Illustrated Architecture Dictionary
Illustrated Architecture Dictionary
Bow window / Compass window
A curved window that sticks out from the wall of a house
A rounded bay window
Bow windows form a gentle outward curve.
Bow windows may be found on any level of a building.
"A bay window may be rectangular, polygonal, or arc-shaped [rounded]. If the last, it may be called a bow window. There has been a continuing confusion between bay and bow windows. Bay window is the older term and has become the generic form." - Encyclopaedia Britannica (online July 2018)
Bow-front house: bow extends from top to bottom of the house. The bow-front fashion dates to the Federal period.
Examples from Buffalo architecture:
- Illustration above: Plymouth Methodist Church parsonage
- 177 Bidwell Pkwy.
- 96 Soldiers Place
- Statler House
Other examples:
