# Gable > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Gable > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Gable.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gable > Source revision: 1331184113 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Architectural feature This article is about the architectural feature. For a roof design, see [Gable roof](/source/Gable_roof). For other uses, see [Gable (disambiguation)](/source/Gable_(disambiguation)). A single-story house with three gables, although only two can be seen (highlighted in yellow). This arrangement is a *crossed gable* roof. Gable in Finland Decorative gable roof at 176–178 St. John's Place, between Sixth and Seventh Avenue in the [Park Slope](/source/Park_Slope) neighborhood of [Brooklyn, New York City](/source/Brooklyn%2C_New_York_City) A **gable** is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting [roof pitches](/source/Roof_pitch). The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesthetic concerns. The term **gable wall** or **gable end** more commonly refers to the entire wall, including the gable and the wall below it. Some types of roof do not have a gable (for example [hip roofs](/source/Hip_roof) do not). One common type of roof with gables, the '[gable roof](/source/Gable_roof)', is named after its prominent gables. A [parapet](/source/Parapet) made of a series of curves (**shaped gable**,[1] see also [Dutch gable](/source/Dutch_gable)) or horizontal steps ([crow-stepped gable](/source/Crow-stepped_gable)) may hide the diagonal lines of the roof. Gable ends of more recent buildings are often treated in the same way as the Classic [pediment](/source/Pediment) form. But unlike Classical structures, which operate through [trabeation](/source/Post_and_lintel), the gable ends of many buildings are actually bearing-wall structures. Gable style is also used in the design of [fabric structures](/source/Fabric_structure), with varying degree sloped roofs, dependent on how much snowfall is expected. Sharp gable roofs are a characteristic of the Gothic and classical Greek styles of architecture.[2] The opposite or inverted form of a gable roof is a [V-roof or butterfly roof](/source/Butterfly_roof). ## Front-gabled and side-gabled While a **front-gabled** or **gable-fronted** building faces the street with its gable, a **side-gabled** building faces it with its [cullis](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cullis) (gutter), meaning the [ridge](/source/Ridge_(roof)) is parallel to the street. The terms are used in architecture and city planning to determine a building in its urban situation. Front-gabled buildings are considered typical for German city streets in the [Gothic](/source/Gothic_architecture) period, while later [Renaissance](/source/Renaissance_architecture) buildings, influenced by Italian architecture, are often side-gabled. In America, front-gabled houses, such as the [gablefront house](/source/Gablefront_house), were popular between the early 19th century and 1920. - Front-gabled buildings in [Tübingen](/source/T%C3%BCbingen) in [Baden-Württemberg](/source/Baden-W%C3%BCrttemberg) in Germany - Side-gabled buildings in [Bautzen](/source/Bautzen) in [Saxony](/source/Saxony), Germany ## Wimperg Main article: [Wimperg](/source/Wimperg) [Amiens Cathedral](/source/Amiens_Cathedral) in northern France, showing three portals with wimperg and pinnacles and a [rose window](/source/Rose_window) A *Wimperg*, in [German](/source/German_language) and [Dutch](/source/Dutch_language), is a Gothic ornamental gable with [tracery](/source/Tracery) over [windows](/source/Window) or [portals](/source/Portal_(architecture)), which were often accompanied by [pinnacles](/source/Pinnacle).[3] It was a typical element in Gothic architecture, especially in [cathedral architecture](/source/Cathedral_architecture). Wimpergs often had [crockets](/source/Crocket) or other decorative elements in the Gothic style. The intention behind the wimperg was the perception of increased height. ## Drawbacks This section may contain original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. (August 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message) The gable-end roof is a poor design for [hurricane](/source/Hurricane)- or [tornado](/source/Tornado)-prone regions. Winds blowing against the gable end can exert tremendous pressure, both on the gable and on the roof edges where they overhang it, causing the roof to peel off and the gable to cave in.[4][5] An [NWS warning](/source/National_Weather_Service_bulletin_for_Hurricane_Katrina) for hurricane [Katrina](/source/Hurricane_Katrina) mentioned the vulnerability of gable roofs.[6][7] ## In popular culture - "[The Seven Lamps of Architecture](/source/The_Seven_Lamps_of_Architecture)", an 1849 essay. It gives [John Ruskin](/source/John_Ruskin)'s opinion on truth in architecture. - *[The House of the Seven Gables](/source/The_House_of_the_Seven_Gables)*, an 1851 novel by [Nathaniel Hawthorne](/source/Nathaniel_Hawthorne) - *[Anne of Green Gables](/source/Anne_of_Green_Gables)*, a 1908 novel by Canadian author [Lucy Maud Montgomery](/source/Lucy_Maud_Montgomery), set in Canada - "[The Adventure of the Three Gables](/source/The_Adventure_of_the_Three_Gables)", a 1926 story by [Arthur Conan Doyle](/source/Arthur_Conan_Doyle) ## See also - [Bell-gable](/source/Bell-gable) (*espadaña*) - [Clock gable](/source/Clock_gable) - [Cape Dutch architecture](/source/Cape_Dutch_architecture) - [Eaves](/source/Eaves) - [Façade](/source/Fa%C3%A7ade) - [Gablet roof](/source/Gablet_roof) - [Hip roof](/source/Hip_roof) - [List of roof shapes](/source/List_of_roof_shapes) - [Tympanum (architecture)](/source/Tympanum_(architecture)) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEClarke2010106_1-0)** [Clarke 2010](#CITEREFClarke2010), p. 106. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Passmore, Augustine C. "Twenty Styles of Architecture". *Handbook of Technical Terms Used in Architecture and Building and Their Allied Trades and Subjects*. London: Scott, Greenwood, and Co., 1904. 360. Print. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-wimperg_3-0)** ["Gâble (wimperg)"](http://glossaryromanesque.blogspot.com/2013/01/gable-wimperg.html). A Glossary of Romanesque Architecture. 24 January 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2015. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Roof damage by hurricane force winds in Bermuda"](http://www.gov.bm/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_0_1666_0_0_43/http;/ptpublisher.gov.bm;7087/publishedcontent/publish/ministry_of_environment/environmental_protection/dept___environmental_protection___hurrican_fabian_roof_damage_report/articles/hurricane_fabian_roof_damage_report_3.pdf#page=5). ([Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20130520170549/http://www.gov.bm/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_0_1666_0_0_43/http;/ptpublisher.gov.bm;7087/publishedcontent/publish/ministry_of_environment/environmental_protection/dept___environmental_protection___hurrican_fabian_roof_damage_report/articles/hurricane_fabian_roof_damage_report_3.pdf#page=5) 2013-05-20 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine)), Mark Rowe, Department of Environmental Protection, Government of Bermuda. *The Fabian Experience*, September 2003, page 5. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Grazulis, Thomas P. (1993). *Significant tornadoes, 1680–1991*. St. Johnsbury, Vt.: Environmental Films. p. 106. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-879362-03-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-879362-03-1). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Katrina: 20 Years Later, Disasters are Worsening"](https://blog.nwf.org/2025/08/katrina-20-years-later-disasters-are-worsening/). 21 August 2025. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["'Doomsday' Katrina warning was so extreme it was thought a hoax"](https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/katrina-anniversary-warning-hoax-b2155278.html). *[Independent.co.uk](/source/Independent.co.uk)*. 29 August 2022. ## Further reading - Clarke, M. (2010). ["gable"](https://books.google.com/books?id=vyiiW3uL49sC&pg=PA106). *The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms*. Oxford Paperback Reference. OUP Oxford. p. 106. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-19-956992-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-956992-2). Retrieved 2024-12-24. - [Pugin, Augustus](/source/Augustus_Pugin) (1915) [1831, 1851 (2nd ed.)]. [*A Series of Ornamental Timber Gables, from Existing Examples in England and France of the 16th Century*](http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008411287). Cleveland, Ohio: J. H. Jansen, Publisher. [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [3055073](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/3055073). ## External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Gables](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Gables). Look up ***[gable](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Special:Search/gable)*** in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. - [Chisholm, Hugh](/source/Hugh_Chisholm), ed. (1911). ["Gable"](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Gable). *[Encyclopædia Britannica](/source/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica_Eleventh_Edition)*. Vol. 11 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 380. - [*Lexicon of architecture*](https://www.architektur-lexikon.de/cms/lexikon/56-lexikon-w/287-wimperg.html) (in German), retrieved August 13, 2022 v t e Roofs Roof shapes Arched roof Barrel roof Board roof Bochka roof Bow roof Butterfly roof Clerestory Conical roof Dome Flat roof Gable roof Gablet roof Gambrel roof Half-hipped roof Hip roof Onion dome Mansard roof Pavilion roof Rhombic roof Ridged roof Saddle roof Sawtooth roof Shed roof Tented roof Roof elements Air conditioning unit Attic Catslide Chimney Collar beam Dormer Eaves Flashing Gable Green roof Gutter Hanging beam Joist Lightning rod Loft Purlin Rafter Ridge vent Roof batten Roof garden Roofline Roof ridge Roof sheeting Roof tiles Roof truss Roof window Shingles Skylight Soffit Solar panels Spire Weathervane Wind brace v t e Rooms and spaces of a house Shared rooms Bonus room Common room Den Dining room Family room Garret Great room Home cinema Keeping room Kitchen dirty kitchen kitchenette Living room Gynaeceum harem Andron man cave Quiet room Recording studio Recreation room billiard room Shrine Study Sunroom Private rooms Bathroom toilet Bedroom closet Bedsit Boudoir Cabinet Nursery Spaces Atrium Balcony Gallery Breezeway Conversation pit Cubby-hole Deck Elevator dumbwaiter Entryway/Genkan Fireplace hearth Foyer Hall Hallway Inglenook Lanai Loft Loggia Baldresca Overhang Patio Porch screened sleeping Ramp Secret passage Stairs/Staircase Terrace Veranda Vestibule Technical, utility and storage Attic Basement Carport Cloakroom Closet Crawl space Electrical room Equipment room Furnace room / Boiler room Garage Janitorial closet Larder Laundry room / Utility room / Storage room Mechanical room / floor Pantry Root cellar Semi-basement Storm cellar / Safe room Studio Wardrobe Wine cellar Wiring closet Workshop Great house areas Antechamber Ballroom Kitchen-related butler's pantry buttery saucery scullery spicery still room Conservatory / Orangery Courtyard Peristyle Quadrangle Drawing room Great chamber Great hall Library Long gallery Lumber room Parlour Sauna Servants' hall Servants' quarters Smoking room Solar State room Swimming pool Turret Undercroft Other Furniture Hidden room House house plan styles types Multi-family residential Secondary suite Duplex Terraced Detached Semi-detached Townhouse Studio apartment Architectural elements Arch Arcade Balconet Baluster Belt course Bressummer Ceiling Chimney Colonnade / Portico Column Cornice / Eaves Dais Dome Door Ell Floor Foundation Gable Gate Portal Lighting Molding Ornament Podium Plumbing Quoins Roof shingles Roof lantern Sill plate Style list Skylight Threshold Transom Tribune Vault Wall Window Related Backyard Driveway Fence Front yard Garden roof garden Home Home improvement Home repair Shed Tree house Category: Rooms Authority control databases International GND Other Yale LUX --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Gable](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gable) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gable?action=history)). 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