Buildings

19^th Century Buildings

General Notes on 19^th Century Architecture Books

One warning I have to give is that these books show buildings that were never built or were very special and not typical. If possible, I would use photographs of the neighborhoods that I wanted to reproduce. If that is an upscale neighborhood these books can help with the details. Still they have a wealth of other information that can be useful as well like costs and colors used in the period.

Costs of Building in the 19^th Century

It's interesting to note how much inflation there's been over the past 140 years or so. Bicknell's Village Builder gives the building cost for many of the designs represented. They vary widely but $2-$5 a square foot is not a bad guess for higher end dwellings. Contrast this with the $100+ per square foot nowadays, though granted wiring, indoor plumbing, gas and insulation are nice to have. Note that the houses had a tendency to be much smaller than today's McMansions, another nice aspect of 19^th Century modeling.

Oddball websites

Endangered Durham NC

Researching and Building Structures – List of Books

Styrene Modelling For scratchbuilding in plastic, I recommend the Evergreen book as a good basic introduction. The people at Evergreen are even nice enough to put most of it on line:

In addition to Google, I have to thank John Nehrich for the excellent RPI site that gave me a great list of books to start with.

American Railway Bridges and Buildings: Official Reports, Association Railway Superintendents by American Railway Bridge and Building Association - 1898 (Google books)
(Trackside buildings and bridges)***
Some illustrations, has a section on water troughs and water scoops! There is a fair number of thumbnail plans for stations from various Eastern and Midwest railroads some going back to 1869 or earlier. Also covers temporary bridges fairly extensively, I imagine that washouts were a regular occurrence on most railroads considering the number of photos I've seen on the subject. Might make an interesting section on a layout, it would require dead slow operation and it could be very funky!. Lots of discussion on the why of railroad structure design along with cost information.
Appletons' Cyclopædia of Drawing: Designed as a Text-book for the Mechanic, Architect, Engineer 1857 (Google books)
((American modeling)*
Mostly a book on drafting practices with a few building details and drawings thrown in. You can probably give this one a pass.
Architectural Engineering: With Especial Reference to High Building Construction, Including Many ... By Joseph Kendall Freitag – 1906 (Google books)
(Western mining)*** (American modelling)***
Well illustrated
Bicknell's Village Builder and Supplement -1872 (From bibliography, not digitized yet)
(East and Midwest modelling)***
Many of these designs were built and the costs were estimated or reported. Many unusual structures are included, a nice example is a jail with living quarters for the sheriff and his wife. Most of the buildings were built in the East or Midwest. Well illustrated with lots of scaled plans with details. It also includes a printed paint catalog of the Harrison Bros & Co. Since it is printed and not actual paint chips, it's probably not the closest match to the original that can be had. On the other hand this is the oldest color chart I've seen yet. The text does not go into any details on how to use these colors though. The reprint can be had for $30-$40 dollars, the original goes for $250+. I read mine courtesy of interlibrary loan.
Bicknell's Detail Cottage and Constructive Arch..(From bibliography, not digitized yet)
Have not found a copy yet.
Bicknell's Cottage and villa Architecture (From bibliography, not digitized yet)
Have not found a copy yet.
Bicknell's Street, Store and Bank Fronts (From bibliography, not digitized yet)
Have not found a copy yet.
Bicknell's Public Buildings (From bibliography, not digitized yet)
Have not found a copy yet.
Bicknell's School House and Church Architecture (From bibliography, not digitized yet)
Have not found a copy yet.
Bicknell's Stables, Out-Buildings, Fences, etc (From bibliography, not digitized yet)
Have not found a copy yet.
Building Construction and Superintendence By Frank Eugene Kidder -1899 (Google books)
(Western mining)*** (American modelling)***
Includes framing for factories!
A Century of Color - American Exterior Decoration By Eric Owen Moss, recommended by Boone Morrison and others. Other titles by the same author Paint in America : the colors of historic buildings
Exterior decoration : a treatise on the artistic use of colors in the ornamentation of buildings and a series of designs, illustrating the effects of different combinations of colors in connection with various styles of architecture – Reprint by Athenaeum library of nineteenth century America
(Building colors)****
In addition to illustrating how some one with good taste can paint their home or public building, it also has a series of paint chips from the Devoe company that are actual reproductions of the original paints in the Devoe catalog. Highly recommended, I found a copy via interlibrary loan, copies can be purchased in the $60+ range. There are modern versions on this book for persons restoring Victorians.
Fire Prevention and Fire Protection as Applied to Building Construction: A Handbook of Theory by Joseph Kendall Freitag - 1912 (Google books)
(Western mining)*** (American modelling)***
Gold and Silver Mining in the West; the illustrated history of of an American dream by Tom H. Watkins, American West, 1971
(Western mining)**** (American modelling)***
This book is loaded with photos of mining town and their environs, while Mr. Watkins bemoans the fact that mining wrecked much of the natural environment, this doesn't stop him from writing some interesting mining history along with many great photos and illustrations. Some of the photos from this book are serving as an inspiration for my next module/layout.
Handbook of Building Construction: Data for Architects, Designing ... by George Albert Hool, Nathan Clarke Johnson – 1920 (Google books)
(Western mining)*** (American modelling)***
Lambert Florin, various titles like Ghost Towns of the West.
(Western mining)*** (American modelling)***
A great collection of black and white photos of surviving buildings in much of the West. The earlier printings are on glossy paper and are better produced. They can be had fairly cheaply, $2 in one case! Recommended.
Model railroad scratchbuilding by Wayne E. & Mary Cay Wesolowski
(older scratchbuilding techniques)***
Blue Ridge Summit, Pa. : Tab Books, c1981. 230 pages with illustrations, covers working with wood, strathmore and plaster in good detail for buildings and structures, possibly a bit better than the Frary books. The only reason I don't give it four stars is the ridiculous price it fetches on the used book market.
The New Carpenter's and Builder's Assistant, and Wood Worker's Guide By Lucius D. Gould -1879 (Google books)
(Western mining)*** (American modelling)***
Old Homes Made New: Being a Collection of Plans, Exterior and Interior Views By William M. Woollett – 1878 (Google books)
(Western mining)*** (American modelling)***
100 Victorian Architectural Designs for Houses and Other Buildings (Dover reprint)
(Western mining)*** (American modelling)***
A Pictorial History of American Mining by Howard N. Sloan , Crown Publishers, 1970
(Western mining)*** (American modelling)***
This one is a bit more general than the Watkins book, it also has some good photos and illustrations. Once again good inspiration for anyone looking to build a TOC mining railroad. This book also discusses the various minerals that were mined including coal and the like and has a cool picture of the Bureau of Mines emergency train car!
The Prevention of Loss by Fire and the System of Factory Mutual Insurance by Edward Atkinson - 1885 (Google books)
(Western mining)*** (American modelling)***
Especially well illustrated!
Reinforced Concrete in Factory Construction by Atlas Portland Cement Company - 1907 (Google books)
(Western mining)*** (American modelling)***
Well illustrated
Manual of the Construction Division of the Army: Section C, Engineering (1919) (Google books)
Engineer Field Manual (1912) (Google books)
Ports and Terminal Facilities (1918) - Has a few gems in it. (Google books)
Handbook of Construction Cost - See pages 1469+ for railroad wharves. (Google books)
Buildings and Structures of American Railroads By Walter Gilman Berg (Google books)
Sawmill Modeling by Morgan Griffiths **** (West Coast loggers) ***(everyone else)
I have a copy of 'Sawmill Modeling', it's mostly for the West Coast, specifically the Lake Tahoe area. It is outstanding, it has many detail drawings, one could easily build a decent model from the book. Includes pictures and drawings of the machinery as well as flumes and mill surroundings. About 8.5" x 11" with 103 pages with about 60 illustrations, photos and several large foldouts. This is an American publication, it should be available from better hobby shops.
This Was Sawmilling by Ralph Andrews **** (West Coast loggers) ***(everyone else) You can scenic it with this, great photos. Since you can get both fairly cheap. I'd go for both.
A Sketch of the Mills of the American Woolen Company by American Woolen Company – 1901 (Google books)
(Western mining)*** (American modelling)***
Photos!
Sloan's Victorian Buildings: Illustrations and Floor Plans for 60 Residences and Other Structures. Reprint of the 1852-3 Ed Pub in 2-Vol (Dover reprint)
(Western mining)*** (American modelling)***
Stonework and Mill Construction (New England mills)**** (American modelling)**
Excellent history of an older New England Mill town, lots of great color photos of one of the original New England mill towns.
The Suburban Cottage: Its Design and Construction By William Burnet Tuthill (1891)
(Western mining)*** (American modelling)***
Two-family and Twin Houses: Consisting of a Variety of Designs Contributed by Leading Architects ...By William T. Comstock, William Phillips. (1908) (Google books)
(Western mining)*** (American modelling)***
Victorian Architectural Details: Designs for Over 700 Stairs, Mantels, Doors, Windows, Cornices, Porches, and Other Decorative Elements (Dover reprint)
(Western mining)*** (American modelling)***
Victorian Wooden and Brick Houses with Details (Dover reprint)
(Western mining)*** (American modelling)***

Searches used so far: publisher – Bicknell, Comstock, Bicknell & Comstock. AJ Bicknell Titles - Bicknell's

Victorian Building Colors

Some craft paint colors I found that were close matches for the various paint chips I've seen.

Folk Arts Raw Sienna
Americana Burnt Sienna
DeltaCraft Brown Iron Oxide
Folk Arts Raw Umber
DeltaCraft Barn Red
DeltaCraft Mudstone
DeltaCraft Seminole Green
DeltaCraft Timberline Green
DeltaCraft Pine Green
DeltaCraft Dark Brown

Since these are for scale 1:1 houses seen in daylight, they are probably too dark for most layouts, you will have to experiment a bit.

Random notes

> Posted by: "Joseph Karkusiewicz" igoregor007@yahoo.com igoregor007
> 15 lb. felt paper would have been have been used like what Tyvek is
> used for today.

It was also used in heavier weights as cheap roofing material.

> If you go to financially or
> econimically depressed areas, they install rooled roofing the wrong
> way, instead of like a large shingle.

Why's that? I've seen it installed up and down on very shallow roofs but have never figured out why unless it was misinstalled?

> When were floor tiles (as we think of
> them today) invented/used in home applications?

At least 100 years ago. It's called linoleum and was a popular Victorian flooring material glued down with a nasty tar. I've removed it from homes built in the 1900's

> rolled vinyl with coved borders at walls.

Yuck ;) Linoleum is better than vinyl, also more expensive....

> It is true that rolled roofing was used
> in past decades as a quick & cheap roof covering,

Still used today. My shack in Long Beach had it. Since it was on the third layer before the tear off, I think the bottom layer was the original. They lasted about 25 years a piece!

> Today felt paper is stapled to a roof (seldom used on a wall) but 50
> years ago hammer tacker staplers did not exist so small flat head
> roofing nails were used which would quickly rust & the paper dry out
> & crack & pull away from the nail. In those days felt paper was not
> used as a water barrier under other materials. Wood shingles & siding
> was applied directly to the roof or wall.

??? Sorry I've done a fair amount of work on 50-100 year old buildings in southern California and most had tarpaper/building paper under the siding, this could be a regional thing. Matter of fact I can only thing of a couple of exceptions with storage sheds.