Descriptionary

balconet a false balconet projecting out slightly from a window and intended only for decoration.

balloon framing in a wooden building, studwork that extends the full height of the frame from floor to roof.

baluster any one of the vertical posts supporting a stair handrail or other railing.

balustrade an entire railing system, including rail, balusters, and other components.

banister the handrail of a staircase.

bargeboard a decorative board hanging from the projecting end of a roof and covering the gables; the older versions are elaborately carved. Also known as gableboard and vergeboard.

barrel ceiling a semicylindrical ceiling.

barrel vault a masonry vault with a semicylindrical roof.

bar tracery within the arch of a gothic window, the interlocking stone forming a decorative pattern and filled with glass.

basket weave a checkerboard pattern of bricklaying.

bas-relief low relief or protrusion of a carving, embossing, or casting.

bay window a window set in a protruding bay.

bead molding a strip of metal or wood used around a pane of glass to keep it in place. Also, any convex, decorative molding.

belvedere a rooftop pavilion providing an excellent view.

blindstory a floor level without windows.

blindwall a wall unbroken by doors or windows. Also known as a dead wall.

boss a carved ornament placed at the intersection of beams, ribs, or groins.

bowstring beam a girder or truss having a curved or bowed member and a straight member to tie it together.

bow window a window in a rounded or semicylin- drical bay. Also known as a compass window.

brick nogging the laying of bricks in the spaces of a timber frame.

brownstone a brown or reddish brown sandstone used in the facades of many eastern U.S. apartment houses in the 19 th century.

buttress an exterior mass of masonry bonded into or angled against a wall to add strength and support.

cable molding decorative molding with the appear­ance of stranded cable or rope.

camberbeam a beam that curves upward slightly.

camber window an arched window.

campanile a freestanding bell tower.

cantilever a beam or truss that projects beyond its supporting foundation, wall, or column. Also, a bracket supporting a balcony.

capital the uppermost member, often ornately carved, of a column or pilaster.

caryatid the figure of a woman used in place of a supporting column, pilaster, or pier.

casement window a hinged window that swings open along its length.

catslide a long, sloping roof, as on a saltbox-style house.

checkerwork in a wall or pavement, masonry laid in a checkerboard pattern.

Christian door a colonial door in which the exte­rior paneling forms a cross.

cilery the decorative carving around a column's capital.

clapboard overlapping horizontal wood siding used on home and building exteriors. Also known as bevel siding or lap siding.

classicism style inspired by ancient Roman, ancient Greek, and Italian Renaissance architecture.

clerestory the windowed upper story of the nave and choir in a church.

cloister a covered or sheltered walkway surround­ing an open courtyard.

cloister garth the courtyard surrounded by a cloister.

clustered column several columns massed together to form one large supporting member.

coffer any one of the decorative sunken panels in a coffered ceiling.

coffered ceiling a highly decorative ceiling charac­terized by sunken panels.

collar beam a beam or plank that ties together two opposing rafters in a roof.

colonnade a series of columns supporting an entab­lature.

column a long, vertical, and cylindrical support member that includes a base, a shaft, and a capital.

Composite order in classical architecture, one of the five orders, specifically a composite of Corinthian and Ionic orders.

concourse any open space in a building for accom­modating large crowds.

console a decorative bracket, often of wood or stone, projecting from a wall and supporting a cor­nice, a door head, a bust, or a shelf.

console table a table or large shelf attached to a wall and supported by consoles.

coping the top portion, usually slanting to shed water, of a wall or roof. Also known as copestone or capstone.

corbel a masonry or wood bracket, often decora­tive, projecting from a wall and supporting a cornice, arch, or other overhanging member.

corbeling a layering of masonry in which each course or row of bricks or stones projects further from the wall than the last row.

corbie steps step or stairlike projections running up the gables of a pitched roof, found on many houses of the 17th century. Also known as catsteps or crowsteps.