The queen of queens

• Photo courtesy of CertainTeed Corp., Valley Forge, Pa.
• Photo courtesy of CertainTeed Corp., Valley Forge, Pa.

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet." Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare

Shakespeare illustrates that regardless of what something is called, it retains its characteristics. If you compare Queen Anne, who ruled Great Britain from 1702-14, with the Queen Anne Victorian style of houses, Shakespeare's question can be answered. What's in a name? Nothing.

Queen Anne, who was called the dead queen during her reign, bears few similarities to the Queen Anne style's colorful, eclectic details and lasting influence.

Queen Anne ruled during the War of Spanish Succession, replacement of the Tories with the Whigs and creation of Britain's parliament. The queen was the last of the Stuart monarchs; despite 18 pregnancies, none of her children survived.

The Queen Anne style swept across England from 1860-1900 and the United States from 1880-1910. The style, which is one of several Victorian styles, is characterized by the use of irregular, huge windows; a variety of materials, such as wood, terra cotta, brick, clapboard and pressed metal; vibrant, brilliant colors; expansive porches; metal bays and rounded turrets; and irregular roof lines with several dormers and chimneys. The Queen Anne style, which marries classic and gothic architectural details, was inspired by pre-Georgian and late-medieval styles.

Similar to many U.S. cities, Waupaca, Wis., boasts many Queen Anne-style houses. In 1994, Scott and Shelly Christie purchased a Queen Anne house in Waupaca and began renovating the building's interior. Several years later, the homeowners focused on rehabbing the house's exterior and realized the original roof system had suffered from wind damage.

John Sramkoski, founder and president of Sun Roofing, Appleton, Wis., was contacted by the Christies' insurance company to inspect the damaged roof system. Sramkoski was asked to determine the extent of wind damage, size of the roof system and whether only the damaged roof areas could be replaced. The insurance company determined the entire house had to be reroofed primarily because the original shingle manufacturer no longer was in business.

Although Sun Roofing never had reroofed a Victorian house of this magnitude, the Christies asked the company to complete the project. Sun Roofing accepted.

Sramkoski notes: "Although we first walked away from the project because of its complexity and risk, I agreed to do it because during a few weeks of discussions and casual discourse, I gained respect and loyalty for the owners. The Christies are not wealthy; they are working folks—like me—in a magnificent house [where they have repaired] the plumbing, carpentry, wiring and painting."

The Wapauca house

The Christies' house has 14 rooms; 5,300 square feet (492 m²) of original oak, cherry and maple woodwork; three fireplaces; curved, stained, beveled glass; grand front stairway; and back stairwell. The house is listed with local, state and national registers of historical places.

Sramkoski says: "There was plenty to consider before we began working on this project. Determining the craft practices used in the historical roof system installation was a major concern. The roof's shape and detailing are essential elements of the building's historical character, and we did not want to modify them despite using alternative materials."

The house has a hip roof system with projecting gables and includes a three-story round turret with a pent roof system and 1 1/2-story oriel with a domed roof system. The original roof systems featured cedar shakes with painted diamonds around the perimeter with large rosette inserts. The total roof area is 60 squares (557 m²), and the hip roof spans 30 feet (9 m) to the eave and 58 feet (17.7 m) to the highest peak with a 14-in-12 (49-degree) slope.

When determining what materials and design to use, Sun Roofing took the Christies' advice.

"The Christies said, ‘Why don't we follow the original architect's design?' It sounded good to me, and the rest was pure, unadulterated enthusiasm," Sramkoski explains.

Roofing work

Sun Roofing hired two carpenters to repair carpentry deficiencies, such as weathered wooden details, and assemble the scaffolding. The scaffolding reached 30 feet (9 m) high and encircled the entire building. The carpenters hand-framed custom scaffolding areas to reach the height of the turret.

After the original roof systems were torn off, the roofing crew installed CertainTeed Carriage House™ Shangles in a brownstone color. The hip roof system features red rosettes and diamond decorative inlays.

Reroofing the tower on the house's southwest corner was difficult because of the turret's spherical shape and height. A long, cone-shaped pattern with a vanishing point first was laid on the ground. Using this pattern, the crew measured, sized and hand-cut each shingle tab. The shingles then were custom-fitted to the turret.

The roof systems feature custom-modified wrought-iron crestings at the ridge line. The company's copper artisan used original wooden, decorative details as templates for new copper details.

The project took five weeks to complete, but the Christies were pleased Sun Roofing workers took their time.

Scott Christie says: "We understood this was the first [significant] Victorian home Sun Roofing had worked on. They wanted everything to be just right, and we greatly appreciate that."

Taking notice

No matter what name would have been given to the Queen Anne style, it undoubtedly is one of the most recognizable architectural waves. Admired Queen Anne houses include the famous painted ladies in San Francisco; brownstones in Brooklyn, N.Y.; and mansions in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood.

The Christies' house also has been recognized. In 1999, the house received a runner-up award in a historic paint contest sponsored by Victorian Homes magazine. The magazine also has featured the Christies' restoration progress.

Sramkoski admits he didn't know what he was getting into when he agreed to perform the project. But he is glad he was part of the historical renovation.

He says, "The roof is the crown jewel [of the house], and I was honored that we were invited to do our stuff."

Kate Gawlik is associate editor of Professional Roofing magazine.

Project name: Queen Anne Victorian house

Project location: Waupaca, Wis.

Project duration: July 2001 — August 2001

Roofing contractor: Sun Roofing, Appleton, Wis.

Roof system types: Hip, pent and domed

Roofing manufacturer: CertainTeed Corp., Valley Forge, Pa.

Queen Anne style

By the late 19th century, the middle classes in England and the United States began stepping out from the norm and showing off their accomplishments. In 1869, Matthew Arnold wrote a book, Culture and Anarchy, urging the middle class to rise above the upper classes' self-satisfied, complacent and snobbish attitudes. This philosophy stirred the middle classes' strong work ethic, charitable consciousness and political activism. The philosophy also drove people to change their houses' looks. From this, the Queen Anne style was born.

John Stevenson designed one of the first Queen Anne houses by removing an Italianate-style house's stucco exterior and applying Queen Anne details, such as red bricks, dormers, chimneys, sash windows with louvered shutters, balconies and porches. Although the style had critics who said it was a bastard style and overly eclectic, the frou-frou houses' popularity spread. In San Francisco, 48,000 Victorian houses were built from 1850-1900.

But homeowners soon realized the regal style also made houses fragile and difficult to maintain. By 1900, Edwardian, or Princess Anne, and colonial revival styles became the latest architectural trend.

Although many Queen Anne houses were destroyed in natural disasters—such as the 1906 earthquake and fire in San Francisco—or left to ruin, many of the historical queens still reign throughout England and the United States.