Illustrated Architecture Dictionary

Bow window / Compass window

A curved window that sticks out from the wall of a house

A rounded bay window

Bow windows form a gentle outward curve.

Bow windows may be found on any level of a building.

"A bay window may be rectangular, polygonal, or arc-shaped [rounded]. If the last, it may be called a bow window. There has been a continuing confusion between bay and bow windows. Bay window is the older term and has become the generic form." - Encyclopaedia Britannica (online July 2018)

Bow-front house: bow extends from top to bottom of the house. The bow-front fashion dates to the Federal period.


Examples from Buffalo architecture:

Other examples:


Photos and their arrangement © 2002 Chuck LaChiusa
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