# Prow house

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{{Short description|Type of house where the front is angled outward}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2018}}
[[File:James House, Bentonville, AR.JPG|thumb|The [James House](/source/James_House_(Rogers%2C_Arkansas)) has a flat-front prow ([NRHP](/source/NRHP)-listed)]]
thumb|Prow windows
thumb|Interior view of prow bay window
thumb|right|Prow or "winged" gable roof
'''Prow house''' is an American term for a house with a projecting front portion that resembles the [prow](/source/prow) of a ship.{{r|MNC1992}} The T-shaped layout contrasts more traditional designs where the front of the structure is more parallel with the street. The style and name originated in [Arkansas](/source/Arkansas) in the nineteenth century, and contemporary versions are used particularly to accentuate views from within the house in scenic areas.

==Origin==
The design began as an adaption of traditional residential architecture, with the front projection added to the standard square or rectangular layout. Due to a more complicated design, they were never constructed from logs and did not appear until around 1880. At the end of the 19th century, the design was a status symbol representing the wealth of prosperous farmers.{{r|McNeil1995}} The house most resembles a ship's prow when the projection is [chamfered](/source/chamfered) having an acute angle at the front. It was given the name by Cyrus Sutherland,{{r|Sizemore1994}} professor at the [University of Arkansas](/source/University_of_Arkansas)'s School of Architecture for over thirty years{{r|uan1}} and an expert on Arkansas [vernacular architecture](/source/vernacular_architecture). The name originated as a local name in the [Ozark Mountain](/source/Ozark_Mountain) region.{{r|MNC1992}}

Early examples of the prow house have characteristics of the [Queen Anne style](/source/Queen_Anne_style_architecture_in_the_United_States) which was popular at the time and tend to be heavily decorated. These houses usually had two front doors, one on either side of the prow, rather than a single front door near the front of the projecting room which would be more likely for a school or church.{{r|Sizemore1994}} The "prow" room, being exposed to the exterior on three sides, had excellent cross-ventilation. Prow houses, dating from 1880 to 1920 can be found in [Arkansas](/source/Arkansas), [Missouri](/source/Missouri), and [Iowa](/source/Iowa).{{r|Sizemore1994}} The houses tended to be clustered in certain communities, such as [Prairie Grove](/source/Prairie_Grove%2C_Arkansas) and [Elkins](/source/Elkins%2C_Arkansas), Arkansas which may be the result of their construction being a specialty of certain builders. In more rural areas, the houses tended to be smaller with less ornamentation.{{r|Sizemore1994}}

==Contemporary designs==
Prow houses are often built today in areas with a significant view, such as mountains, lakes, or other natural scenery and are more common in the western US. Modern prow houses often feature extensive [glazing](/source/glazing_(window)) to maximize light and view. Such prows are often multi-story with [clearstory](/source/clearstory) interiors and can be designed with [masonry](/source/masonry), [log home](/source/log_home), [timber frame](/source/timber_frame), and traditional framing construction.{{r|tfh1}}

==Prow window==
A small projection of a building, similar to a [bay window](/source/bay_window) but constructed with two planes meeting at a center angle forming a triangular bay, can also be called a prow. Examples of such projections can be found on the [Frank Lloyd Wright](/source/Frank_Lloyd_Wright) designed [Robie House](/source/Robie_House) and [Arthur Heurtley House](/source/Arthur_Heurtley_House).{{r|opc1}}

==Prow gable roof==
An extension of a [gable roof](/source/gable_roof) wherein the ridgeline is extended at the peak of the gable creating an angled eave elongated at the ridge is known as a prow or "winged" gable. This roof detail could occur on a forward facing prow but is most commonly found on the end gables of [ranch houses](/source/ranch_houses) and other mid-20th century designs. It added additional shading and rain screening at the gable, but was used mostly for the "modern" styling it evoked.{{r|hi1}}

==Historic prow houses==
* [James House](/source/James_House_(Rogers%2C_Arkansas)) (c.1903), Rogers, Arkansas
* [Lillard-Sprague House](/source/Lillard-Sprague_House) (1907), Rogers, Arkansas
* [Willits House](/source/Willits_House) (1901), Highland Park, Illinois
*[Robie House](/source/Robie_House) (1909), Chicago, Illinois
*[Barlow Baxter House](/source/Barlow_Baxter_House) (1904), Hestand, Kentucky
* [Sanders-Hollabaugh House](/source/Sanders-Hollabaugh_House) (1903), Marshall, Arkansas

==Examples==
<gallery mode=packed>
Sanders-Hollabaugh House.JPG|The [Sanders-Hollabaugh](/source/Sanders-Hollabaugh_House) house, with an uncharacteristic front door ([NRHP](/source/NRHP)-listed)
AProwHouseNearDurangoColorado (cropped).jpg|Contemporary prow house
</gallery>

==Other building types==
Non-residential buildings with an angled front include:

* The [First Unitarian Society of Madison](/source/First_Unitarian_Society_of_Madison) building in [Shorewood Hills, Wisconsin](/source/Shorewood_Hills%2C_Wisconsin), designed by [Frank Lloyd Wright](/source/Frank_Lloyd_Wright), is a U.S. [National Historic Landmark](/source/National_Historic_Landmark) characterized by a prow-like roof.{{r|nhlnum}}
* The iconic [Flatiron Building](/source/Flatiron_Building) in [New York City](/source/New_York_City) has a prow-front design necessitated by the triangular shape of the lot on which it was constructed.{{r|fi}}
* The [Mercure Liverpool Atlantic Tower Hotel](/source/Mercure_Liverpool_Atlantic_Tower_Hotel) in [Liverpool](/source/Liverpool), [England](/source/England) is a hotel with a prow shape.{{r|Conte}}
* Maple Lake United Methodist Church, Spring Brook, Pennsylvania.
<gallery mode=packed heights=100>
UM 1.jpg|[First Unitarian Society of Madison](/source/First_Unitarian_Society_of_Madison)
Flatiron Building.JPG|[Flatiron Building](/source/Flatiron_Building)
Thistle Atlantic Hotel, Liverpool.jpg|[Mercure Liverpool Atlantic Tower Hotel](/source/Mercure_Liverpool_Atlantic_Tower_Hotel)
Maple Lake United Methodist Sprinkbrook TWP LackaCo PA.jpg|Maple Lake United Methodist Church, [Spring Brook, Pennsylvania](/source/Spring_Brook_Township%2C_Pennsylvania)
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist|30em|refs=

<ref name="McNeil1995">{{cite book|author=W. K. McNeil|title=Ozark Country|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=30z-UfhbMwwC|year=1995|accessdate=January 6, 2018|publisher=Univ. Press of Mississippi|isbn=978-1-60473-817-9|pages=29–}}</ref>

<ref name=uan1>{{cite news|title=Cyrus Sutherland, Professor Emeritus of Architecture and Preservationist, Dies at 88|url=https://news.uark.edu/articles/9506/cyrus-sutherland-professor-emeritus-of-architecture-and-preservationist-dies-at-88|accessdate=January 6, 2018|work=University of Arkansas News|issue=November 18, 2008}}</ref>

<ref name="Sizemore1994">{{cite book|author=Jean Sizemore|title=Ozark Vernacular Houses: a Study of Rural Homeplaces in the Arkansas Ozarks (c)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ayCtkaNMVMQC|year=1994|accessdate=January 6, 2018|publisher=University of Arkansas Press|isbn=978-1-61075-301-2}}</ref>

<ref name=MNC1992>{{cite book|author1=W. K. McNeil|author2=William M. Clements|title=An Arkansas Folklore Sourcebook|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BVTYAAAAMAAJ|accessdate=January 6, 2018|year=1992|publisher=University of Arkansas Press|isbn=978-1-55728-254-5|page=124}}</ref>

<ref name="tfh1">{{cite book|last=Montgomery|first=Dennis|title=Timber Frame Homes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yg4AAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA23|date=1997|publisher=Active Interest Media, Inc.|page=23}}</ref>

<ref name="hi1">{{cite web|last1=Ziegler|first1=Connie|title=Building Language: Winged Gable|url=http://historicindianapolis.com/building-language-winged-gable/|website=historicindianpolis.com|date=August 2, 2011 |accessdate=January 6, 2018}}</ref>

<ref name="opc1">{{cite news|title=Wright 'masterpiece' tests the market|url=http://www.oakpark.com/News/Articles/9-27-2005/Wright-%27masterpiece%27-tests-the-market---/|accessdate=January 11, 2018|work=oakpark.com|date=September 27, 2005}}</ref>

<ref name=nhlnum>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/nhl/find/statelists/wi/FirstUnitarian.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207090801/https://www.nps.gov/NHL/find/statelists/wi/FirstUnitarian.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 7, 2017|title=NHL nomination for First Unitarian Society of Madison|publisher=National Park Service|accessdate=March 22, 2017}}</ref>

<ref name=fi>{{cite book|first=Alice|last=Sparberg|title= The Flatiron: The New York Landmark and the Incomparable City that Arose With It|publisher = Thomas Dunne/St. Martin's |year = 2010 |isbn = 978-0-312-38468-5}}</ref>

<ref name="Conte">{{cite book|last=Conte|first=Joseph J.|title=Flies in My Spaghetti, Chocolates Over the Wall|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5oYI0E0M4yYC&pg=PA203|accessdate=February 11, 2018|date=April 2008|publisher=Tate Publishing|isbn=978-1-60462-251-5|page=203}}</ref>

}}

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Category:Queen Anne architecture in the United States
Category:American architectural styles
Category:National Register of Historic Places architectural style categories
Category:19th-century architecture in the United States

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Prow house](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prow_house) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prow_house?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.