Custom Search

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Carpenter Gothic

This splendid old house was built in 1893 for Victor Jacobson, a successful local sailor who made many voyages to the Bering Sea in search of seal pelts. While he didn't build the house himself he carved all the ornate decorations that adorn it. The house is located in Esquimalt near Westbay Marina. A plaque in the adjacent Jacobson Park identifies the architectural style as "Steamboat Gothic" or "Barbary Coast." Wikipedia suggests that this style is more properly termed "Carpenter Gothic." "Steamboat Gothic" is generally reserved for houses built near the Ohio or Mississippi Rivers and styled to look like the ornately decorated steamboats that used to ply those rivers.

3 comments:

ms toast burner said...

I use to live near Westbay Marina and I recognise the house but for the life of me, I can't place where it is exactly. Is it the one on Head St, on the right if facing north... right on the water?

Anyways, those carving are incredible, aren't they? It looks like it's getting a facelife?

Benjamin Madison said...

Yes, it's the one on Head Street, on the water overlooking Westbay Marina.

They were working on it when I was there but it still looks pretty much the same as it did last year (when I postponed posting a photo of it because of the scaffolding against one wall - I thought I'd wait until they finished restoring it....)

Jabba said...

Now THERE is a perfect looking haunted house! Gorgeous!