Traxler Mansion

Châteauesque (or Francis I style,^[1] or in Canada, the Château Style^[2]) is a Revivalist architectural style based on the French Renaissance architecture of the monumental châteaux of the Loire Valley from the late fifteenth century to the early seventeenth century.

The term châteauesque (literally, "château-like") is credited (by historian Marcus Whiffen) to American architectural historian Bainbridge Bunting,^[1] although it can be found in publications that pre-date Bunting's birth. As of 2011, the Getty Research Institute's Art & Architecture Thesaurus includes both "Château Style" and "Châteauesque", with the former being the preferred term for North America.

The style frequently features buildings heavily ornamented by the elaborate towers, spires, and steeply-pitched roofs of sixteenth century châteaux, themselves influenced by late Gothic and Italian Renaissance architecture. Despite their French ornamentation, as a revival style, buildings in the châteauesque style do not attempt to completely emulate a French château. Châteauesque buildings are typically built on an asymmetrical plan, with a roof-line broken in several places and a facade composed of advancing and receding planes.

This home was built in 1911 and is the best example of the Chateauesque style in the Dayton area. Mercantilist Louis Traxler purchased the property in 1909 and moved into his new house two years later. The house was sold to David Pickrell, Jr., owner of the Pickrell Plumbing Company and president of the North Dayton Savings Bank. The Traxler Mansion was converted to a boarding house in 1942 and languished until it was purchased in 1977 by a local attorney who began restoring the property. Like nearby Amherst Terrace, the Traxler Mansion was the beneficiary of a Designers

Showcase project during the 1980s. Architect Richard Morris Hunt introduced the Chateauesque style in the United States. The style is loosely based on the monumental 16th century chateaux of France. The Vanderbilts were among Hunt's many wealthy clients. He designed several Chateauesque houses for the Vanderbilts including America's best known example of the style, The Biltmore, near Ashville, North Carolina. Chateauesque style houses usually exhibit various combinations of Gothic and Renaissance detailing. The most fundamental design feature of the style is the steeply pitched roof that often rises to a pyramidal apex or hipped roof. Unique features of the Traxler Mansion include the smooth stone quoins which define the corners of the house and frame all windows and doors. Also note the steep, tiled hip roof, unusual oval dormers, and tall chimneys.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teauesque