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Houses with Cupolas
 The next time you walk through a neighborhood in the city, suburbs, or countryside, glance up at the roofs on all homes. How many of them are flat or peaked or are designed with a cupola? Although once a common fixture on many homes, cupolas are now rare. Houses with cupolas, however, have these fixtures for several reasons. Some pre-20th century homes were simply built with them for air circulation or as a lookout point. Others, particularly those built recently, also use cupolas as an alternative to energy-consuming air conditioners. Cupolas are also added to roofs in many cases for decorative purposes alone.
With four to eight sides and a pointed roof, cupolas are not a random piece of decor added to a peaked building. Rather, this small tower, designed with windows or vents, is symbolic of success and ascent. Pointing into the sky, a cupola gives a home or building the appearance of rising. In addition to houses, buildings from schools to town halls are built with cupolas for the symbolism.
Although cupolas can be found on castles in Europe, they are often associated with pre-20th century North American architecture. Coastal homes, particularly those in the Northeast corner of the United States and eastern Canada, were built with them as lookout points and, because of this use, were dubbed "the widow's walk." Houses with cupolas were built later in the 19th century, but rather than displaying windows, these fixtures had vents. This type of cupola allowed air to circulate inside the home, functioning much like a modern-day air conditioner.
Although this latter use has returned in "green" homes, most present-day houses with cupolas display the fixture for decorative purposes. Mounted to a peaked or flat roof, the cupola maintains its image of success and ascent but seldom leads to the interior of the home. Those looking to install cupolas for this purpose need to measure the peak of the roof first. Otherwise, the cupola will not integrate well, in terms of fit or style, with the rest of the structure.
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