This is David Keazer’s home, built in 1872, just after the Civil War. At this point in American architecture the most popular style is called French Second Empire. This style originated out of the era of Napoleon III in France. The hallmark of the style is a mansard roof. This type of roof configuration was created by François Mansart (a French architect) in the 17th century. It cleverly created another floor to the house inside the attic space providing more dwelling space but avoiding taxes (which were calculated by the number of stories of your dwelling). This mansard roof is concave (or bell-cast) and is covered in slate shingles. The homeowner reports it is quite difficult to maintain – it leaks and finding replacement shingles is hard.
Second Empire buildings generally have a 3-part facade (the front can be divided into three even sections). Second Empire houses in Paris would have been built in stone, but even a prosperous merchant like Mr. Keazer couldn’t afford that. Instead the wood panels in the central pavilion – which projects out – are made to mimic stone blocks. The quoins on the side are also created to look like stones (this is another typical Second Empire feature). The side pavilions are covered in clapboards. The roofline and porch have elaborate brackets and the windows have elaborate frames.