Flounder house

A flounder house is a term used in some areas to describe a type of house with a roof with a single slope, rather than the double slope of gabled roof.^[1] Some are oriented so that the shed roof runs perpendicular to the facade, in these tallest wall of the house lacks windows and doors.^[2] The house may align with a property edge, sit at the back of its lot, or align with other houses on its street.^[2][3][4] Others have a different number of apparent stories on the facade and the rear elevation, with the ridge line running parallel the facade.

A flounder house has a shed roof and lacks windows and doors on its tallest wall.

Though modern examples exist, most flounder houses date from the 18th or 19th century.^[5] They can be found in cities in the United States from the Mississippi River Valley to the East Coast.^[2]

The flounder house's namesake is the similarly asymmetrical flounder fish.^[6][3]

Origin

The motivation for building flounder houses is debated.^[7][4][8] Common folklore follow one of three themes: "a result of an early restrictive building ordinance, the original owner's plan for future expansion, or a desire to reduce property taxes."^[2] In fact, shed roofed buildings are often simply the cheapest to construct.

Residents of various cities with shed-roofed houses believe that these houses are indigenous to their city.^[9][10]

Examples

Shed-roof houses can be found across the United States, including in St Louis, Missouri; Cincinnati, Ohio; Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Charleston, South Carolina; Fredericksburg and Alexandria, Virginia; Baltimore, Maryland; New Castle, Delaware; and Boston, Massachusetts.^[2] The term "flounder", though, is not used in most of these locations.

277 flounder houses have been cataloged in St. Louis, Missouri as of July 2015.^[11][12] The Cassey House is a flounder house in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

In 1960, Alexandria, Virginia, may have had 75 flounder houses,^[13] dramatically fewer than the 1500 flounder houses estimated to have existed there in the 19th century.^[2] A parsonage built in 1787 claims the distinction of oldest flounder house in Alexandria.^[14][15]

Legacy

The Cultural Resources Office of St. Louis began a survey in 2015, in order to better preserve the city's flounder houses.^[12] Individuals have also taken interest in flounder houses, sometimes incorporating historical houses into modern renovations.^[16]

In The Carlisle Chronicles, a 1986 mystery trilogy by Norma Johnston, the protagonists' family lives in a flounder house designed to avoid a glass tax.^[17][18]

See also

• Cassey House
• Flounder House at the Old Presbyterian Meeting House
• Marine Villa, St. Louis
• Architecture of St. Louis
• List of house styles
• List of house types