Queen Anne Victorians

Victorian architecture actually includes a few styles, all of which were popular during the Victorian era, which was during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The American style of Queen Anne Victorian architecture is usually ornate and includes buildings built from 1880 through 1910. The houses in this style are sometimes described as gingerbread because of their feminine colors and candy-like appeal. One of the most famous groupings of Queen Anne Victorians in the United States is located in San Francisco. Known as the Painted Ladies, this was a group of about 48,000 houses built between 1849 and 1915. Many of the homes in this style were in Nob Hill but they were damaged during the major earthquake that hit the Bay area in 1906. Those visiting the area to see the houses often travel to the Lower Haight district where the find the colorful monstrosity still standing. The houses were temporarily painted gray during the two World Wars, but during the 1960's, artists began restoring the homes and changing them back into their bright colors. The best known row of Painted Ladies is located on Steiner Street, across form Alamo Square Park. This area is sometimes called Postcard Row and has been featured in numerous television shows, movies and pieces of artwork honoring San Francisco.