What Is the Difference Between a Queen Anne-Style Home & a Victorian?

Victorian Subtypes

• The Victorian style encompasses similar but distinct styles that architects designed in the Victorian time frame. Some Victorian styles include Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Second Empire and Stick-Eastlake. At the tail-end of the era, in 1870 to 1910, the Queen Anne style became popular. Queen Anne homes are rounded in their design, almost always include a porch, and seem to have elaborate trim-based details and decorations, often called gingerbread trim, along both their interiors and exteriors.

Queen Anne Style History

• The Queen Anne style became especially admired during the 1890s. When most people think of Victorian homes, they picture a Queen Anne-style building. Architect Richard Norman Shaw popularized this style in England, after which it then spread to the United States. Factory-made details for these homes could be ordered and floor plans were available in magazines. At the time that Queen Annes became popular, dark exterior paint colors ruled. However, the Queen Anne style ushered in the era of brightly hued exteriors.

Queen Anne Details

• Queen Anne-style homes do not have a common design as ornate details can be used to personalize every surface of this type of home. For example, turned posts, which are often carved in an attractive pattern, can be used to hold a porch up or as balustrades, while clapboard or wooden siding is a must for the stylish Queen Anne home. A decorative entablature, or the upper part of a wall, also marks a Queen Anne. Carved wooden decorations commonly adorn the outside of this style while the roof should combine steep gables and conical roofs for the requisite tower. A balcony often graces these never-dull exteriors.

Victorian Details

• Every Victorian home style possesses elements that differ from the Queen Anne style. Greek Revival homes built between 1825 and 1850 are symmetrical and have understated moldings and heavy cornices. Imitating medieval castles with tall pinnacles and parapets, the Gothic Revival style was popular from 1840 to 1880. Italianate styles, which had their heyday from 1840 to 1890, draw their inspiration from country villas and feature asymmetric floor plans along with flat roofs. Second Empire-style homes, built around 1855 to 1885, look highly ornate and fit comfortably in narrow city lots due to their height. Second Empire homes also have mansard roofs. A mansard roof has two slopes and is flat on top. Stick-Eastlake homes built in 1860 to 1890 are muted and emphasize uncluttered lines, as compared to the bold and busy Queen Annes.