Dormer windows on the Ovid Butler House (1306 N Park Avenue)

Dormer Windows. A dormer window is a window that projects out from a sloping roof, vertically placed, featuring its own structure with sides and a roof. The dormer window may feature a small gabled end over the window depending on its design and structure. A dormer window can provide light into an otherwise unlit attic space found within. Dormers will often take the same design and roof as the rest of the structure, but some examples may use different ornament to act as a contrasting feature. The dormer is common across many historic architectural styles, specifically residential, but can be found frequently in the Second Empire, Queen Anne, Stick Style, Colonial Revival, and Tudor Revival styles.

An example of dormer windows is found on the Ovid Butler House (1306 North Park Avenue), a unique structure which features elements of the Greek Revival and Italianate due to early additions. Two dormer windows are prominently placed on the south (primary) elevation, found on the third floor of this estate. Each dormer features a rounded window with a triangular, gabled roof.

Dormer on this Jacobethan Revival residence in the 1200 Block of North Alabama Street

Another example in the Old Northside is this residence in the 1200 Block of North Alabama Street. This unique residence uses English details including exposed false half-timbering with stucco in a style sometimes used called the Jacobethan Revival. The dormer window on this residence maintains the same roof pitch, but steps out slightly from the roof slope. The unique window sashes include six panes each, with the same false-half timbering and stucco within the dormer. I’d imagine that’s a wonderful “Room with a View”!

Dormer on residence in the 600 Block of Woodruff Place Middle Drive

This residence in the 600 Block of Woodruff Place Middle Drive shows a uniquely designed dormer window. The dormer takes the same roof design (tile, hipped) as the overall structure, but the set of windows feature a fishscale shingle design in an accent color to the overall structure. The paint selection on this dormer really allows the feature to shine in this unique residence.

Add it to your vocabulary – how might one use today’s Building Language term in their everyday life?

Without the dormer windows, the attic would be an unusable space.