In the United States, the Second Empire style usually combined a rectangular tower, or similar element, with a steep, but short, mansard roof; the roof being the most noteworthy link to the style’s French roots. This tower element could be of equal height of the top most floor, or could exceed the height of the rest of the structure by a story or two. The mansard roof crest was often topped with an iron trim, sometimes referred to as “cresting”. In some cases, lightning rods were integrated into the cresting design, making the feature useful beyond its decorative features. The exterior style could be expressed in either wood, brick or stone. More elaborate examples frequently featured paired columns as well as sculptured details around the entrances, windows and dormers. The purpose of the ornament was to make the structure appear imposing, grand and expensive.

Floor plans for Second Empire residences could either be symmetrical, which placed the tower (or tower-like element) in the center or asymmetrical in nature in which the tower or tower-like element would be placed to one side.

The style also found its way in commercial structures, and was often used when designing state institutions. Several psychiatric hospitals proved the style's adaptability in their size and functions. Prior to the construction of The Pentagon in the 1940s, the Second Empire–styled Ohio State Asylum for the Insane in Columbus, Ohio was reported to be the largest building under one roof in the U.S., though the title may actually belong to Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital, another Kirkbride Second Empire asylum.

Second Empire was succeeded by the Queen Anne Style era, and its sub-styles, which enjoyed great popularity until the rise of the “Revival Era” in American architecture just before the end of the 19th century.

The architect H.H. Richardson designed several of his early residences in the style, "evidence see references of his French schooling." These projects include the Crowninshield House, Boston Massachusetts, 1868, the H.H.Richardson House, Staten Island, New York, 1868 and the Dorsheimer House, Buffalo, New York, 1868.

In regard to the use of the Second Empire style for residences, the McAlesters references divided the style into 5 subtypes:

• Simple mansard roof - about 20 %
• Centered wing or gable
• Asymmetrical - about 20 %
• Towered - about 30 %
• Town house

Notable Second Empire buildings in the United States include

• Old City Hall, Boston, Massachusetts, 1862-1865, Bryant and Gilman, architects
• New York City Courthouse and Post Office, 1869 - 1875, AB Mullett, architect
• Philadelphia City Hall 1871-1881, John McArthur Jr,. architect
• State, War and Navy Building, now the Old Executive Office Building, 1871 - 1887, AB Mullett, architect, Washington D.C.
• Old Post Office, 1873 - 1884, AB Mullett, architect, St. Louis, Missouri
• 2300 block, Chapline Street, Wheeling West Virginia

Images

References

• McAlester, Virginia & Lee, A Field Guide to American Houses, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1986

• McCue, George and Frank Peters, A Guide to the Architecture of St. Louis, University of Missouri Press, Columbia, Missouri, 1989
• Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl, H.H. Richardson:Complete Architectural Works, MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1984

• Roth, Leland M., A Concise History of American Architecture, Harper & Row, New York, 1980

• Scott, Pamela and Antoinette J. Lee, Buildings of the District of Columbia, Oxford University Press, New York, 1991

• Smith, D. Mullett, A.B. Mullett: His Relevance in American Architecture and Historic Preservation, Mullett-Smith Press, Washington D.C., 1990

• Stern, Mellins and Fishman, New York 1880: Architecture and Urbanism in the Gilded Age. The Monacelli Press, New York, 1999

• Whiffen, Marccus, American Architecture Since 1780, The M.I.T. Press, Cambridge Massachusetts, 1977

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