Mansion
A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through
Following the fall of Rome, the practice of building unfortified villas ceased. Today, the oldest inhabited mansions around the world usually began their existence as fortified houses in the Middle Ages. As social conditions slowly changed and stabilised fortifications were able to be reduced, and over the centuries gave way to comfort. It became fashionable and possible for homes to be beautiful rather than grim and forbidding allowing for the development of the modern mansion.
In British English, a mansion block refers to a block of flats or
15th-18th-century development
In Europe, from the 15th century onwards, a combination of politics and advances in weaponry negated the need for the aristocracy to live in fortified castles. As a result, many were transformed into mansions without defences or demolished and rebuilt in a more modern, undefended style. Due to intermarriage and primogeniture inheritance amongst the aristocracy, it became common for one noble to often own several
As the 16th century progressed and the Renaissance style slowly spread across Europe, the last vestiges of castle architecture and life changed; the central points of these great houses became redundant as owners wished to live separately from their servants, and no longer ate with them in a Great hall. All evidence and odours of cooking and staff were banished from the principal parts of the house into distant wings, while the owners began to live in airy rooms, above the ground floor, with privacy from their servants, who were now confined, unless required, to their specifically delegated areas—often the ground and uppermost attic floors. This was a period of great social change, as the educated prided themselves on enlightenment.[4]
The uses of these edifices paralleled that of the
Until
19th-century development
This section needs additional citations for verification. (July 2021) |
The 19th century saw the continuation of the building of mansions in the United States and Europe. Built by self-made men, these were often smaller than those built by the old European aristocracy. These new builders of mansions did not confine themselves to just the then-fashionable Gothic tastes in architecture, but also experimented with 19th-century versions of older Renaissance and Tudoresque styles; The Breakers in Rhode Island is a fine example of American Renaissance revivalism.
During the 19th century, like the major thoroughfares of all important cities,
Grand Federal style mansions designed by Samuel McIntire inhabit an area that, in 2012, is the largest collection of 17th- and 18th-century structures in the United States of America. This district in Salem, Massachusetts, is called the McIntire Historic District with the center being Chestnut Street.[6] McIntire's training came from his father and from books. He and his brothers, Joseph and Angler, began their careers as housewrights and carpenters while in their teens but, early on, Samuel's work caught the eye of Salem's pre-eminent merchant, Elias Hasket Derby. Over the next quarter century, McIntire built or remodelled a number of homes for Derby and members of his extended family. McIntire also worked occasionally on Derby's vessels, and was not averse to fixing a wagon or building a birdhouse if his patron so desired.[7] Hamilton Hall is a National Historic Landmark at 9 Chestnut Street in Salem, Massachusetts. Hamilton Hall was built in 1805 by Samuel McIntire and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.[8][9] "King" Derby's stamp of approval opened many other doors for McIntire, who went on to design and build mansions for John Gardner, Jerethmiel Peirce, Simon Forrester, and other wealthy Salem shipowners. He also built, on elegant Chestnut Street, a function hall (named for Alexander Hamilton) and church for the town's merchant class. McIntire also designed the former Salem Court House and Registry of Deeds.
After 1793, Samuel McIntire worked exclusively in the architectural style developed by Robert Adam in Great Britain and brought to America by the great Boston architect, Charles Bulfinch. The delicate Adam style, which emphasized decorative elements and ornamentation, was tailor-made for McIntire, whose unerring sense of design and proportion was exceeded only by his skill as a woodcarver. Carved swags, rosettes, garlands, and his signature sheaths of wheat dominate wood surfaces in McIntire homes built between 1793 and his death in 1811.
Even in Europe, some 19th-century mansions were often built as replicas of older houses, the
Mansions built during and after the 19th century were seldom supported by the large estates of their predecessors. These new mansions were often built as the week-end retreats of businessmen who commuted to their offices by the new railways, which enabled them to leave the city more easily.[citation needed]
Latin America
In Latin America, the grand rural estate, the Hacienda, Estancia, in Portuguese speaking Brazil Fazenda or Estância, with the mansion as its stately center, is a characteristic feature.
Mansions tended to follow European architectural styles. Whereas until the second half of the 19th century, Portugal and Spain as the colonial (or former colonial) powers were the eminent models for architecture and upper-class lifestyle, towards the end of the 19th century they were sometimes replaced by then more dominant powers like France or England.
In comparably developed, densely populated countries like Mexico, feudal estates and their mansions were as grand and stately as in the
In Venezuela, the traditional Spanish mansions with a garden in the center of the property are usually referred as "Quinta".
Size
Some realtors in the US term mansions as houses that have a minimum of 8,000-square-foot (740 m2) of floor space.[10] Others claim a viable minimum could instead be 5,000-square-foot (460 m2) of floor space, especially in a city environment.[11]
See also
References
- ^ "What is a mansion block". OurProperty. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- ^ "Mansion blocks are real British antiques ..." City AM. 9 July 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- ISBN 0-300-02273-5.
- ^ Halliday, F. E. (1967). Cultural History of England. London: Thames and Hudson. p. 166.
- ^ Richard Cobb, pages 77–79, The French Revolution: Voices from a Momentous Epoch, CN8039, Guild Publishing 1988
- ^ "Salem Massachusetts – Salem Architecture Salem Architecture: McIntire". Salemweb.com. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
- ^ "Salem Massachusetts – Salem Architecture 17th & 18th Centuries: Overview". Salemweb.com. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 15 April 2008.
- ^ "Hamilton Hall NHL listing info". Tps.cr.nps.gov. 30 December 1970. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
- ^ "What Is a Mansion? The Luxury Home Next Door Might Not Qualify". Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®. 16 October 2019.
- ^ Staff Writer (4 August 2015). "How Many Square Feet Are in a Mansion?". www.reference.com.
External links
- Historic Mansions and Estates in Latin America
- Estonian Manors Portal the English version introduces 438 well-preserved historical manors (mansions, estates) in Estonia