The Changing Look of the Newel Post, Part One: 1850 – 1939
Newel posts - used to anchor the balustrade of an open staircase - have had many different looks over the centuries. Because of their high visibility at the foot of a stair, "starting" newels are often larger and more ornamental than secondary newels which typically...
Looking Back at the Shed Style
It seemed so hip, so NOW... forty-odd years ago, anyway. As a kind of a bridge between the Contemporary style of the mid-twentieth century and the Post Modern movement of the late-twentieth century, the Shed style had a brief moment of glory in the early 70's. Shed...
More Louis Curtiss!
Just one more post about Louis Curtiss and then I promise to move on to other stuff for a while! Given that virtually all of Curtiss' work is "lesser-known", saying so about some of the following may be redundant! Still, there are a few places that are more obscure...
The Sequoyah Hotel, Louis Curtiss, Fred Harvey and a Question
Entrepreneur Fred Harvey is much better-known than architect Louis Curtiss. After Harvey's death in 1901, Curtiss designed some of his "Harvey House" hotels and restaurants for the Fred Harvey Company. Said to be the first restaurant chain in the nation, they were...
The Mysterious Louis Curtiss
Louis Curtiss, who left his mark on Kansas City and other locations in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, was one of those incredibly rare architects who was just weird enough to do really, really, interesting work. While often compared to Frank Lloyd...
Nebraska House Emulates New England Saltbox
A modest 1 -1/2 story Nebraska house with gable front, built around 1880, was given a stylistic makeover in the mid-twentieth century. The new look, reminiscent of an eighteenth century saltbox, was created by adding a lean-to addition with fireplace to one side...
Five Haunting Abandoned Houses
While driving through a sparsely populated area of southwestern Nebraska I encountered a depressing amount of Victorian-era houses (which had once been grand for their locale) in advanced stages of deterioration. Despite their weathered facades, these houses were...
The Sudden Loss of Character
I drove by a house today which is undergoing an unfortunate and all-too-common procedure: it is losing its architectural integrity and will be gaining lots of vinyl and other synthetic products. I caught the house mid-way though the process... replacement windows...
Auction Action – Part 2
Today it was time once again for the Lions Clubs' annual consignment auction... an event generally I think of as marking the near arrival of Spring. It was breezy outside, but at least it wasn't snowing as it had last year. As there wasn't anything that I couldn't...
Fun With Nit-picking
I love looking at houses on Zillow.com - you never know what will turn up. I used to look only at old houses there (those built in the early twentieth century or earlier). But lately I find myself drawn to the clumsy and distorted newer houses which are increasingly...
A Century-Old Tiny House
Long before it became fashionable and trendy, living on a small scale was quite common. In most towns and cities, the earliest houses were built on a modest and utilitarian scale. Many such structures, particularly those of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries,...
The Subversive Potential of Historic Buildings
Old buildings can be subversive? You may ask, somewhat incredulously, "How?". Well, quite simply, old buildings (if examined closely enough) have the very real ability to reveal the shortcomings of our present age - and thereby have the potential to encourage people...
Radford’s Design No. 1517
Of the hundreds of house plans offered by the William A. Radford Company of Chicago, their design number 1517 appears to have been one of their most popular - at least in the nation's mid-section. Numerous examples of this house survive today. The design was so...
Quality Material, Design and History Permanently Trashed in Favor of Temporary Current Fad
There is no doubt that television has had a huge impact on shaping consumer activity; it is a primary function of the medium. Like virtually everything, television can be used for good or bad. TV's power to shape our culture could have been harnessed to inspire...
Fascinating Historic Stone House Goes Unnoticed
How is it possible that a house could be lived in for well over a century without ever getting a real bathroom?! That is just one example of how intact and relatively unaltered this amazing house is! On Wednesday I was surprised to learn that a house in Russell,...
A Sears Osborn Look-Alike
I recently ran across this house on Zillow. It looks a lot like a kit house sold by Sears called the Osborn. The house was offered from 1916 to 1929 and seems to have been a popular model for them. I'm not sure if the house below is an Osborn, but if not it was...
The Colonnade: A Craftsman Bungalow Icon
Often the most dominant interior feature of Craftsman-style bungalows, the colonnade has lately been enjoying something of a revival - even showing up in new construction. Long before the term "open concept" forced its way into the world's homes via television,...
Replacement Windows Scar Row House
There are replacement window installations and then there are really strange replacement window installations. The center house of three contiguous row houses has had some rather uncommon surgery on its two primary windows in order to accommodate the installation of...
Neo-Victorian Houses
Americans have long been noted for their eagerness to embrace whatever is new - even when it's a revival of something old! This has been especially true of architectural styles. In the 18th century we were embracing Classical details in new construction; the 19th...
Inside a Monolithic Dome
While not exactly a house, this 1970's domed structure could easily be one. It certainly has potential! This popped up today on Zillow and got my immediate attention. I became intrigued as I looked at the images - all are from zillow.com: ...
Vinyl Siding Revisited
It's been over a year since I first posted about vinyl siding, so I thought it was high time to take a look at some more houses which are shrouded in it. Vinyl is often used to conceal the scars that result when window openings are unfortunately reduced or porches...
Demolition by Neglect
An astounding number of historic structures disappear each year simply because the owners have stopped caring for them. Known as "demolition by neglect", the phenomenon is on the rise. Recognizing that old buildings are instrumental in giving shape and character to...
Just for Fun…
Don't be alarmed; I won't be doing McMansions on a regular basis as there is already an excellent site doing just that. But I saw this on Zillow.com and couldn't resist. I've taken the following nine photos from the listing there which really don't need any captions...
Radford’s Prairie House Plans
The William A. Radford Company of Chicago was one of the most recognized names in the plans-by-mail business in the early 20th century. Homes built from their plans can still be found in surprising numbers throughout the country. While perusing their Portfolio of...
Multiple Personalities
If dissociative identity disorders can afflict structures, this former Folk Victorian house appears to be symptomatic. The wood-framed structure has had several changes to its exterior since first constructed, likely in the 1890's. Portions of the house were clad...
1960’s Redesign of 1890’s Building
Probably built in the 1890's, the Merit Building in downtown McCook, Nebraska, went through a radical interior remodeling in the 1960's. The redesign converted the basement level into a mini-mall with numerous aluminum and glass storefronts. The ground floor...
Multi-Tasking with Concrete Block c. 1920
Taking advantage of a sloping lot, the builder of a c. 1920 bungalow achieved 3 goals simultaneously with concrete block: A garage A retaining wall A level lot There is a door at the back of the garage which opens to the adjacent sidewalk. A set of steps leads to...
Joined at the Hip
At first glance, this house appears to be a rather ordinary Craftsman style bungalow (aside from the 1960's iron porch supports, vinyl siding and plastic shutters, that is). However, appearances can be deceiving. This "bungalow" is actually an addition to a much...
Inside a Craftsman Bungalow
I happened upon this Craftsman-style bungalow a few days ago; the bright yellow facade initially caught my eye. The sides still display an earlier, less vibrant, color scheme. The new look, with its dark brown shingled gable, does a better job of emulating a period...
High Plains Modern
Modern design - as expressed in the mid-20th century - was never enthusiastically embraced in flyover country. Much of what little was built here has since been altered or destroyed. However, there are a few examples here and there which have managed to survive....
Architectural Trauma
Structures which read as disorderly or awkward compositions are often victims of remodeling projects in which the maintenance of architectural integrity was not a top priority. Exhibiting a form of architectural psychosis, such structures are increasingly...
A Late Example of Gothic Revival
Not platted until 1886, the town of Haigler, Nebraska, is an unlikely spot to find a house built in the Gothic Revival style. Most popular in the mid-19th century, the romantic style was never commonplace anywhere in Nebraska for houses; it is especially surprising...
60’s Modern Addition Nods to the Past
Architects - at least conscientious ones - have long wrestled with the problem of making overtly modern additions coexist harmoniously with more traditional structures. Below is an example of an addition to a church building which incorporates details which I think...
Synthetic Stucco McMakeover
It has finally warmed up a bit so I took the camera out for a spin today. I was surprised to see that an old house I had noticed on a previous journey had changed, umm... dramatically. Unfortunately, I had not photographed the house earlier. However, Google did in...
Three Random Old Houses – Then and Now
The recent cold weather has made it more appealing to stay home and look through old photos than to go out and take new ones! Here are three old houses which have survived to the present day. The historic photos were found at estate sales or flea markets; I decided...
The War On Old Buildings – Part 1
Those who are passionate about old buildings have often wondered why there has long been such a bias toward them. Those of us who value old buildings and houses understand that these places typically have numerous attributes; they are frequently built of superior...
Wasted Potential
It's the exceedingly rare house-in-distress which is treated to a truly historically-correct restoration. And it's almost as uncommon to find a neglected house which receives a merely architecturally respectful renovation. Most dilapidated houses which get a new...
Your Future Home… 61 Years Later!
Welcome to the 1956 "Parade of Homes" sponsored by the Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City! We'll take a look at ten of the fifty-five houses featured in the ninety-six page "plan and guide book" published in conjunction with the house tour. While...
Seasonal Ornamentation
The Curse of the 70’s: “Mansard” Mayhem
The 1970's, while memorable in many different ways, was not a decade generally acknowledged to have produced a lot in the way of desirable residential design. There was some, to be sure, but a lot of it was just unappealing. One of the more popular architectural...
A Bruce Goff House in Tulsa – with Alterations
I was surprised to run across a real estate listing for a house in Tulsa originally designed by Bruce Goff. Though somewhat altered, the 1925 Fred Hansen house was among Goff's earliest commissions and could be restored to a more original appearance. If you are not...
The Nail That Sticks Up…
There is much truth to the old Japanese proverb "The nail that sticks up gets hammered down". However, the phrase is far more descriptive of rural America than it is of Japan - especially when it comes to assertive examples of styled architecture. Victorian-era...
Before and…………..After!
When houses in a neighborhood are built by the same developer (and at roughly the same time), they tend to look a lot alike. Some developers will make an effort to introduce a little variety, either by changing exterior colors or materials, or sometimes by using...
Brick Queen Anne Transformed into Mock Tudor
At first glance this house in Council Bluffs, Iowa, appears to be a Tudor Revival from the 1920's or 30's Closer inspection reveals that the house began as an 1880's Queen Anne. Sorry about the photo quality... these images were taken from a real estate listing...
Architectural Integrity and the Lustron
A building which retains its architectural integrity is one which has been maintained as it was built and intended to be. When buildings are altered through remodeling or the installation of "maintenance -free" windows or siding, integrity is compromised. Such...
Unconventional Window Alterations – Part 2
It's always exciting to discover a new type of architectural depravity (hat tip to Seth!) which I had not previously encountered. Such discoveries typically involve the loss of architectural integrity which is not exciting, but I'm getting used to it... it's now the...
Backdating Wall Cabinets
Why would anyone update when it's just as easy to backdate? After all, there's not much appealing design out there these days; design from the early 20th century is almost always a sure bet to be more interesting than whatever has been marketed for the past 40 years....
Mixed Messages: Replacement Doors at Odds With Their Context
We've all seen them. And with the proliferation of both Big Box home "improvement" stores and infomercials posing as television programs about restoration, renovation and design, we'll continue to see even more of them: entry doors which are stylistically...
The “Rodessa” by Sears?
I recently ran across a house in McDonald, Kansas, which looked oddly familiar. Pretty sure I'd seen this facade before... maybe a Sears kit house? So I took a photo. After some digging, I found what I was looking for. To me, the house at first appeared to be an...
Update!
Despite the handsome Queene Anne window sash depicted, this post is not about windows. I just wanted to let everyone know that my internet access will be sporadic over the next few weeks as I am finally able to get an ISP for the new house (finding a reliable...