Talk:Octagon house

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Contents 1 Examples of octagon houses 2 Advertisement 3 Title Discussion 4 Historic images

[edit] Examples of octagon houses

For those interested, there are two octagon houses less than a mile apart on Ramshorn Rd, in Dudley, Massachusetts, US. I drive by them several times a week. From the car, they seem to be pretty old. --Ebon Elza 23:51, 11 March 2006 (UTC)

At least if they're listed on the National Register of Historic Places, they would deserve articles. However, I don't spot likely candidates for these on the List of Registered Historic Places in Worcester County, Massachusetts. doncram (talk) 23:28, 5 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Advertisement

There was an advertisement for an octagon house in Fond du Lac, WI pasted into this page. It was inappropriate for Wikipedia although of interest, as an octagon house open to the public as a museum / tourist attraction. For more information see ["http://www.OctagonHouseFdL.com].

Actually that house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, indicating notability, and deserves an article. I just started the article, at Octagon House (Fond du Lac, Wisconsin), and I included an external link to the above URL. The notability for NRHP listing apparently includes the fact that it was a stop on the Underground railway. I didn't see the "advertisement" about it, but thanks for keeping some notice about it here. doncram (talk) 00:02, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Title Discussion

The title of this page is "Octagon house", but the article is about the 19th Century/Early 20th Century architectural movement/fad using the octagon as an organizing plan element. Since the article is about a movement, I suggest that the article title should not limit itself to "house", particularly since the movement included structures other than residences (ie, barns were as important in this movement as houses were.) --Baxterguy 14:12, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

I'd advise against extending this article to octagonal buildings generally - there is a completely different rationale for say an octagonal church, octagonal defensive structure etc. The octagon house is a particular and separate phenomenon, quite separate from the use of the octagon in public buildings. Although there are European examples, the style was only widely adopted in America, so it is specific to both time and place. The octagon is not the natural or logical plan form for a house: because of the relatively small plan size all the rooms are likely to have one wall at 45 degrees to the rest. Not easy to furnish, but this was a popular style exhibiting a fascinating range of architectural variations, well worth considering for their own merits.

The Knights Templar don't belong here.

ProfDEH (talk) 23:32, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

There should be an architecture article about the architectural fad spurred by Orson Fowler's pattern book. There is enough material out there. Perhaps this "Octagon house" article should be moved to "Octagon mode architecture" or "Octagon house fad" or "Octagon house design of Orson Fowler" or some more descriptive title. doncram (talk) 00:10, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

I have effectively merged this with the relevant parts of List of octagonal buildings and structures so that this page can be devoted to the Victorian octagon house. These are essentially domestic buildings and need to be kept distinct from larger, more formal buildings. The article is by no means finished and additional material, both on Fowler and on related contemporary buildings, is much needed. ProfDEH (talk) 22:41, 5 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Historic images

Many images are available from Library of Congress image library, http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pp/pphome.html Consent for images (available through LC) from the Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscape Survey Collection is at http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html ProfDEH (talk) 07:19, 24 April 2008 (UTC)

Watertown Octagon images: acknowledgement should quote http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.wi0083 (B&W photo and drawings), http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.award/mhsalad.240085 for corresponding b&w image.

These are my notes for expanding the article. I have downloaded a set of drawings of the Watertown WI house. Not sure yet whether to use them as a case study, or put them on the Watertown Octagon House page. ProfDEH (talk) 07:28, 25 April 2008 (UTC)

I've put these images in the article in the form of a case study. The house is reasonably typical and I think it is better to go into depth here not at Octagon House (Watertown, Wisconsin). ProfDEH (talk) 08:06, 28 April 2008 (UTC)