Buon Natale!

Shaw Avenue on the Hill. For those not from St. Louis, the Hill is St. Louis' Italian neighborhood known for its strong sense of community, Zoysia sod, great food and cute shot-gun houses. This one? The mansard isn't so cute, nor is the satellite dish. I do always appreciate Christmas spirit with the reindeers, lights, etc.

Joyeux Noël !

South County on Mattis Road off Tesson Ferry.

New Orleans mansard avec vert trim

Another from New Orleans' Karen Gadbois, my source for awesomely bad mansards. Here's what makes this house especially bad mansarded:

• The greenish trim
• How the roof looks like a 7 year old girl who has cut her own bangs
• The bizarre mansard love triangle between the doors and balcony.

How an irlandais pub does mansard

One of my mini-obsessions, the mansard sign.

Etat Street butterface

This is near Wyoming Street- Ohio? Iowa? I swore I'd remember its state intersection but I don't. Cute little house- nice color (even though many of you detest painted brick), architectural detail, window brackets, etc. But like the girl at the bar with a nice figure but an ugly face, this place is a butterface (buttermansard). I think the problem is that the cornice/bracket between the mansard and the facade is missing, making the transition between roof and wall very awkward.

Hi-Way Bar

Yep- it's a mansard.