The elaborate architecture of Paris in the 1850s and 60s when it was rebuilt by Napoleon III became the inspiration for the Second Empire style. Popular in Chicago during the 1870s and early '80s, relatively few examples of the style, mostly houses survive. Common characteristics are:
- intricate stone ornament surrounding doors and windows
- sloping "mansard" roofs, often with multi-colored slate shingles and elaborate dormers
- prominent cornices
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