12/28/2023 0 Comments Shotgun house layoutShotgun houses have a variety of decorative elaborations complete with ornate combinations of cornices, eave brackets, spindles, and intricate moldings that are only found in New Orleans. Most have narrow front porch covered by a roof apron and supported by columns and brackets, often with lacy Victorian Era ornamentation. Shotguns are narrow rectangular structures raised on brick piers usually covered with a hipped roof on all four sides. ![]() Usually one-story, three to five rooms in a row with no hallways, but many with second story set at rear of house called camel-back shotgun. The city became the center for the style, and it spread throughout the South in both rural and urban areas until the early 1900’s. Many surviving Haitian dwellings of the period resemble the single shotgun houses of New Orleans. Consequently, this caused a housing boom and as many of both the builders and inhabitants were Africans by way of Haiti and historians believe it is only natural they modeled the new homes after ones they left behind in their homeland. In 1810, the population of New Orleans was approximately 1/3 white, 1/3 enslaved Africans, and 1/3 free people of color, most of who had come from Haiti. This migration from the Haiti had a profound effect on the demographics of New Orleans where the black population increased. Free people of color migrated to New Orleans as well. When Africans in Haiti revolted in 1791, many European plantation owners fled to New Orleans, taking with them enslaved Africans. It is theorized that the shotgun style was developed as housing built by and for slaves in the early 1700’s in the West Indies with roots in West Africa. In Haiti, enslaved Africans took the architectural form common to their homeland and used local materials to build narrow buildings with gabled entrances, stucco walls, thatched roofs, and shuttered windows for privacy. Historical Perspectives of the Shotgun House The front porch on shotgun houses supported interconnection between people and gave neighbors a strong sense of community. The porch on the front of these houses was quite distinct from French homes whose outdoor areas were actually interior courtyards. Closely associated with New Orleans and Creole culture, s hotgun architecture is now recognized as an African-American contribution to American architectural styles especially in the City of New Orleans. Research indicates that the style can be traced from Africa to Haitian influences on house design in New Orleans. The description, probably used in New Orleans by Afro Haitian slaves, may have been misunderstood and reinterpreted as “Shotgun”. ![]() In West Africa “shogun” means “God’s House”. The name “shotgun” may have originated from the Africa’s Southern Dahomey Fon area term, to-gun, which means, “place of assembly” or “shogun”. ![]() Tradition has it that if you fire a “shotgun” through the front doorway of this long, narrow home, the bullet will exit directly through the back door. Shotgun houses were built from 1830-1910 and are the most common housing style throughout New Orleans. New Orleans is considered home of the shotgun house.
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