10/31/2023
👻Spooky Houses 👻
The creepy, spooky, and decaying Victorian Era House. How did these once-grand mansions become the real villains in pop culture? What we consider to be Victorian Era Houses in Georgia (1850 - 1900) includes the Second Empire, Queen Anne, and Gothic Revival Styles. The houses typically have complex roof lines, varied windows, and intricate gingerbread trim. These styles were fashionable, reflecting the eclectic taste of a burgeoning middle class. By the 1920s, modern streamlined design was in, replacing the ornate, excesses of the past. As the Great Depression hit in 1929, many of these grand mansions became boarding houses or were left to decay.
Victorian Era Mansions began popping up in pop culture as early as 1921 with the silent movie “Haunted House” and the Addams Family single-panel cartoons in 1938.
What are the features of a Spooky Home?
🎃The homes often feature a maze of rooms with no central hallway. Secret rooms, attics, and stairways can make the visitor confused and disoriented.
🎃Towers and spindled spires with heavy mansard roofs are imposing and foreboding.
🎃Upper-level windows or turrets leave passersby wondering who or what is occupying the room.
🎃Windows in a variety of shapes, sizes, and asymmetrical patterns are disorienting and can look like portals to or from other-worldly realms.
What is your favorite spooky house depicted in a movie, show, or literature?
Enjoy these images of spooky homes we have in our collection.
1. "The Castle" on 15th Street, Midtown Atlanta.
2. J. A. Sams Home, Sams Crossing, Decatur
3. Smith-Benning House, Candler Park, Atlanta
