BRACKET – A support element under eaves, shelves or similar overhangs; often more decorative than functional. Italianate, Queen Anne and Second Empire styles all used a more ornate bracket, while Bungalows used a simpler form, often with a diagonal brace.

CLAPBOARD – Long boards which overlap and are placed horizontally on the exterior of a structure.

COLUMN – A vertical support consisting of a shaft, base and capital. Columns are usually round in form except where it is easier or cheaper to use a square form. The three types of columns most commonly found are the Doric, Ionic and Corinthian.

FAΗADE – The full front or face of a building. Facades exhibit varying degrees of simplicity or ornamentation in every conceivable style.

GABLE – That part of the structure that is formed by the triangular end of a two-way pitched roof. It is common for a structure to have more than one gable.

HIPPED ROOF – A roofline that, unlike conventional roofs, has no gable ends: roof is sloped on all four sides to meet the walls beneath it. Common in Italianate structures.

IONIC - One style of classical column, the capital or top of which exhibits a pair of spiral, scroll like decorations.

JOIST - One of the parallel beams running from wall to wall to support a floor or ceiling.

KEYSTONE - The central wedge-shaped stone of an arch.

LATH - Thin strips of wood nailed in studs, used as a substructure for plaster.

MANSARD ROOF – A unique roof design featuring two slopes on all four sides of the structure. With only the lower slope visible from the ground, the upper slopes were often slanted inward so that rainwater could be collected. Characteristic on Second Empire structures.

PALLAPIAN WINDOW – A tri-part window with a large round arched central section and shorter flanking rectangular sidelights. Examples can be seen in Queen Anne, Georgian and Colonial Revival architecture.

QUION – Units of stone or brick used to highlight the corners of a building. Originally used to add a degree of support to the structure, they are found in Georgian, Italianate and Second Empire architecture.

REPOINTING - Applying new mortar to open joints between bricks or stone walls.

SPINDLE – A decorative, turned length of wood used for porch posts, railings and ornamentation. A wide variety of spindles became possible with the invention of the wood lathe.

TRANSOM – A fixed or movable window located above a doorway. Narrow, thin, horizontal transoms are often an important part of classical entrance designs. Examples of the smaller type of transom used in a classical design can be found in Federal, Greek Revival and Italianate architecture.

VERGE BOARDS - Wood trim in roof gables which is cut into decorative patterns.

WINDOW HOOD – A large decorative molding over a window, originally designed to direct water away from the wall immediately above the window opening. Window hoods (window moldings) are often found on Gothic Revival houses and Italianate commercial buildings.