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C

calyxes: The outermost group of floral parts.
campanile:  Detached bell-tower, most commonly found in Italy.
canopy:  An ornamental, roof-like projection or covering.
Cape Cod style:  Originated in colonial New England. The first Cape Cod style homes were built by English colonists who came to America in the late 17th century. They modeled their homes after the half-timbered houses of England, but adapted the style to the stormy New England weather. Over the course of a few generations, a modest, one- to one-and-a-half-story house with wooden shutters emerged.
cantilever:  A horizontal platform extending from a building, such as a step, balcony, beam or canopy that is without external bracing and appears to be self-supporting.
capital:  A decorative form placed at the top of a column.
caryatid:  Sculptured female figure  serving as a supporting column.
cartouche:  An oval tablet with an elaborate scroll-carved frame, used as ornamentation for building moldings, borders, panels, etc.
cast-in-place concrete: Cement mixture that is deposited as plastic concrete, which will harden as part of the structure, as opposed to pre-cast concrete.
casemates: fortified enclosure for artillery on a warship.
casement window: A hinged window that swings open to one side.
castellated:  Decorated with battlements or a serrated edge (a wall with indentation and raised portions that alternate; also known as crenellation.  Resembling the top of a castle wall.
chair rail:  A molding that surrounds a room at chair back height to prevent scuffing and damage to walls.
chancel:  The area around the altar of a church for the clergy and choir; often enclosed by a lattice or railing.
chateau:  A manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally - and still most frequently - in French-speaking regions.
clapboard:  Similar in appearance to roofing shingles, clapboard is wooden boards that overlap each other on the side of a house. 
cladding:  A term used to describe the siding or materials covering the exterior of a building.
clerestory: A row of windows located near the top of the wall of a nave  of a church or room or other space.
coffer:  A decorative panel that is recessed in a ceiling, vault, or dome.
Colonial Revival style:  Three major types of Colonial Revival styles are Neo-Georgian, Neo-Adamesque, and Dutch Colonial Revival.  Highlights are front door with pediment; double-hung, multi paned windows; classical details; single side-gabled roof.
colonnade:  Columns in a row that form an architectural composition, beneath either a flat-topped entablature or a row of arches.
column:  A slender, upright structure, usually a supporting member in a building. Usually with a capital at the top and a base at the bottom.
concave: Curving inward.
conical:  Having the form of, resembling, or pertaining to a cone.
console: A type of bracket or corbel, particularly one with a scroll-shaped profile.
Continental style: Of or relating to the mainland of Europe; European.
convex: Having a surface that is curved or rounded outward.
coping:  Consists of the capping or covering of a wall.
corbel:  A decorative device often used for pilasters, mantels, or load bearing shelf support.  A bracket of brick or stone that juts out of a wall to support a structure above it.
Corinthian column:  A column decorated at the top with curlicues, scrolls, acanthus leaves, and other extravagant ornamentation.
cornice:  Decorative ledge along top of wall.  The top projecting section of the part of a classical building that is supported by the columns (entablature).
Cotswold Cottage style: With roots in the pastoral Cotswold region of England, the picturesque Cotswold Cottage style is reminiscent of a cozy storybook house.  Features include sloping, uneven roof; brick, stone or stucco siding; prominent brick or stone chimney; small dormer windows; low doors and arched doors; and sloping walls in rooms on upper floor.
course: Level layer of stones or bricks.
Craftsman and Bungalow style:  Based on the Arts and Crafts movement, the bungalow represented a simple, efficient, house, with a front porch that encouraged outdoor living.  Highlights of Craftsman and Bungalow style are: low-pitched gable roof; wide overhands; exposed roof rafters and wood structure; porch; tapered square column supports.
crenellation:  A series of gaps in the low wall at the edge of a roof.
cross gabled: Roof having additional sections or wings crossing perpendicular to the main section, meeting in a valley, each with its own peaked or gabled façade.
cross-timbering: A building with exposed wood framing. The spaces between the wooden timbers are filled with plaster, brick, or stone. Used in early building.
crown molding:  Where the wall meets the ceiling to hide uneven surfaces and provides visual interest.
cruciform:  Shaped like a cross.
cupola: A small dome on a tower or a roof.
curtain wall: A lightweight exterior cladding that is hung on the building structure, usually from floor to floor.
cylindrical: Having the shape of a cylinder, especially of a circular cylinder.

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