Shade and Style: A History and Testimonial of Window Awnings

Awnings have been a feature of buildings throughout history, with records of fabric covers over market stalls in ancient Egypt and shades above seating at the Coliseum in ancient Rome.

“Corner of Pleasant and Main Streets, Concord, N.H.” circa 1930-1945. Boston Public Library, New Hampshire Postcards Album on Flickr

Before air conditioning, the most effective ways to keep living and community spaces cool were to create shade and ventilation. Window awnings offer both, creating a shaded spot on sidewalks in the open air and, unlike shutters, allowing windows to be open while blocking sunlight.

Popularity of awnings over windows and doors rose in 19th century America with increased industrialization. Products like iron plumbing pipe and cotton duck canvas became readily available at low costs. This post-Civil War period coincided with the rise of steamships, which decreased the business of canvas mills and sailmakers, who turned their skills toward new markets. Window awnings provided this solution. Manufacturers produced custom awnings to fit over windows and storefronts in a wide variety of vibrant colors and patterns. Soon, their use began to spread from commercial streets to homes as both a cooling and decorative addition. By the mid-20th century, the rise in popularity and accessibility of air conditioners in both public and private spaces saw the decline of window awnings. Simultaneously, aesthetic appeal shifted with modernism, which sought less bright colors and simpler, cleaner lines than the frills of the Gilded Age. Today, awnings are popular for their nostalgic look and appeal for the energy-saving, and authentic-looking restoration of buildings from the 19th century.

Uses

Window awnings were historically found on buildings in commercial shopping centers as well as residential homes. Overhead downtown sidewalks, awnings served as the background for advertising storefronts and drawing in customers. An awning over the entrance highlights the door while an awning over a storefront window offers customers the opportunity to browse a shop’s goods in a shelter from rain and sun. In homes, they complement a structure’s architecture with a variety of patterns and colors, while offering protection from sun heating.

“Upper Square, looking south, Dover, N.H.” circa 1930-1945. Boston Public Library, New Hampshire Postcards on Flickr

Awnings were primarily functional and thus not featured on purely utilitarian buildings like warehouses or garages, or secondary entrances to buildings. They were most found on southern exposures in the northern U.S. to block the most sunlight in these latitudes. Awnings tended to be exactly wide enough for the window or door they covered, and only as tall as necessary to provide effective shade relief.

Even aside from the appeal of window awnings for restoring a building to its historical appearance, they can offer a variety of benefits. Awnings reduce solar heat gain thus saving on air conditioning costs, reduce outside glare, and offer protection from the rain. However, they should be retracted in high wind, and taken down in winter to preserve longevity of the fabric. Installation of window awnings requires hardware in the facade, which may be a drawback, on structures where they were not present in the past. Research on whether awnings were present on historical structures can be conducted through photographic evidence or physical evidence where hardware may have once been and could be telling of what type of awning was used.

Types

Fixed awnings were most popular during the first half of the 19th century while in later years, retractable types of awnings became more widely available. They were made of wood or steel, and types of retractable mechanisms included fixed arm, roller window, lateral arm, and scissor arm awnings. Most often, these types of awnings are in a shed shape with decorative valances. Aluminum and fiberglass awnings became available by the mid 20th century, and dome awning shapes became popular later on.

For a detailed diagram of types of awnings and their specifications, refer to page 3 of Preservation Briefs Number 44: The Use of Awnings on Historic Buildings: Repair, Replacement, and New Design

Fabric

During the 19th century, fabric choice was most often cotton duck canvas. This material was inexpensive and readily available. Canvas remained the primary fabric type for awnings until the 1950s; vinyl, acrylic, and polyester fabrics rose in popularity and affordability, offering longer-lasting use. Today's restorations are often faced with a choice between historical replication versus more durable modern materials. Acrylic fabrics, for example, tend to be longer-lasting, do not shrink, and dry quicker thus making them more mildew resistant.

Photo courtesy of Michael Duffy. Manchester, N.H.

Awnings displayed a wide variety of colors, often paired with stripes or advertisements printed on top and on the valences. On canvas, designs were painted, unlike the woven stripes available with modern acrylic and other poly-cotton fabric manufacturing.

Case Studies

Window awnings are remarkably effective, as testified by homeowner Michael Duffy. He notes his awnings cool the porches and interior of his home by 10-15 degrees in the heat of the summer. The awnings on his Victorian era home are of a modern Sunbrella brand fabric from Concord Awning that offers a durable and fade-resistant color while maintaining a historical look. Concord Awning offers seasonal removals, storage, and reinstallations for their awnings each year. These folding awnings are modern reproductions of the shed style awnings popular in the late 19th century. A large appeal for this addition was for their aesthetic character, and they are a very attractive decorative element to the appearance of the house. One concern brought up by the homeowners was security of the awnings in strong wind, but the fabric can be manually retracted and made fast on a cleat or let to move with the wind. They are also very helpful in the rain. A quote from Michael Duffy highlights his primary reason for the awnings, as they “increase the usefulness of the porch—at least by double, if not more.” He has also observed a downside to the awnings’ effectiveness; his houseplants are lacking sunlight. Alternatively, on a cloudy day, the awnings can be folded up to significantly brighten inside the house. The awnings do cover the capitals on the porch posts, but since they are removed in the winters, this architectural detail is still shown off for parts of the year.

Robin Sherman, curator and director of preservation at Castle in the Clouds, offered insight into preservation work there. In the case of Castle in the Clouds, part of the National Historic Landmark Lucknow Estate, the addition of awnings from Image Awnings in Wolfeboro, NH, was a choice to correct the missing historical feature of the house. Locations on the building where wind is a concern, the window awnings have not been replaced. The style and color are a very close match to the awning in historic photos of the house. In locations of the facade where original trim detail was present, the installation was limited to only where previous hardware had been in the past. On the gable end of the library, extensive restoration had already taken place, and much of the trim replaced so there were few limitations on adding new hardware. Based on their Hobo data logger readings in the house, there has not been a dramatic change in temperature since the addition of awnings on the library windows. The awnings did, however, reduce sun glare and UV exposure to objects and textiles in the room.

Photo courtesy of Jennifer Goodman. Castle in the Clouds, Moultonborough, N.H.

Thanks to Sam Thibeault for his research and writing this blog on behalf of the N.H. Preservation Alliance during his Summer 2025 internship.

Rebecca Howland