1213 Wisteria Way

An Unreal 5 Gnomon 5 Workshop

(Created in 2025)

Up the Hudson River from old New York, the Victorians settled into their own Eden. Picturesque woods once in the nude, came into the chaste dress of gingerbread gables and enforced propriety. Sycamore glades and pine trails once walked in moccasins and beaver skin caps, now up kept in the tread of those in oxfords and sailor straws, and lest we forget the ladies in their corsets and bonnets. Ladies and gentlemen on their way through the picturesque valley, past where the forest fades into lines of wisteria so densely packed together that without a well trafficked gate, it’d be excusable to miss the painted picket fence line, verticals erect in pride over their charge of manicured lawns that so gracefully compose the equally vertical reaches of Queen Anne homes.

Out here in these woods, precisely at 1213 Wisteria Way, sits an artifact of late 19th century Victorian eclecticism. The manor follows the compositional vernacular of Queen Anne architecture, in pose with exotic flourishes from distant lands.

Made with Rhino3d, Blender, Affinity Designer & Photo, Substance Painter, & Unreal 5.

“A broad lawn rising back from the bluff above the water’s edge led to a grove of trees that partly concealed a large Victorian fin de siècle mansion. The lawn had the same deserted look he’d seen yesterday - uninhabited. No children or animals played anywhere.” - Excerpt from “Lila an Inquiry into Morals” by Robert M Pirsig

Drawings

Floor Plan No. 1

Layout of the home follows typical Victorian social precedents. The front of house is reserved for guest use with the Parlor and Boudoir off the entry hall, while residents of the house have their own side entrance through the port-cochere. From the front, the program shifts via a gradient of privacy. Servant spaces such as the kitchen and servant stairway are located at the rear, and in between front and back are the living and dining rooms. Family spaces that are a neutral grey between the social extremes of guests and servants. Given this house follows the vernacular of Queen Anne architecture, inglenooks are nested at the hall to symbolically reference a medieval hearth.

Picket fences entangled with wisteria climbers greet guests at entry to the grounds. - Jh3d — Picket fences entangled with wisteria climbers greet guests at entry to the grounds.

The gate design follows a radial spun placement of wood pickets, bordered by two lath spun posts, a traditional pattern found in Victorian design. While the mailbox is an innovation of late 19th century rural mail delivery. - Jh3d — The gate design follows a radial spun placement of wood pickets, bordered by two lath spun posts, a traditional pattern found in Victorian design. While the mailbox is an innovation of late 19th century rural mail delivery.

Winding paths underneath picturesque canopies, wrap around the grounds. - Jh3d — Winding paths underneath picturesque canopies, wrap around the grounds.

Well manicured lawns and gardens, establish a boundary between the architecture and outer woods. - Jh3d — Well manicured lawns and gardens, establish a boundary between the architecture and outer woods.

Eastern pines, white ash, and American sycamores, endemic to the Hudson River Valley, weave the landscape into a picturesque backdrop to the Queen Anne manor and her garden. - Jh3d — Eastern pines, white ash, and American sycamores, endemic to the Hudson River Valley, weave the landscape into a picturesque backdrop to the Queen Anne manor and her garden.

Eastern pines, white ash, and American sycamores, endemic to the Hudson River Valley, weave the landscape into a picturesque backdrop to the Queen Anne manor and her garden. Picket fences entangled with wisteria climbers greet guests at entry to the grounds, while the residents of the house can take a private drive up to the home’s port-cochere. The gate design follows a radial spun placement of wood pickets, bordered by two lath spun posts, a traditional pattern found in Victorian design. While the mailbox is an innovation of late 19th century rural mail delivery.

“He picked up the binoculars for a closer look. Under one small grove of oak trees by the shore were empty white painted chairs around a white table. From their curlicued shapes he guessed they were made of ornamental cast-iron. Something about them seemed to convey the mood of the whole place. Brittle, cold, and uncomfortable. That was the Victorian spirit: a whole attitude toward life. ‘Quality,’ they called it. European quality. Full of status and protocol.” - Excerpt from “Lila an Inquiry into Morals” by Robert M Pirsig

The architecture of the porch is in communication with the parlor’s bay window and the boudoir turret. - Jh3d — The architecture of the porch is in communication with the parlor’s bay window and the boudoir turret.

The wrap around porch is the great compositional moment that gives these homes characters. An architectural vestige of the classical portico. - Jh3d — The wrap around porch is the great compositional moment that gives these homes characters. An architectural vestige of the classical portico.

Asymmetry separates Queen Anne from 19th century classical works and gives the style a vernacular status. Design that comes from ‘doing’ as opposed to theory from architectural institutions. - Jh3d — Asymmetry separates Queen Anne from 19th century classical works and gives the style a vernacular status. Design that comes from ‘doing’ as opposed to theory from architectural institutions.

It’s in good taste to plant a garden at the base of a porch following the most beautiful and mannered of gardening precedents. Various layers of annuals and biennials are planted to ensure colorful blooms throughout the year. - Jh3d — It’s in good taste to plant a garden at the base of a porch following the most beautiful and mannered of gardening precedents. Various layers of annuals and biennials are planted to ensure colorful blooms throughout the year.

Victorian eclecticism is perhaps no more apparent than the circular frames accenting entry to a home. - Jh3d — Victorian eclecticism is perhaps no more apparent than the circular frames accenting entry to a home.

Wisteria climbers, like the ones at the gate, make their way over the porch balusters and columns for a touch of wild picturesque gardening. - Jh3d — Wisteria climbers, like the ones at the gate, make their way over the porch balusters and columns for a touch of wild picturesque gardening.

The wrap around porch is the great compositional moment that gives these homes characters. An architectural vestige of the classical portico. Here, the architecture of the porch is in communication with the parlor’s bay window and the boudoir turret. Victorian eclecticism is perhaps no more apparent than the circular frames accenting entry to a home.

It’s in good taste to plant a garden at the base of a porch following the most beautiful and mannered of gardening precedents. Various layers of annuals and biennials are planted to ensure colorful blooms throughout the year. Wisteria climbers, like the ones at the gate, make their way over the porch balusters and columns for a touch of wild picturesque gardening.

“They didn’t know how to relate to money. That was the problem. It was partly the new post-Civil War Industrial Revolution. Fortunes were being made in steel, lumber, cattle, machinery, railroads and land. Everywhere one looked new innovations were creating fortunes where there was nothing before. Cheap labor was pouring in from Europe. No income taxes and no social codes really forced a sharing of the wealth. After scrambling for their lives to get it, they couldn’t just give it awa. And so the whole became involuted.” - Excerpt from “Lila an Inquiry into Morals” by Robert M Pirsig

Borrowing yet another element to further the eclectic design of this home, a small balcony juts out from one of the gables to operate as an Italian belvedere. A location for the home’s residents to step out and look over their estate. - Jh3d — Borrowing yet another element to further the eclectic design of this home, a small balcony juts out from one of the gables to operate as an Italian belvedere. A location for the home’s residents to step out and look over their estate.

Inside the heptagonal tower at it’s cap, the master of the house showcases a gallery of exotic artifacts and antiquities from distant travels. - Jh3d — Inside the heptagonal tower at it’s cap, the master of the house showcases a gallery of exotic artifacts and antiquities from distant travels.

A pattern from the medieval era, deep vergeboards with intricate carvings accent the sharp gabled rooflines, giving the whole composition a heavy top, like the deep brims of a Victorian cap. - Jh3d — A pattern from the medieval era, deep vergeboards with intricate carvings accent the sharp gabled rooflines, giving the whole composition a heavy top, like the deep brims of a Victorian cap.

Finials and weathervanes are reminiscent of the old English medieval patterns that became instrumental for the development of Queen Anne architecture. - Jh3d — Finials and weathervanes are reminiscent of the old English medieval patterns that became instrumental for the development of Queen Anne architecture.

To tie the roof’s composition into the patterns established with the circular porch entry, the motif of the circle is carried into the gables. - Jh3d — To tie the roof’s composition into the patterns established with the circular porch entry, the motif of the circle is carried into the gables.

The Queen Anne vernacular is known for it’s eclectic and unorthodox use of various roof lines that generally break the precedents of classical and symmetrical roof slopes governed by mathematical proportioning - Jh3d — The Queen Anne vernacular is known for it’s eclectic and unorthodox use of various roof lines that generally break the precedents of classical and symmetrical roof slopes governed by mathematical proportioning

A heptagonal turret makes this specific home design unique. The heptagon, a seven sided polygon, is known for being a shape of mystery, given it wasn’t able to be constructed perfectly for millennia. - Jh3d — A heptagonal turret makes this specific home design unique. The heptagon, a seven sided polygon, is known for being a shape of mystery, given it wasn’t able to be constructed perfectly for millennia.

The Queen Anne vernacular is known for it’s eclectic and unorthodox use of various roof lines that generally break the precedents of classical and symmetrical roof slopes governed by mathematical proportioning. Finials and weathervanes are reminiscent of the old English medieval patterns that became instrumental for the development of Queen Anne architecture. Also a pattern from the medieval era, deep vergeboards with intricate carvings accent the sharp gabled rooflines, giving the whole composition a heavy top, like the deep brims of a Victorian cap. To tie the roof’s composition into the patterns established with the circular porch entry, the motif of the circle is carried into the gables.

A heptagonal turret makes this specific home design unique. The heptagon, a seven sided polygon, is known for being a shape of mystery, given it wasn’t able to be constructed perfectly for millennia.

“Involuted. Twisted in upon itself like the curves of their ornamental woodwork and the parsley patterns of their fabrics. Victorian men with beards. Victorian women long involuted dresses. He could see them walking among the trees. Stiff, somber. It was all a pose.” - Excerpt from “Lila an Inquiry into Morals” by Robert M Pirsig

Fine details accent the vertical proportions of the home, notable with the bay windows extending off the parlor. - Jh3d — Fine details accent the vertical proportions of the home, notable with the bay windows extending off the parlor.

An extruded window box above the parlor is reminiscent of oriels in old medieval architecture. - Jh3d — An extruded window box above the parlor is reminiscent of oriels in old medieval architecture.

Covered balconies break the box form of the house and open up an upper loggia to connect with the turret. - Jh3d — Covered balconies break the box form of the house and open up an upper loggia to connect with the turret.

Telescope oriented for gazing out the heptagonal turret. - Jh3d — Telescope oriented for gazing out the heptagonal turret.

Spun posts arranged radially is a common decoration for angle connections in eclectic 19th century designs. - Jh3d — Spun posts arranged radially is a common decoration for angle connections in eclectic 19th century designs.

Columns follow the fundamental composition and proportions of the Corinthian order, but take on a foliated capital from an old Victorian pattern book. - Jh3d — Columns follow the fundamental composition and proportions of the Corinthian order, but take on a foliated capital from an old Victorian pattern book.

Asymmetry separates Queen Anne from 19th century classical works and gives the style a vernacular status. Design that comes from ‘doing’ as opposed to theory from architectural institutions. An example of this being an extruded window box above the parlor, which is reminiscent of oriels in old medieval architecture.

Fine details accent the vertical proportions of the home, notable with the bay windows extending off the parlor. Columns follow the fundamental composition and proportions of the Corinthian order, but take on a foliated capital from an old Victorian pattern book. And another old pattern is the spun posts arranged radially, which is common for angle connections in eclectic 19th century designs.

“Smug posing was the essence of their style. That’s what these mansions were, poses - turrets and gingerbread and ornamental cast iron. They did it to their bodies with bustles and corsets. They did it to their whole social and psychic lives with impossible proprieties of table manners and speech and posture and sexual repression. Their paintings capture it perfectly - expressionless, mindless, cream-skinned ladies sitting around ancient Greek columns, draped in ancient Greek robes, in perfect form and posture, except for one breast hanging out, which no one noticed, presumably, because they were so elevated and so pure.” - Excerpt from “Lila an Inquiry into Morals” by Robert M Pirsig

From the side entry, plantings are staged for the garden and the porch’s wisteria extends out from well-soiled planter boxes. - Jh3d — From the side entry, plantings are staged for the garden and the porch’s wisteria extends out from well-soiled planter boxes.

Wide angle view shows off the corner angle of the whole composition. - Jh3d — Wide angle view shows off the corner angle of the whole composition.

Residents of the home enter at the rear side of the house where a port-cochere covers a gravel pad to load and unload vehicles - Jh3d — Residents of the home enter at the rear side of the house where a port-cochere covers a gravel pad to load and unload vehicles

Residents of the home enter at the rear side of the house where a port-cochere covers a gravel pad to load and unload vehicles. Also from the side entry here, plantings are staged for the garden and the porch’s wisteria extends out from well-soiled planter boxes.

“For them the pose was quality. Quality was the social corset, the ornamental cast iron. It was a ‘quality’ of manners and egotism and suppression of human decency. When Victorians were being moral, kindness wasn’t anywhere in sight. They approved whatever was socially fashionable and suppressed or ignored anything that was not.” - Excerpt from “Lila an Inquiry into Morals” by Robert M Pirsig

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