hi! i just saw your AMAZING floorplan for wayne manor. it's so incredible. i've always wanted to make a floorplan for the mansion myself but i can't really wrap my head around it, i just end up going thru tons of wiki pages about architecture eras/trends/history. i'm sure you must get asked a lot of questions about it, i really hope you dont mind if i add to that pile! i was wondering why you chose the victorian era for the mansion?
I get asked ZERO questions and am terribly sad about that fact! Thank you for giving me a chance to ramble.
The main reasons I chose the Victorian era:
it’s a period where servants were expected to be ninjas.
I REALLY like the architecture from that period.
North America doesn’t have that long of a European-influenced architectural history.
Gotham has a very strong visual language.
It’s a period where servants were expected to be ninjas.
The Victorians cut up their mansions in all these weird ways to keep their servants out of sight. Extra hallways, so they could clean bedrooms without people having to SEE (the horror!) them. Back stairways. Tiny little rooms to prepare in before appearing at their master’s side with whatever is necessary.
Alfred NEEDS Victorian architecture to be the best Alfred he can be. My design doesn’t incorporate as much Victorian ridiculousness as I wanted it to, but I tried very hard.
I REALLY like the architecture from that period.
You draw what interests you. Most of my passion for fashion and architecture is focused on the 8th to 11th centuries, but there are wonderful things that don't fit in that period. Incredibly complex Victorian architecture is one of those.
I've spent a lot of leisure time studying English manors and country homes. I love them. So everything I could transfer across the ocean to the US was incorporated into my design.
North America doesn’t have that long of a European-influenced architectural history.
While I would LOVE to design a Wayne Manor heavily influenced by Indigenous traditions, that's just too unrealistic for historical white New England Americans. The white architecture from before the 1800s tends to be far too small for Wayne extravagance. Designing a Manor that's been added to for 200 years and shows a huge numbers of styles would be AMAZING, but I'd never finish it. To much to balance. Modern architecture isn't right for the Wayne's old-money-and-traditional-butlers feel. (Also, I hate most of it.)
Victorian makes sense. The Manor is older than that, but remodelling/rebuilding is pretty common throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. I can also see the Waynes being proud enough of their history to keep the old-timey feel and not do too much remodelling throughout the last 100 years. (Other than for amenities¹.)
Gotham has a very strong visual language.
In my mind, there are only three real possibilities for a Wayne Manor that matches Gotham's aesthetic. It has to be Gothic Revival, Art Deco, or Victorian.
Victorian is a category of architecture, not a specific type. I was actually including Victorian-era Gothic styles in my definition when I made my original comment. While thinking about this answer, though, I've started looking into Gothic Revival houses more, and now I want to see if I can learn enough to update my design. I don't know if it would affect the layout much, but Bruce needs more drama. ;)
Most American Gothic Revival domestic² architecture was located in the south, though. So I need to learn more.
Art Deco is really cool, but I don't have any clue how to incorporate it into a house in anything other than interior design. Which I wasn't doing. Also, too many big open spaces.
(My design STILL has way too many open spaces. More hallways are necessary. Why did past people not cater more to my desire for houses that double as mazes? Darn my attempts at accuracy!)
I chose Victorian because of the drama, it's fit in Gotham and the Wayne family's history, and because Alfred needs servants' hallways and prep rooms everywhere to properly appear behind people spookily.
Thank you so much for the question. Ask more! Design your own Wayne Manor!
Make sure it has more hallways ;)
¹Amenities - nice comforts that we usually think of as necessities - toilets/plumbing, lighting/electricity, computer wiring, heating, etc.
²Domestic - stuff people live in. Houses. But 'house architecture' isn't 'good' grammar. Sigh.
