The Boathouse
Located near the Brazos River in Waco, Texas
The idea for this 1,200 sq. foot boathouse came about when the Waco Rowing Club needed a home for its rowing boats. Rowing is America’s oldest and most traditional sport, dating back to the Victorian period in the early 1800’s, when many cities had rowing boathouses lining the banks of their rivers.
At a Glance
- 1200 sq. feet
- Main structure built from an 1840’s New York barn frame
- Victorian styling and “gingerbread” trim
We located the boathouse just upriver from Waco on the bank of the Brazos River that flows through Waco on its way from the Texas panhandle to the Gulf of Mexico. As it passes through Waco it forms a long stretch of flat, calm water perfect for rowing.
So, we designed a Victorian boathouse that utilized an historic 1840’s New York barn frame for the structure and used repurposed wood for much of the outside Victorian trim. The Victorian Period of architecture, named for Queen Victorian of England, is known for its many colors, of which the boathouse has eight, along with its ornate trim work.
The ability of carpenters to make sharp curves with finer saw blades, a technological innovation of that period, gave them the inspiration for all this scrolling Victorian trim, or “gingerbread” as it became known.