Amsterdam : Top 10 Architectural Features

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1. Triangular Gable

This simple triangularshaped gable can be seen on Het Houten Huis.
2. Bell Gable

Fashionable in the late 17th and 18th centuries, bellshaped gables can be flamboyant (Prinsengracht 126) or unadorned (Leliegracht 57).
3. Neck Gable

Made popular by Philips Vingboons, this gable has a raised centrepiece;Oude Turfmarkt 145is an example.
4. Spout Gable

This plain triangular gable topped by a spout was used for warehouses, like those at Entrepotdok.
5. Step Gable

Common from 1600 to 1665, this gable has steps on both sides: Huis op de drie Grachten has three (see A Day in the Oude Zijde).
6. Wall Plaque

Before numbering was introduced, houses were identified by plaques (see Courtyard with Wall Plaques, and Wall Plaque on No.19).
7. Claw Piece

Sculptures – frequently of dolphins – were made to fill the right angles of gables, as inOudezijds Voorburgwal 119.
8. Mask

This type of Renaissance decoration depicts a human or animal face, and can be seen atOudezijds Voorburgwal 57.
9. Cornices

From 1690, gables fell out of vogue and decorative top mouldings came in: examples line the Herengracht.
10. Pediment Carvings

Carvings often decorate the triangular or rounded form above doorways: see the Felix Meritis Building.