construction is taking its cues from the past, and classic American and European styles are gaining stature in some of Middle Tennessee's newer developments.
With the help of Scott Wilson, a Brentwood-based architect, and Danny Lane, vice president of product planning and research for Southern Land Company, this story looks at some of today's popular housing styles and where they're showing up in the region.
"People want something special, a nostalgia-type feel," says Lane, who spends part of his time traveling to find styles that are good for this region and researches historical images to determine how to best reflect homes from the past. "But we are not trying to re-create the past. Everything is set up for modern living."
As people are looking to move beyond the cookie-cutter homes and into a piece of the past, here are some styles making a comeback — with modern amenities, of course.
"What we are trying to do is create a timeless look," Wilson says. "Everything old is new again."
Italianate
Can be seen in: Franklin's LaurelBrooke and Windstone; Brentwood's Annandale.
Overall shape: Tall appearance, with three to four stories in a balanced, symmetrical rectangular shape.
Characteristics: Low-pitched or flat roof, wide, overhanging eaves with brackets and cornices, square cupola (ornamental structure on roof), balustraded balconies, tall, narrow double-paned windows with hood moldings, molded front door and Roman arches above windows and doors.
English Country
Can be seen in: Brentwood's Annandale; Gallatin's Fairvue Plantation; Oak Hill; Nolensville's Burkitt Place; Mt. Juliet's Village at Providence; Murfreesboro's Weston Park; under development in Arundel Court in Green Hills.
Overall shape: Similar to Tudor and typically includes curved arches, soft lines and stonework.
Characteristics: Craftsmanship is key, with carved wood and stone details, wrought iron work and simple yet imposing lines of a classic stone manor house. Look for elaborate parapet treatment, clay chimney pots, roofs typically slate but are now asphalt shingle.
Tudor
Can be seen in: Franklin's Legend's Ridge, LaurelBrooke and Windstone; Brentwood's Annandale; Thompson Station's Tollgate Village; Nolensville's Burkitt Place; Murfreesboro's Weston Park; Mt. Juliet's Village at Providence.
Overall shape: Noted for exquisite brick or stonework, parapet walls, cross gables and massive decorative chimneys with wings on either side.
Characteristics: Shutters, asymmetrical form with a main mast in the middle. Steeply pitched roof, tall, narrow windows, decorative half-timbered walls and a huge chimney capped with an ornate chimney pot. Exteriors are typically brick or stucco and surrounded with decorative woodwork with intricate designs.
Colonial
Can be seen in: Franklin's LaurelBrooke and Windstone; Gallatin's Fairvue Plantation; Thompson Station's Tollgate Village; Nolensville's Burkitt Place; Mt. Juliet's Village at Providence; Murfreesboro's Weston Park.
Overall shape: Formal, solid, clean lines. Typically rectangular, with central placement of front door.
Characteristics: Symmetrical window spacing, side-to-side or back-to-front gables, formal porch that spans almost the entire front, paned window, symmetrical spacing for dormers and columns, brick or stone, masonry finish. Entrances often accentuated with columns rising to the second floor.
French Country
Can be seen in: Davidson County's Oak Hill; Hendersonville's The Hunt Club; Nolensville's Burkitt Place; Mt. Juliet's Village at Providence; Murfreesboro's Weston Park.
Overall shape: Reminiscent of the rural French countryside, the exterior typically includes curved arches, soft lines and stonework.
Characteristics: Steep pitched roof and curved eaves over front doorway or porch. Historically, roofs were made of tile, but they're shingled today because of cost. Columns on the porch are typically asymmetrical. Lots of stone and a mixture of materials: stucco, brick and timbers. Door off to one side or other, may see a tower on one side, one or two gables or peaks on front.