New England Architecture 101 – Stick Style
The signature style element of Stick Style homes makes them easy to identify.
The standout Stick Style home.
Photo Credit : Illustration by Rob LeannaArriving after the gingerbread Gothic Revival and before the ornate Queen Anne, Stick Stylehomes are wooden-clad with a multigabled roof, but their most distinctive feature is an exterior that features raised wooden strips (aka “stickwork”) that vaguely reflects the home’s structural framework.
Time Period: 1860–1890
Defining Characteristic: Decorative stickwork detailing
Famous Example: John N.A. Griswold House in Newport, Rhode Island
Where to Find Stick Style Homes: Throughout the Northeast, including in the Wilder Street Historic District of Lowell, Massachusetts
1. Exterior: Narrow boards (stickwork) arranged in decorative horizontal, vertical, and diagonal patterns
2. Roof: Gabled and steeply pitched, with overhanging eaves and exposed rafter ends
3. Porch: Featuring decorative diagonal braces
Aimee Tucker
As Digital Editor of New England.com, Aimee writes, manages, and promotes content for NewEngland.com and its social media channels. Before this role, she served as assistant, then associate, editor for Yankee Magazine and YankeeMagazine.com, where she was nominated for a City and Regional Magazine Association award for Best Blog. A lifelong New Englander, Aimee loves history, the New Hampshire seacoast, and a good Massachusetts South Shore bar pizza.
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