With its roots in rural architecture of northern Italy, the Italianate style dominated American housing in the years immediately preceding the Civil war. At its most elaborate, the Italianate house had a low roof, emphatic overhanging eaves with decorative brackets, an entrance portico, round-headed windows with ornate hood pediments, corner quoins, arcaded porches, roof-top cupola and balustrade balconies.
The development of cast-iron and pressed metal technology in the mid-19th century permitted the economical mass production of decorative features that few could have afforded in handcrafted wood or stone.
Italianate style is associated with both Antebellum and Victorian eras.
