Front Entrance Detail
Leonard C. Hammond House in San Francisco, California

This exotic entrance, designed by William Knowles* around 1908, exhibits the ecclesiastical Gothic touch of Bernard Maybeck and Ernest Coxhead, who were the architects of several of the neighboring houses.  Closer examination of the entry reveals a definite Japanese influence in its general form and massing as well.  It is a surprising effect, considering its components: a Gothic door, a Neoclassical arch, tapered pilasters in pairs, exaggerated double brackets, and a gabled hip roof.

Japanese architecture exerted a considerable influence on the evolution of Arts and Crafts building in America.  Traces of it can even be seen in very early Shingle Style works, as it does in McKim, Mead, and White's Bell House, with its slender, bamboo-inspired columns and open floor plan.  Its influence reached its zenith in the early 20th century works of architects Charles and Henry Greene in California, and Frank Lloyd Wright in Illinois.  Photo taken in 1999 by Howard J. Partridge.

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