Baluster
Vertical member, usually wood, that supports the railing of a porch or the handrail of a stairway. |
 Balustrade
A railing or parapet consisting of a handrail on balusters, sometimes also includes a bottom rail. |
Bargeboard
A board, often decoratively carved, that hangs perpendicular from the projecting edge of a roof gable. |
Beveled siding
Tapered wood siding that overlaps for weather protection, applied horizontally on buildings of frame construction. |
Board and batten siding
A wood siding consisting of vertical boards with narrow vertical strips (battens) placed over the joints |
Bracket
A projecting member, often decorative, that supports an overhanging weight, such as a cornice. |
Bulkhead
In commercial buildings, the area below the display windows at the sidewalk level. |
Casement window
A window that swings outward on its side hinges. |
Column
A supporting round post found on storefronts, porches, and balconies; may be fluted or smooth. |
Corbel
A bracket form produced by courses of wood or masonry that extend in successive stages from the wall surface. |
Cornerboard
A board used to cover the exposed ends of wood siding to give a finished appearance and help make the building watertight. |
Cornice
The projecting uppermost portion of a wall, sometimes treated in a decorative manner with brackets. |
Dentil
One of a row of small blocks used as part of the decoration in a frieze or cornice. |
Dormer
A structural extension of a building's roof, intended to provide light and headroom in a half-story; usually contains window(s) on its vertical face. |
Double-hung window
A window with two balanced sashes, with one sliding vertically over the other to open. |
Eaves
The lower portion of the sloping surface of a roof, especially the part that overhangs the building's wall |
Exterior architectural feature
As defined by ordinance, the term refers to the architectural treatment and general arrangement of the exterior of a structure and its appurtenant fixtures, including type, color, material, and texture. |
Facade
The architectural "face" of a building; usually refers to the front. |
Fascia
A flat horizontal wooden member used as a facing at the ends of roof rafters and in the cornice area. |
Frieze
A wooden member, found just below the point where the wall surface meets the building's cornice or roof overhang. |
Gable
The triangular section of the end wall of a gable roof. |
Gable roof
A roof that has one slope on opposite sides of the ridge, with a gable at either end. |
Gambrel roof
A roof that has two slopes on opposite sides of a ridge. |
Hipped roof
A roof that has a slope on all four sides of the building. |
Hoodmold
Decorative, projecting element placed over a window; may extend down the sides of a window as well as surround the top. |
Lintel
Horizontal structural element at the top of a window or door; it carries the load of the wall above and may be of wood, stone, or metal. |
Mansard roof
A roof that has a double slope on all four sides, with the lower slope being quite steep or nearly vertical. |
Modillion
A horizontal bracket or scroll that appears at the building or porch cornice. Known as a block modillion if a flat block. |
Mullion
A vertical piece that divides window sash, doors, or panels set close together in a series. |
Muntin
The pieces that make up the small subdivisions in a multiple-pane glass window. |
Ornamentation
Decoration, usually nonstructural, that is applied to a building to increase its visual interest. |
Parapet
The portion of an exterior wall that rises entirely above the roof, usually in the form of a low retaining wall; the parapet may be shaped or stepped. |
Pediment
The triangular face of a roof gable; or a gable that is used in porches; or as decoration over windows, doors, or dormers. |
Pilaster
A flat pier that is attached to the surface of the wall and has little projection; the pier may be given a base and cap, may be smooth or fluted. |
Prism glass
Small panes of glass, usually set in a wood or metal framework in the transom over a storefront or entrance. |
Public right-of-way:
The boundaries within which the public has a right to travel, even though the property in question may be privately owned. For example, ownership of a city lot may extend to the curb, but there may be a public right-of-way along the sidewalk on private land. |
Rowhouse
A residential building, usually built as rental apartments, in which the floor plan is commonly repeated from unit to unit, with each unit sharing a wall with the adjacent one. The building has a single continuous wall along the street. |
Sash
The framework of a window actually supporting the glass. Most common is the double-hung sash, where both sash slide up and down. Sash may be fixed, sliding, hinged, or pivoted. |
Scale
The relationship of the size of a building or object to the size of a human being. Grand or large scale implies a size out of proportion to human size, while small or intimate scale implies the opposite. |
Segmental arch
A type of circular arch that does not extend on the sides to a full half circle; often found at the tops of windows. |
Sidelight
A glass panel, usually of multiple panes, to either side of a door; often used in conjunction with a transom. |
Sill
Horizontal structural element at the base of a window or door, often of stone. |
Soffit
A flat wood member used as a finished undersurface for any overhead exposed part of a building, such as a cornice. |
Spalling
A condition of brick or stone in which layers break off vertically and fall away. This is usually caused by internal pressures due to water freezing or chemicals crystalizing. |
Structure
As defined by ordinance, a combination of materials to form a construction that is safe and stable. The term includes, but is not limited to, buildings, outbuildings, barns, garages, walls, fences, display signs, scaffolds, trailers, or any object that is used or maintained above or below ground. |
Transom
A glass panel, sometimes fixed and sometimes movable, that is placed over a door or window to provide additional natural light and ventilation to the interior of the building. Used on both residential and commercial buildings. |
Turret
A corbelled projection, usually located at a corner. |
Vapor barrier
A waterproof material that is used to prevent moisture from migrating from damp to dry areas, where it may condense and cause problems. |
Vernacular
Architecture that draws more on folk traditions and forms, stressing basic functionalism, economy, and utility rather than the "rules," principles, and ornamentation of high-style architecture. May contain secondary high-style design elements. |
