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| "Double Barrel Shotgun" If there is one thing that all pre-World War II neighborhoods in New Orleans have in common, it’s the shotgun house. |
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“Shotgun” is a home whose rooms and doorways flow from front to rear.
there is no disputing the evident affection that residents and visitors feel for shotguns. The general public thought they were antiquated in the 1960s when suburbanization was all the rage, shotgun houses are now adored for the seemingly endless mixture of architectural details that enrich them with irresistible charm.
Millwork on the shotguns’ exteriors affords owners the opportunity to apply color in a way that distinguishes each shotgun house from the other, whether or not they stand side by side. And the fact that shotguns can be singles, sidehalls, doubles or camelbacks multiplies exponentially the opportunity for variety and visual interest.
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| "Camel Back Shotgun" There is evidence that local taxation structure may have influenced the design of the shotgun home. |
Homes were taxed on their front footage, so a narrow front would reduce the property tax. Two-story houses were taxed more, which is how the “Camel Back” came to be. “Camel Back” shotguns have a second story on the back end of the house. This design was used to avoid the two-story taxes. Taxes were also based on the number of rooms in a home. Since closets and hallways were considered “rooms,” early shotguns contained neither. Another clever design developed was the “Double Barrel Shotgun.” The “Double Barrel” is separated down the middle with a joined porch and back yard.
One theory suggests that shotgun houses were influenced by “Creole Cottages,” an even older style of New Orleans architecture.
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| floor plan of an early "Shotgun" |
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| single "Shotgun" |
A sign of its New Orleans heritage, the house is usually raised two to three feet off the ground. There is a single door and window in the front of the house, and often a side door leading into the back room, which is slightly wider than the rest of the house. The front door and window often were originally covered by decorative shutters. Side walls may or may not have windows; rooms not adjoining the front nor back door will generally have at least one window even when the houses are built very close together.
Your typical shotgun homes have a wood-frame structure and wood siding, although some examples are brick and even stone. In houses built after 1880, the roof usually overhangs the front wall, and there is usually a gable above the overhang. The overhang is usually supported by decorative wooden brackets, and sometimes contains cast iron ventilators.
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