Architecture
By Dorri Partain
This is an overview of 100 years of residential housing styles, all found within our neighborhoodʼs boundaries. As there are many common and unusual styles from block to block, only a small sample is featured.
Due to the fact that most of our area was not platted for subdivisions until 1900, there are very few examples of Victorian architecture. Residences that were built before 1900 were farmhouses, or houses outside the city limits.
Victorian styling is reflected in the Plains Cottage style, shown above. It has a cross- gable roof and gingerbread trim on the front porch. Found predominately in the area between Independence Avenue and St. John Avenue.
A very simple side-gabled home that reflects the style of a farmhouse. The shed roof porch is supported by stone pillars-unusual for this style of home. Note the contrast of style with the house next door.
A very affordable “Shotgun” house. Characteristics of this style: Long, narrow, gable roof. May or may not have a front porch.
The gable had been the predominate roof style until 1900. Now we see architects trying new styles and combining more than one style.
As far as affordable housing is concerned, the Bungalow has arrived. The latest style, it showcases a variety of roofing styles and architectural features.
A classic example of an Arts and Crafts (also called Craftsman) Bungalow. The Gable roof extends above the entry to create a front porch. Decorative brackets called knee braces accentuate the soffit overhang giving it a very rustic appearance.
A row of bungalows with different roof lines. The house in the middle has a roof that shares a roof line with the front dormer.
Another row of bungalows all with hip roofs. Notice the different porch designs.
The bungalow goes international with the Spanish Colonial style. The tile roof and detailed brick work give these adjacent homes a distinctive flair.
The stepped-effect on this hip roof combines with stucco siding to give this home a Prairie Style influence. The horizontal bands on the porch columns are another hallmark of this style.
This style is also considered a bungalow, although its layout takes it in a different direction
A German Colonial Bungalow. The German roof line is repeated in the lines of the front porch and the gables on each side.
A bungalow cottage with German Colonial roof, repeated in the dormer. In the Bungalow Cottage style, the gable is shifted to the sides, extending over the entry to create a front porch with a shed roof line.
An Arts and Crafts Bungalow Cottage, with a double-gable dormer. This style can have 1 1/2 or 2 stories.
A two-story Prairie-style home. The use of stucco as a siding material and the hip roof are prevalent in this style, created by Frank Lloyd Wright and copied by numerous architects.
This Prairie-style home has additional influences with the horizontal bands of windows and sloping walls. The dormer repeats the hip roof line.
The brick Four-Square is known for its symmetry: the front door at the center, windows on each side, upper windows share the same balance, The Four-Square always has a hip roof, this example has a shed roof dormer.
This four-square has stucco siding and a hip roof dormer.
A small Four-Square, also called a Workingmanʼs Four Square. Often misclassified as a bungalow. Its pyramidal hip roof is repeated in the porch and dormer roof lines.
Arts and Crafts stucco-sided with a cross-gable roof. rustic touches include triangular knee braces, rafter tails, and a stone porch.
Arts and Crafts style homes often have a rustic look, but many also reflect other stylings.
Arts and Crafts shingle style. Its rustic look is achieved with buttress styled porch columns and an asymmetrical stone chimney. The band of windows on the second story reflects a Prairie-style touch.
The Arts and Crafts Shirtwaist. The first floor is brick, the second is clapboard. In the Shirtwaist style, the siding of the first floor differs from the second. Also called the Kansas City Shirtwaist for its popularity here.
Arts and Crafts style with a Gambrel roof and shed roof dormer. The round porch columns are stucco or concrete.
The Gambrel roof on a Dutch colonial revival. With a shed roof dormer and gabled entry, this style shows mixed roof lines. A very popular style from the 1920ʼs through today.
The bell-cast hip roof reflects a Japanese pagoda influence. The rest of the house reflects the Mid-Western Shirtwaist style.
A shingle-style cottage with bell-cast walls. Three Gabled dormers on one side only. Corbelled brackets support the porch roof.
An Arts and Crafts Greek Revival. Two story columns create a porch and shelter a second-story balconet.
A simpler version of the Greek Revival style is the Homestead Temple house. The siding is usually clapboard, the roof is gabled. This example has cross-gables.
A row of Temple houses. The two-story (left) has a hip roof porch and gabled wall dormers. The 1 1/2 story (right) has gabled roof dormers and a shed roof porch. One and 1 1/2 story Temple houses are often incorrectly labeled as bungalows.
Gable and shed roof lines are combined in this stucco home with half- timbered details, reflecting an Old World influence.
While the various bungalow styles remained popular after World War I, the Arts and Crafts style wanes and the Tudor Style becomes prevalent. This house shows the English Tudor style. Has a gable roof, brick chimney, half-timbered decoration, and gabled covered entry. Siding is stucco, but can also be all- brick. Popular from the 1920s through today.
Tudor-style cottage is smaller, without half-timbering. Stucco, with brick trim, arched entries, side porch, and Ariel window in the front gable.
After World War II, housing styles became simpler, with less decoration or international influences, embracing a more modern, All-American style.
This house shows the Cape Cod style, featuring a gable roof, sometimes with dormers. May have a covered entry with steps but no porch.
The Minimal Traditional house; this 1 1/2 story has brick siding and wooden gables. There is not a covered front entry (the metal awning is not original), but there is a covered side entry.
A row of one-story Minimal Traditional houses. All have side gables, no eaves. Some styles have front gable or small covered front entry.
The brick Ranch style. It has a hip roof, with a hip roof covered entry. In this example, the hip roof is extended on one side to create a porch area. A variation of this style may have a carport instead of a side porch.
The el-shaped brick Ranch prominently features a two-car garage at its basement level. The use of white brick, with large picture windows give this style a contemporary feel.
The Split-Level Ranch has a prominent two-car garage at the basement level. The first floor has a gable roof with no eaves, and no covered entry. The second floor has a hip roof with wide eaves.
Duplexes also reflect many architectural styles. Most often built by a homeowner to live on the first floor and rent out the second.
An Arts and Crafts Shirtwaist duplex. Except for the use of siding materials, the first and second floors are identical. this is evident in the placement of the windows.
This English Tudor duplex looks similar to a single-family home, but was built with separate entrances. this example has an arcaded wing wall (next to the driveway.)
Two-story side-by-side duplex. Units reflect each others design; the style is Minimal Traditional, with no eaves, side gables, and simple decoration.
The importance of preservation of older neighborhoods is apparent with this example. Originally a Shotgun-Style home, the original lines are nearly lost amid subsequent additions. Currently, this home can only be classified as “remuddled.”
This tour was previously developed as a live slide presentation to promote historic preservation. My thanks to David Remley for converting the slides and text into the digital format.