The Palladian Window

(Malcolm W. Chase, Church Historian)

The Middlebury Congregational Church of UCC contains two Palladian windows. One of the two windows resides within the north wall of the Sanctuary behind the Pulpit. The second Palladian window resides within the south wall behind the Organ Pipes. Since this window is behind the organ pipes, it is not visible. 

From "A Restoration Primer From Vicenza to Vermont" 

(Martin S. Harris, Jr., and Sudbury resident, an architect and farmer; he is a specialist in restoration):

There’s a period in American architecture for which we really have no name, or at least no name which accurately describes it.

The Greek and Gothic Revival periods each had a distinctive set of architectural decorations, even if the structural and floor plan characteristics were far less readily observable. The pre-Revolutionary or truly colonial period retained many aspects of its medieval European origin which made it, too, readily identifiable. But what of that post-Revolutionary, pre-Greek-Revival period that spans some four decades from the 1780s to the 1820s? We have no name for this period – or rather, I should say that we have so many names for it that we end up having no single name for it.

Houses from this period are sometimes called colonial, even though the American colonies had by that time ceased being colonies and formed a new nation. Sometimes the style is referred to as Federal, which in fact accurately does reflect the contemporary political situation. But Federal also has come to mean those buildings with an above average-degree of urbane sophistication, not the severely simple early 19th century meeting houses or residence. The label “Adam” comes into play, reflecting the contemporary influence of a pair of British architects. But like the label “Federal,” Adam also conveys a great deal more sophistication and refinement of detail than the structures of this four-decade period actually produced. The same might be said for “Georgian,” another label which is fundamentally inappropriate. So we are left with four decades of typically American design for which we have no proper name.

The surviving structures in the heart of Middlebury which date from this period all share certain similarities of scale, design, structure, and decoration, but we have no acute label which refers to them all. Consider, for example, the Congregational Church and its across the road neighbor, Charter House. Both are of virtually equal antiquity, both of the same structural system, and both employ the same family of decorative motifs. And yet what identification comes to mind which accurately categorizes both in the way that the labels Victorians encompasses the late 19^th century business blocks in the down town building blocks label the down town area. There were, of course, many similarities to the buildings of this period. Their basic structural systems clearly identify them, as does their millwork and the choice of exterior finish materials. All of these similarities are understandable in terms of the technology and building traditions of the period. There simply weren’t too many alternatives to heavy timber framing, double hung windows and exterior –bevel siding.

But there is one similarity which is such an historical fluke that we wonder how it came to be. The one design feature shared by so many buildings of this period is the so-called Palladian window, which consists of a larger round headed unit flanked by two narrower units and surrounded by varying amounts of classic detailing (pilasters, moldings, quoins, and the like). The Palladian window is such an unlikely decorative form – totally unrelated to any argument about form arising from function – that it is hard to argue that so many buildings of this period sprouted that window on their front elevations because it was functionally  necessary. 

The typical “Vermont” window, the double hung sash titled at an angle – to clear the roof of a lower wing of the house, is an example of a decorative form dictated by a functional  requirement – namely, getting window into the  sloping gable-end and space functional requirement between two roofs of different elevations. On the contrary, the Palladian window is there – on the Congregational Church, on the Severance house just north of the Inn, and before its removal during a remodeling on  the Charter House –just because it was a fashionable form of decoration during the Post revolutionary Federal  – Federal – Adam – Georgian period.

The window is named after Andrea Palladio, an Italian architect of the 16^th Century who apparently just invented it in the course of his practice. When Renaissance architecture was rediscovered by English royalty in the late 17^th Century, Palladio’s invention was dusted off and put to use again, along with all the columns, pilasters, stone quoining, and the other Renaissance trademarks lifted from Greek architecture of 2,000 years earlier. And when American architects looked for fashionable decoration, republic or not in this new country, they looked no further than the Renaissance forms which had earlier graced the building of English royalty. It apparently didn’t bother our forefathers of that period, many of whom had just lived through and even fought in a war to free themselves from a hated royal of that period that the, that they were adopting the classic decorative forms made fashionable by that same royalty.

We don’t see too many new Palladian windows these days. The millwork is extraordinarily difficult to produce and therefore, intolerably expensive. There are a good many left, however, here and there around the valley, a reminder to us of a time when decoration wasn’t a dirty word and when “functionalism” as an aesthetic excuse for barren and unappealing design was yet to be invented.

Set Up, Arranging, Pricing Days:

Wednesday, November 5: Donations can be dropped off from 9:00AM – 5:00PM at the Upstairs North Pleasant Street entrance. Bazaar workers will be setting up spaces, sorting, and pricing merchandise and non-perishable food items.

Thursday, November 6: Workers continue to receive, arrange, and price from 9:00AM – 5:00PM. 

Friday, Nov. 7: Friday is the last day to drop off donated items, and the first day to drop off perishable foods including baked goods (whole pies, etc.) and soups from 9:00AM – 5:00PM. On Friday, Theme Baskets should be brought to the church between 9:00AM – noon. (To make alternate arrangements to drop off Theme Baskets, contact Chris Ketcham).

Bazaar Day:

Saturday morning, Nov. 8: Perishable foods (pies, soups, food table baked goods) can be delivered 8:00 - 8:30AM at the Seymour Street Portico entrance. Workers should not park in the church parking areas. Workers need to be in place by 8:30AM for any last-minute instructions and final set up.

DOORS OPEN - Saturday, Nov. 8: 9:00AM – 3:00PM. Plan to come out to see all the wonderful offerings we’ll have for sale. Invite your family members, neighbors and friends to join you!

Sunday, Nov. 9: The Second Chance Sale & Quilt Raffle Drawing: Immediately after Sunday worship in Fellowship Hall, we sell items not sold at the Saturday Bazaar. Be on hand for the Quilt Raffle Drawing when we announce the lucky winner of the beautiful Quilt generously donated by Dorothy Douglas.