Housing Styles October 21, 2015

House Types Kniffen’s traditional American house types: New England Mid-Atlantic Southern Tidewater

The New England “Large” house is a modern adaptation of a Yankee folk house that added a wing as the style migrated westward. It is a 2 ½ story house built around a central chimney.

The Georgian Style (1700-1800) used Renaissance inspired classical symmetry. Typically it was 2 rooms deep and 2 rooms high with end chimneys and pilasters around the door.

The “Cape Cod” style dwelling from New England features a steep roof with side gables and a symmetrical layout with the door in the center.

The Victorian or Queen Anne style of architecture was dominant in the United States from 1880 to 1900.

The Tudor Revival (1910-1940) became popular in suburban areas in the 1920s. The style is loosely based on Medieval construction.

The “bungalow” (1900-1920) was supposedly a modified version of an Indian rural vernacular form. The bungalow typically has a low-pitched roof with wide overhang eaves.

This narrow home fits easily on small city lots This narrow home fits easily on small city lots. In the Midwest this version of the “bungalow” is known as the “Chicago bungalow” style.

This “California Ranch” with all rooms on one level takes up a larger lot and has encouraged urban sprawl.

Commonly built in the 1950s and 1960s, this style of home is an good example of maladaptive diffusion since it was intended for the year round living of southern California.

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