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Jane Griswold Radocchia is an architect.
Jane studies practical geometry and vernacular architecture.
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Below are some of her latest blog posts, some others can be found on this web site's Archive
Jane Griswold Radocchia
Jane Griswold Radocchia
Latest Presentation
Volunteer:
Building Trades
section of the
Smithsonian Folklife Festival
July 2-7, 2025
Presentation:
Compasses and Carpenter Squares
EAIA Annual Conference
Rochester, NY
May 31
The curvy Italianate molding above that window in the center? How did they do that?
How did carpenters in south eastern Massachusetts in c.1850 lay out the picturesque pediment so it could be cut and assembled?
This was the question posed to me by Nathan Goodwin of H.I.S. Construction. He was asked to lay out a copy of that molding for installation above two garage doors.
Nathan and I posted ideas back and forth. Nathan needed to draw and define the curves, especially how the arc over the shuttered windows evolves into the arc which ends in a point above the main window.
While we focused on that curve I wondered how the master builder laid out the whole design. What geometry might he have used so that the pediment complimented/completed the windows? So it is integral, not just stuck on the top?
The first task was to see the form that was there:
A center window flanked by 2 skinny windows, now shuttered. Together with their casings they form a rectangle. The 3 windows' tops are half circles. Around and above them is the embracing molding which follows the semi-circles before it swoops up with a reverse curve to meet at the center in a point. The molding seems to be the same width throughout.
We saw that the pediment was derived from the windows. The windows and their casings were a rectangle, 4 units wide. Note the red rectangle and lines below the window sill.
The curve for the section of the pediment over the side windows was easy to see and draw. It's the extension of the small windows' half circles. The red dashed line and the dotted lines drawn here radiate from the center of those shuttered windows. I shared this with Nathan.
The pediment's height over the center window was also easy to find - see the dashed red arc on the right. The half circle's radius is half the width of the windows. Note the black dashed line.
It's a reverse curve. Where was its center? How was it generated?
The white-out on the image comes from us exploring and rejecting options.
Nathan and I shared ideas back and forth. He posted this suggestion: a layout based on the width divided into 4 units.
He extended my 4 units into rectangles, divided the rectangles themselves into 4 parts and used 3 units as the radius for the molding hoods over the shuttered windows.
The sides of the rectangles cross the semi-circle. He added diagonals from that point to the center of the top of the main window. The crossing point became the center of several exploratory circles for the reverse arc curving to the pediment's center.
Nathan ended up with this diagram.
It worked for the width of the garage doors; he could lay out the curves and cut the parts.
I wanted to know about the original design - the layout of windows, casings, pediment with moldings. How might the master builder/ joiner/carver (I don't know his title) have laid out the design?
Here's what I saw. Nathan's division of parts works across the width of the window. The whole width is 16 parts/units.The center window is 6 parts wide; the casing on each side is 1 part. The side windows are 3 parts wide; with one part on each side for the casing.
Nathan's geometry for the reverse arc over the main window also works. The radius of the center window's arched top is 3 parts, with the casing: 4 parts. This doubled is the diameter of the circle which draws the arc of the pediment.
More or less! The craftsman left us no notes. And: I am analyzing from a photograph of the window, not the real thing.
Architect
As an architect based in Bennington, VT. and Andover, MA. I work with old houses and the families who love them.
During this time, I have worked with over 1200 houses, some modern, some 300 years old.
Historian
I am an architectural historian by accident. I found I was showing friends and clients the historic environment they lived in but did not see.
I know from my work as an architect how available materials and technology influence design and construction.
I am most interested in vernacular architecture, how we built to suit our climate and our needs using the tools and materials we had.
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Blogs
Architecture (Current Blog)
Passing By (Original Blog)
Sunday Drives (Original Blog)
Comments / Reflections
Mary said...
Thank you so much for this lovely article. This church was well loved & had at least a dozen families attending when it closed down. It is sad to see it be torn down, instead of being preserved as a community space. The one blessing is that we can finally see the beautiful architectural elements you describe, which were hidden to all of us by the drop ceiling. Lovely that the church still stands in this elemental fashion for a few more months. More
