What is a Boston triple-decker?
A three-decker or triple-decker, in the United States, is a three-story (triplex) apartment building. These buildings are typical of light-framed, wood construction, where each floor usually consists of a single apartment, and frequently, originally, extended families lived in two, or all three floors.
Why are there so many triple deckers in Boston?
Triple deckers sprang up in New England’s booming mill towns and industrial cities between 1870 and 1910. Ambitious immigrants loved them because they offered a path to home ownership. A family could live in one apartment and collect rents from two.
How many triple deckers are there in Boston?
But there are still scads of triple-deckers — nearly 9,000 in Boston alone — that could serve as climate-friendly multifamily housing for a range of incomes.
Why do triple deckers have flat roofs?
The other two defining characteristics are flat roofs and windows on all four sides. This last characteristic was considered a kind of triumph, a way to provide less affluent immigrant households with more fresh air and natural light. The four sides remain an appealing aspect of owning and/or living in a triple-decker.
When were triple deckers built in Boston?
In a Historic New England lecture this week about New England’s iconic multi-family housing, Senior Preservation Services Manager Sally Zimmerman explained that an estimated 15,000 three-deckers were constructed in Boston between 1880 and 1930.
What is a house with 3 floors called?
Three-family or triplex: three living units, either attached side by side and sharing common walls, or stacked (in some countries, called a three-decker or triple-decker) Four-family or quadplex or quad: four living units, typically with two units on the first floor and two on the second, or side-by-side.
What are Boston houses called?
Boston is known for its classic brownstones, many dating back to the original founding of the city. The brownstones here are small buildings, typically four or five stories tall, characterized by brown and red stone brick.
What is the architectural style of Boston?
Boston was founded by Puritan settlers. With them, they brought architecture from England, which ultimately morphed into colonial-style buildings when mixed with other styles such as Georgian architecture. Certain buildings such as the Paul Revere House, Old State House and originally Faneuil Hall embodied this style.
What is a two story house called?
When talking about family dwellings, they tend to be either on one floor (either a bungalow or a flat) or split across two floors. If a dwelling has two floors then it tends to be a house and not a flat but if, however, it is a flat split across two floors, it is called a maisonette.
Is there a triple decker house in Boston?
While “as Boston as a Dorchester three-decker” isn’t a saying yet, it might be by the time This Old House finishes its next project. Like baked beans and Fenway Park’s Green Monster, the housing style is a symbol of the city, and of Dorchester in particular.
Where are the three sided bays on a triple decker?
The three-sided bays at the front of the house are another detail that distinguishes triple-deckers. Shown right: The worst of the fire damage occurred at the rear, where the plaster walls had to be ripped down to the studs.
When was the three decker house built in Texas?
Though built for families of modest means, the 1905 three-decker holds plenty of gracious details, including this decorative door hardware, now enrobed in layers of paint. On a rain-soaked day, Carol and TOH landscape contractor Jenn Nawada do what landscaping planning they can from the dry interior of the first-floor kitchen.
What kind of doors are in a triple decker house?
Shown: Each floor of the triple-decker features a built-in oak hutch with leaded-glass doors. That initial work pushed the project into gut-renovation territory at the back of the house, where most walls were taken down to the studs.