CRAFTSMEN STYLE

Artful attention and care are given to all elements, inside and out, of this Architectural Style also known as Arts and Crafts and Western Stick Style. Born out of the Arts and Crafts movement in Europe late in the 19th century, the Craftsmen Style shares decorative elements with Art Nouveau, both being based on organic shapes.

The Craftsmen Style is characterized by low-pitched, gabled roofs with wide eave overhangs, exposed and extended roof rafters; decorative beams under the gables; projecting balconies and second story porches. The roofs are typically supported by tapered square columns. Concern for detail lends itself to planned "decor" with built-in furniture, stairways, windows, doorways, walls and floors all constructed in the same carved and polished wooden aesthetic. Natural materials such as redwood, tile, and stone and earth colors give the building an overall warm and livable feel.

BUNGALOW STYLE

There are many variations of the Bungalow depending on locale and fashions of the time, however all are characterized by low and simple lines with wide projecting roofs and a lower gable usually covering a large open porch. Typically, the Bungalow is a one-story house with wood shingles for the exterior finish although many may use stucco or brick. Exposed structural members and trim work usually are painted but the shingles are left in their natural state or treated with earth-tone stains.

The Bungalow Style is given credit for introducing the front stoop to the American house. The stoop became a distinctive part of architecture by providing a semipublic transition place between the front porch and the connecting walkway to the sidewalk and the street. The Bungalow became the most common building style between 1910 and 1940 nationally; so popular it became the first style to be built in quantity by the contractor-builder.

PRAIRIE STYLE

Originating in Chicago with Frank Lloyd Wright as the noted Master, the Prairie Style house consists usually of two-stories built of brick or timber covered with stucco. Stylized and abstracted motifs are frequently used in leaded glass windows and interiors. One story wings, often with massive, square porch supports, along with window boxes or flattened pedestal urns for flowers are other common details found on this mainly Midwestern style.

The homes pictured in the above drawings represent a historical reference point for these architectural styles. They are pictured solely for that purpose.