POPULAR
20TH CENTURY HOUSE TYPES
Popular 20th century house types were prevalent in Beverly-Morgan
Park. Common early century types include the American Foursquare,
Bungalow and Chicago Bungalow. With the arrival of the 1940s,
the Minimal Traditional and especially the Ranch became popular.
The late 1950s saw the development of the Split Level and the
Monterey. Other types include the Raised Ranch and Shed, so
called because of its roof type.
AMERICAN
FOURSQUARE
(1890-1930)
American
Foursquare houses are simple, usually symmetrical houses that
began to appear at the turn of the century. The house is typically
square or nearly square in plan with four equal-sized rooms
in each corner. The type became popular in house building because
it was practical and comfortable for the working and middle
classes. These houses were inexpensive to build since they did
not have any of the elaborate features such as turrets and turned
ornament that were fashionable in the late 19th-century. The
house is, usually, 2 to 2 1/2 stories tall, two to three bays
wide, with a hipped or pyramidal roof, dormers, a full-width
front porch with classical or squared-off columns and piers,
and overhanging eaves. Plan book and catalog companies featured
many Foursquare designs between 1900 and 1925.
BUNGALOW
(1900-1930)
The Bungalow
is an informal house type that began in India and quickly spread
to other parts of the world. Although it the United States they
evolved during the Craftsman heritage, Bungalows may incorporate
various other stylistic features. It became so popular after
1905 that it was often built in quantity by contractor/builders.
Plan books and architectural journals published plans that helped
popularize the type for homeowners and builders. Bungalows are
one- or 1 1/2-story houses that emphasize horizontality. Basic
characteristics usually include broad and deep front porches
and low-pitched roofs, often with dormers. Exterior materials
can be brick with cut stone trim, or frame. There are typically
built-in Arts and Crafts features on the interior.
CHICAGO BUNGALOW
(1903 - 1940)
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The Chicago
Bungalow refers to a single-family residence-built between 1903
and 1940-with the following features: One and one-half stories;
modern amenities including central heat, electric and plumbing;
a low-pitched roof with overhang; generous windows; face brick
with stone trim; brick construction; full basement; rectangular
shape. The decorative elements that adorn most bungalows-such
as stone planters and brackets, stone accents, exterior wood
moldings and
trim-add great architectural interest and make the design of
each home distinct.
MINIMAL TRADITIONAL
(1925-1960)
A mid-century
housing type that developed as a simplification of historic
styles is the Minimal Traditional. Generally with a front facing
gable section integrated with a longer section, eaves are small
and architectural detail is at a minimum. This type of house
was built in great numbers in the years immediately before and
after World War II, especially in large tract-housing developments.
RANCH (1935-present)
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The Ranch
house dates from 1932, when Cliff May, a San Diego architect,
consciously created a building type that he called "the
early California Ranch house." They were low-slung vernacular
buildings that followed the contours of the land. Using the
Spanish Hacienda or "rancho" as inspiration, May designed
many Ranch houses throughout the West. Because of the Midwest's
close association with Prairie School architecture, however,
many Chicago-area Ranch houses owe much to the architecture
of Frank Lloyd Wright, especially his "Usonian" houses
of the 1930s. Ranch houses became popular in the late 1940s
and 1950s, when the idea was widely published, and were built
nationwide in suburban communities. Characteristics of a Ranch
house include its wide, ground-hugging profile, low-pitched
roof, and deep eaves. Due to the popularity of the car, the
garage has a prominent position in the front of the house and
is an integral part of the architecture of the Ranch house.
A difference
can be seen between architect-designed Ranch houses and the
mass-produced housing typically found in new post-World War
II suburban subdivisions. There are basically two types of architect-designed
Ranch houses: those without reference to historical styles,
which are International Style or Contemporary, and those that
take their designs from historical precedents. Contemporary
Ranch houses are very simple, and tend to have hipped or gabled
roofs and deep overhangs. International Style houses generally
have flat roofs and a greater amount of glass. Some other Ranch
houses clearly take design cues from previous historical styles,
often incorporating Colonial details such as double-hung windows
with shutters or classical elements such as rows of columns
or front porticos.
SPLIT LEVEL
(1945-present)
The Split
Level began to emerge as a popular housing type in the 1950s.
It is characterized by a two-story section met at mid-height
by a one-story wing. The three levels of space created in this
type could correspond to family need for quiet living areas,
noisy living areas, and sleeping areas.
SHED
(1965-1980)
Multi-directional
shed roofs were used by architects and builders from about 1965
through the 1980s in a common type called Shed in this survey.
Diagonal or vertical brown-stained wood siding and aluminum
sliding windows were commonly used.
PLAN
BOOK AND PRE-CUT CATALOG HOUSES
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The introduction
of plan book and pre-cut catalog homes brought new opportunities
to homebuyers who wanted the latest home styles and trends but
could not afford an architect to design their new home. Builders
or owners could purchase designs from a number of mail order
companies who produced plans and designs, and pre-cut catalog
companies provided the materials necessary for building the
house. These houses were appealing to buyers: the houses could
be chosen out of a catalog, were reasonably priced, and could
be built on any site. Pre-cut catalog houses could be constructed
rapidly since the materials were produced and sized at the catalog
company's mills and shipped to the site. Sears, Roebuck and
Company, Chicago, Illinois (1908-1940), was one of the most
successful of the "pre-cut" catalog companies, selling
over 30,000 houses by 1925 and nearly 50,000 by 1930. At the
sales office, customers selected a plan from the many designs
offered in the catalog. After an order was placed, a service
representative was assigned, a construction manual provided,
and a shipping schedule set up. Soon after, the owners would
either hire local contractors to build the house or build the
house themselves.
