LIFEINTHEBIGOLDHOUSE
A style mixture
house in
Astoria. Note
Queen Anne
porch on a
plain American
Foursquare
with round
Colonial Revival
columns.
Lisa DeCicco
The
Illahee
Apartments
OLD HOUSE STYLES
ON THE NORTH COAST
Downtown Astoria’s
Most Respected
Apartment Complex
Since 1969.
1046 Grand Avenue
Astoria, OR 97103
503-325-2280
4 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
BY LAURI SERAFIN
Knowing the style of an old house is key
to guide preservation, renovation and décor
eff orts. It is more pleasing to the eye to have
consistent style elements.
This also preserves your investment.
For example, a 1920 Colonial Revival
should not have a Victorian “gingerbread”
front door from the salvage yard. This is an
extreme example, but I have seen this and
other odd improvements.
Interior décor elements that are more per-
manent, such as woodwork, fl ooring and
lighting are best kept in style. Furnishings,
wallpapers and interior paint colors are a
matter of personal taste.
I recommend the defi nitive book on the
subject of house styles, “A Field Guide
to American Houses,” by Virginia Sav-
age McAlester. It’s a must have for the old
house enthusiast.
Residential architecture is of two princi-
ple types, Folk and styled houses. Folk or
vernacular structures are designed and built
without regard to current housing trends.
They provide shelter and are built to pur-
pose. Styled houses were designed to be
fashionable and refl ect current trends. Most
surviving old houses are styled houses,
probably because they were designed by
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