construction materials and exterior detailing provide visual context
clues that relate to the building's place and time. As such, when a
building obviously departs from the regional norm it stands out on the
street as an incompatibility. This visual incompatibility is more
pronounced the narrower the lots become. Wild incompatibility is not
that much of an issue, say, in Beverly Hills or the shores of Palm
Beach. In both locations the houses are far enough apart, and the gates
and hedges so high, that the neighborhood isn't defined by the
architectural character of the individual houses. In places such as
Windsor it's a completely different story. There is a very high
percentage of compatibility with narrow sideyard setbacks. Windsor thus
has a very strong sense of place. Much more so than a Baldwin Park. I believe you can map out which styles are compatible and which are not
on a per project basis. In a town such as The Waters you can mix Queen
Anne, Italianate, Federal, Greek Revival, and Classical Vernacular and
still provide a strong sense of place. Throw in Southwestern Adobe or
Mediterranean and it will stand out like a sore thumb. This problem is
exacerbated if traditional detailing is applied to non-traditional
architectural forms, as is the case in almost every hybrid TND. If it was somehow imperative to add Mediterranean to the mix it is
possible by transitioning from neighborhood to neighborhood using styles
that are compatible with both groups. A Greek Revival may be compatible
with Mediterranean. Other masonry versions of Classical Vernacular and
Federal may be compatible, as well. Similar to jazz, it's the
architectural equivalent of using the chord progressions to play over
the key changes. The 'spice styles' in pattern books would be the
flatted fifth, or blue note. Jazz it up!
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