Looking for a fun way to get some exercise and fresh air, and learn a little bit about historic architecture? Try taking a stroll through the Fort Russell District or your favorite historic neighborhood with this handy bingo card!
Download the card and definition sheet here.
Continue scrolling for photo examples from around Moscow!
Definitions
Balustrade: A railing and the row of posts that supports it
Bracket: A projection from a vertical surface that provides structural and/or visual support for overhanging elements such as cornices, balconies, and eaves Bungalow: A house usually of one or one and a half stories with low, sweeping lines and wide veranda Corbel: A decorative use of brick atop the windows, walls or chimney, or to create the shape of a bracket or dentil at the top of a building beneath the cornice Cupola: A small, usually domed, structure surmounting a roof
Dormer: A window set vertically in a gable projecting from a sloping roof
Eyelid dormer: A half-elliptical decorative window placed in the roof surface, resembling the shape of an eye
Fanlight: A semi-circular (fan shaped) window placed atop a door
Finial: A terminating or capping ornament, usually of elaborate shape
Frieze: A decorative horizontal band as along the upper part of a wall
Gable: A triangular wall section at the end of a pitched roof
Hanging finial: A finial pointing downward rather than upward
Historic registry marker: A plaque indicating that a building or area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Keystone: The central wedge-shaped stone of an arch that locks the others together
Mansard roof: A four-sided hipped roof featuring two slopes on each side, the lower slopes being very steep, almost vertical, and the upper slopes sometimes being so horizontal that they are not visible from the ground
Palladian window: A window with an arched head, usually small and appearing singly
Porte-cochere: A projecting roof at a building entrance, providing shelter for those getting in or out of vehicles
Portico: A porch with a roof supported by columns
Quoins: Decorative rectangles or squares of stone, brick, wood or concrete, placed at the corners of buildings to add architectural interest
Ridge combs: A protective and often decorative structure placed along the ridge of a roof (also known as roof caps or roof combs)
Stained glass window: A window fitted with pieces of colored glass, which often depict a picture or scene
Transom: A small window above a door or another window
Turret: A small tower-shaped projection on a building
Wraparound porch: A porch extending on more than one side of a building
Examples
The First United Methodist Church at the corner of Third and Adams Streets in Moscow displays gables on two sides and numerous stained glass windows. Each of the turrets and the clock tower are capped with wooden finials.
The Almon Asbury Lieuallen house, now an apartment building at 101 South Almon Street, has seen many changes in its 136 year history, but the mansard roof with dormer windows are still a prominent and striking feature.
The four original entrances to the 1912 Center on east Third Street are sheltered by a brick and granite portico topped by an ornamental balustrade.
The McConnell Mansion at 110 South Adams Street showcases a number of Victorian architectural elements, including curved wooden brackets under the eaves and porch roofs, corbels decorating each of its three chimneys, and recently restored ridge combs along the peaks of the gables.
This building on the corner of Jackson and First Streets has also seen its share of changes since its construction in 1892, but the large wraparound porch and cupola remain. Also note the small ridge combs on the house to the left.
This house at the corner of Polk and A Streets, once the home of author Carol Ryrie Brink, overflows with Queen Anne Victorian detail. Note the eyelid dormers ornamenting the roof and the small hanging finials at the top of each diagonal window.
Now surrounded by mature trees and other homes, this stately building on the corner of Polk and C Streets offers an excellent example of quoins at each corner, a massive two-story portico, and a delicate garlanded frieze beneath the eaves.
Finally, the Moscow City Hall at the corner of Washington and Third Streets shows a number of architectural elements. Of interest here is the intricate brick and terra cotta frieze surrounding the paired third story windows, dozens of brackets under the eaves, and the prominent keystones over each arched window.
Sources:
Lillian Woodworth Otness, A Great Good County: A Guide to Historic Moscow and Latah County, Idaho. 1983.
"Glossary of Architectural Terms". architecturaltrust.org
"Common Architectural Terms Used to Describe Historic Buildings". historicyork.wordpress.com