William G. Low House, Shingle style residence in Bristol, US
The William G. Low House was a single-family residence built in the Shingle style along the Rhode Island coast, stretching about 140 feet in length. The entire structure was covered with cedar shingles and featured a single gable roof that unified its elongated form.
The renowned architectural firm McKim, Mead & White designed this house in 1887 at a time when American residential design was reinventing itself. The building marked a turning point in how homes were conceived during that period.
The residence showed how architects moved away from ornate Victorian design toward simpler forms using natural materials. This shift in style became influential across Northeast coastal homes and how they were built.
The house no longer stands today as it was removed in 1962, but it was thoroughly documented beforehand. Historians and architecture enthusiasts can view the detailed measurements and photographs preserved by the Historic American Buildings Survey.
The house was notable for its continuous, low horizontal design that appeared to emerge from the surrounding landscape. This way of connecting a building to its natural surroundings was entirely new for homes of that time.
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