c. 1915 – 1945
The French Eclectic style gained popularity in the United States following World War I and was based on the rural homes found in the French countryside. This style was very similar lo the Tudor architectural style but these homes lacked the front cross gable that the Tudor home had. There were three basic forms of the French Eclectic home: the symmetrical form, the asymmetrical form, and the towered form. The symmetrical form commonly had a large steeply-pitched, hipped roof with symmetrical fenestration around a central entry. The asymmetrical form was very similar to its symmetrical counterpart with a steep-pitched hipped roof, but the entry was off center and the homes often had forward facing wings or other projections and an asymmetrical fenestration. The last form, the towered form, was identified by a tall, rounded tower with a cone-shaped roof that usually acted as the entryway.
The symmetrical form commonly had arched windows, dormers, and doors and decorative quoins were found at the corners of the structure and along the windows and doors. The windows could also have been bracketed by shutters and it was not uncommon to find porches and balconies along with symmetrical wings. The asymmetrical and towered forms often had decorative half-timbering and mixed stonework on the exterior walls. Strings of casement windows were a common feature, as was the use of various roof-line heights and gabled dormers.
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