Influences on Waterford's Architecture
Waterford's topography — steep hills on one side, flood
plain on the other — necessitated the construction of "bank
buildings," structures built into the slope of a hill so that
the entrance level on one side is a full story above the entrance
level on the opposite side. The ready availability of local stone
made that the material of choice for foundations. Most of the brick
buildings in Waterford date from the Federal era and feature a
front facade laid up in Flemish bond. This bond shows a consistent
pattern—resembling a
"+" sign—of alternating brick headers (short ends)
and stretchers (long ends). This decorative bond was relatively
expensive to construct, so most houses have a cheaper common bond
on the sides and rear, with five or more rows of stretchers between
each row of headers.
The earliest frame structures, from the colonial period through
the late 19th century, are clad in simple weatherboard. So-called
German siding became popular toward the end of that century; each
plank of wood is fashioned to curve inward at its upper edge, fitting
snugly under the board above. Many of the 20th century homes in
the village incorporate these traditional architectural elements
in order to harmonize with the older structures.
More architecture
|
Rapid
growth
