Basketball fans won’t be filling out brackets this year. Instead, March Madness is taking on a whole new meaning. Meanwhile, Provincetown’s antique facades remind us of the town’s endurance. Intricate ornamental brackets, which provide both support and whimsy, hark back to Italianate architecture from the 19th century. Also called corbels, these brackets appear on houses all over town, and walking the quiet streets offers a good opportunity to allow yourself to be charmed. Most are painted white, but some sport fanciful colors. Whatever your favorites, these brackets won’t get busted.
The Joshua Paine house features “some of the most exuberant brackets in town,” says Building Provincetown author David W. Dunlap.
Vividly colored brackets catch the eye in the heart of Commercial Street.
The brackets framing this brilliant yellow door create a pleasing symmetry.
