
Door Hardware, Part One: 1800 to 1850
Door hardware, like other architectural details, can often help to guestimate the age of the house when its history is unknown. However, this method is only reliable when it is known with certainty that the hardware in question is original to the house. Hardware, like...

The Johnson House by Charles Haertling
One of architect Charles Haertling's many fascinating contributions to the city of Boulder, Colorado, is currently on the market allowing a peek inside this interesting house. Known for their frequent mix of modernism and organic architecture, his designs are highly...

A Wardway “Hampden” with its Orginal Color Scheme!
I first admired this house in the late 1990's when the photo above was taken; the house seemed well-maintained and the exterior paint was crisp and sharp... the colors were perfect for a two-story Craftsman. I wondered at the time if the colors weren't like those that...

Queen Anne Window Sash
The impact original window sash can have in an historic building in terms of enhancing and maintaining architectural integrity is enormous yet frequently undervalued. In addition to the shape and size of the window openings themselves,...

Every Trick in the Book: A TV-Inspired Flip of a 1965 Ranch House
OK, I'll admit it; the house we're about to look at was never a great piece of architecture. But it did have its own character which was reflective of the mid-century suburban neighborhood in which it was built. My issue with the house is not that it was remodeled,...

Off the Beaten Path in Abilene, Kansas
While Abilene, Kansas, has long been noted for its many fine Victorian-era houses and colorful early cow-town history, not much (if any) attention has been given to the plan book and manufactured kit origins of some of the town's houses. The town is primarily known,...

Design Nos. 216 and 344 by Robert W. Shoppell
Robert W. Shoppell was one of many successful plan book publishers in the late nineteenth century. Surviving houses built from the mail-order plans he sold through his New York-based Co-operative Building Plan Association can be found throughout the country. In...

The Architecture of Red Oak, Iowa: Then and Now in Photos
When I was in my teens I was given a small book by my parents who understood my passion for nineteenth century buildings. Published around 1900 or so by the Red Oak Commercial Club (which I'm guessing was something akin to the Chamber of Commerce) the book, simply...

An Altered J-16 by the Harris Brothers Company
In addition to its popular J-6 kit house, the Harris Brothers Company of Chicago offered a slightly larger version which it called the J-16. This upgraded version was two feet wider and two feet longer. I recently ran across this example of the house on Zillow -...

Unconventional Window Alterations – Part 3
Double Feature! Today we'll look at two structures which are recent recipients of altered fenestration... Recipient # 1 After a period of stagnation, work appears to have restarted on the second re-interpretation of a former church building in a nearby town. The...

Inside a 1952 Time Capsule House
Who doesn't love a good time capsule? This one, built in 1952 in Gladewater, Texas, has been on Zillow for about 10 days and is already generating lots of interest online; I ran across it when a reader shared it on the always mesmerizing Old House Dreams. While not...

An Art Deco Facade by S. S. Voigt
Dominated by large steel windows filled with green slag glass, this Masonic Temple in Oberlin, Kansas, was built in 1931. The buff brick facade is elaborated with glazed terra cotta ornament which enhances the Art Deco styling of the building. Although the ground...

Rescuing a Leaning Barn From Future Collapse
It had been at least seven years since Jim first told friends of ours that he would straighten up their leaning barn. Unusual for its "T" shape, the antique barn was showing its age. Every passing year made the already obvious lean all the more evident. Every storm...

Revealing a Hidden Bay Window
It's been over two weeks since I posted about a big old abandoned farmhouse that is destined to be demolished. Jim and I have been salvaging interior woodwork, doors and windows for use in a future project. The first floor has been salvaged, and we're working on the...

The Frank Brumback House by Louis Curtiss
Admirers of the work of Louis Curtiss don't normally associate the architect with the Colonial Revival, yet this house in Kansas City is an interesting example of the style and it demonstrates the architect's versatility. Despite the outwardly staid impression of the...

Boo! Scary Alterations That Actually Happened…
It's that time of year again; a time when haunted houses bask in fleeting celebrity and a time when the horrific gains new prominence. Speaking of horrific, get a load of these formerly normal structures which have received creepy alterations... and have a happy...

A Knock-Off of the Harris Brothers Home No. M-1000
Marketed as a "model bungalow of the California type," house plan No. 1000 was a big seller for the Harris Brothers Company of Chicago. Its popularity is evidenced by the fact that the façade graced the cover of the kit house manufacturer's 1918 catalog of homes....

Exploring a Big Old Abandoned Farmhouse
Long abandoned, this c. 1905 Folk Victorian farmhouse has unusually nice detailing for its geographic location, even if those details aren't all stylistically consistent! Though re-sided in the mid-twentieth century, enough of the siding has fallen off to reveal the...

Organic Architecture: The Disputed “Round House” in Dallas
When is a Bruce Goff house not a Bruce Goff house? When the architect and his protégé client have a dispute. Such is the case with the semi-circular "Round House" in Dallas, Texas. Built over a course of nearly six years beginning in 1957 by importer Eddie Parker...

Modest Vernacular House Loses Integrity with Recent Makeover
The "pyramidal house" seen here is a vernacular example of a popular national house form (single story, square plan with four rooms and a pyramidal roof). Similar houses were built throughout the nation from roughly 1890 to 1930. Their practical form made them a...

Quirky Mid-Century Carport Beaten into Submission; Reduced to Mediocrity
Likely built in the 1920's, this former Craftsman style bungalow had been given a stylish makeover in the mid-twentieth century in a presumed effort to make the house look more like a contemporary ranch style. While the jaunty lines of the carport were at odds with...

A Weekend of “Treasure Hunting”
Last weekend I had the pleasure of taking in the 12th annual Highway 36 "Treasure Hunt", a three-day flea market which stretches across the northernmost tier of Kansas counties. While I didn't traverse the entire state, I did tackle much of the western half, and...

Formerly Interesting Masonic Temple Facade Muted by Stucco
Our nation's insatiable appetite for keeping up with fashion and embracing the next new trend has long taken an extensive toll on the integrity of its historic buildings. The 1950's, 60's and 70's were witness to countless building facade makeovers for the sake of...

Grand Canyon / Fred Harvey Idol Mary Colter Exposed as a Fraud!
"Every year, the National Park Service tells millions of visitors to Grand Canyon National Park that Mary Colter (1869-1958) designed landmark structures there. Two movies, two plays, two biographies, and countless magazine and newspaper articles have lauded...

Random Observations – Part 14: Post Rock Edition
Today's observations were made in north-central Kansas, an area distinguished by structures built of native limestone. The region is known locally as "post rock country" because of the numerous stone fence posts created by early settlers. The use of stone for both...

WPA Rustic: Let’s Go to the Park!
A product of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the city park of Hill City, Kansas, remains as a beautiful and functional example of numerous similar projects scattered around the country. Built in the WPA Rustic style, the structures found here incorporate...

Random Observations – Part 13
Just back from a road trip! Today, a collection of miscellaneous structures and details stretching from southwest Nebraska to central Kansas. There's no particular theme; all just have something of interest: ...

Remnants of a Sod House
Houses built of sod were once plentiful across the Great Plains where trees were scarce. Built of blocks of earth cut from the ground, the later and more refined versions also incorporated many purchased materials such as windows, doors and dimensioned lumber for the...

Warehousing People – The Sequel
Last September I posted about a senior storage facility er, "senior apartments" which I found to be disturbing for several reasons. I recently ran across a similar project which gives the bleak and utilitarian exterior an additional synthetic twist: ...

Reclusive Italianate Hides Behind Colonial Revival Trappings
Hidden behind a luxurious growth of privacy hedges and various plants, the house evokes an air of ancient, dignified, mystery and intrigue - an atmosphere rarely experienced in this corner of southwestern Nebraska. A break in the hedge for the walkway reveals what...

A Look at Two House Flips
House-flipping has been popular for a long while - and the trend has been made even more popular by television. Not all flips are created equal, however! Since I haven't been able to take any road trips lately, I decided to sift through Zillow and find some flips to...

The Chicago House Wrecking Company’s House Design No. 160
It's no wonder that the Chicago House Wrecking Company changed its name to "Harris Brothers" after it started selling kit houses; the name just doesn't conjure up a sense of permanence! Beginning as a salvage operation in 1893, Chicago House Wrecking later began...

Mary Rockwell Hook: Ahead of Her Time
Among the numerous imaginative architects who practiced in Kansas City, Missouri, in the early twentieth century was Mary Rockwell Hook. Her style was reflective of her travels and education; the substantial houses she designed have contributed to the enduring...

Concrete on the Farm c. 1920
In the previous post, we looked at the remains of an early twentieth century farm house. Today we'll take a look at the role that concrete played on this farm: a barn, stock tank and cistern - all made from it. Bonus feature: a windmill tower made of scrap metal!...

Ruins of An Early 20th Century Farm
Ruined structures have long been a favorite subject for artists because of their frequent poignant beauty. While the term "ruin" typically conjures up images of ancient stone structures crumbling in lush landscapes beneath invasive trees and vines, a similar - but...

Inside a Sears Maytown – a.k.a. Modern Home No. 167
Recently I ran across this example of a Sears "Maytown" on Zillow. Currently on the market at 410 D Street in Central City, Nebraska, the house is easily recognized by its signature corner turret. First marketed as Sears Modern Home No. 167, the design was immensely...

Architectural Integrity and the Row House
Readers of this blog are already familiar with the value of architectural integrity - especially where historic buildings are concerned. In a neighborhood of stylistically varied houses it is possible for a few of them to be compromised without visually ruining an...

“Queen Anne” Tries to Elude Second Empire Past?
This perky house with Queen Anne gables (photo below) in Danville, Virginia, may be protecting a long-hidden secret. Recently featured on the fabulous Old House Dreams, the exterior of the house has been rehabilitated by the nonprofit Danville Rehabilitation and...

Anatomy of a Plastered Archway
Archways in plaster walls - without a traditional wood casing surrounding them - became highly fashionable in the 1920's and remained popular with builders into the 1950's. They are most likely to be found in Tudor Revivals and Spanish Eclectic houses of the period,...

The Daisy Automatic Weather Strip for Doors
Antique mechanical contraptions have long intrigued me, and the Daisy Automatic Weather Strip for Doors does not disappoint! Discovered by Jim while recently exploring a long-vacant farmhouse, the device is still in operating condition after 101 years! A deteriorated...

Unusual Moderne House with Ramp – not Stairs
Built sometime around 1940 by its original occupant, a man who was innovative and interested in modern design, this house in Salina, Kansas, does not look much like its neighbors. After nearly 80 years it still has a futuristic air to it. I encountered a family...

From Showplace to Showroom to Concrete
Recently, while sifting through the contents of a file cabinet, I ran across an article I had written back in 1985 about the long and painful death of an old house in Manhattan, Kansas. I felt a bit sad reading it because old buildings - and the physical connections...

Bank Buildings on Pin Trays…
I started collecting glass advertising pin trays with architecture depicted on them many, many, years ago. These things were always showing up at yard sales and thrift stores; they were fun and inexpensive. Eventually, because of the sheer number of such trays, I...

Issues of Scale and Proportion
Sometimes a house or building just looks a bit off. If the problem isn't immediately apparent, such as a glaringly harsh color scheme or over-the-top landscaping, it might be something more subtle like a problem with scale. The following structures all have scale...

What Do You Think?
Sometimes construction projects end up looking somewhat different from what the initial architectural renderings suggest. A residential development in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has several unusual facades which vary somewhat from the early renderings. The...

A Plan Book Rip-Off of the Sears Rodessa
Recently I discovered a plan book of houses published by C. L. Bowes of Hinsdale, Illinois, which was copyrighted in 1926. Within its pages was a dead-ringer for the "Rodessa" by Sears. Marketed with the nondescript name of Design 14155-A, this copy-cat design...

The Call of the Siren
An unusual Corinthian column caught my eye from the road and lured me closer. I was surprised to find an unexpected theme incorporating a diverse array of architectural materials. I grabbed a few photos and continued on my journey... ...

Shutters or Shudders?
I never tire of looking at bizarre shutter installations (or shudders - hat tip to Seth!) which is fortunate as there is no shortage of them! It's been almost two years since I first posted about them - it's time to share some more! That previous post noted the fact...

Random Observations – Part 12
Miscellaneous eye candy! It's been a while since I posted random images from a road trip, so it's high time for me to do so: ...

Late Prairie-Style House Transitioned to Mock Tudor
Probably built around 1920, this house originally had late Prairie styling, some of which remains. The low veneer of buff brick still provides a strong horizontal emphasis while windows retain their three-over-one sashes. It's difficult to say exactly what this...

The Architectural Observer rarely looks at “important” buildings; the focus is upon overlooked ones. Some will be antique survivors which have come through time surprisingly intact. Many will be old buildings which have been altered without regard to their stylistic integrity while others will be new construction which never had any stylistic integrity to begin with.
The decline of architectural integrity is just one more facet of the prolific and ongoing devolution of our culture. The Architectural Observer calls it like it is! Are there more important and pressing issues facing us now? Yes, but everyone needs a distraction from those other issues once in a while. And besides, this is relevant and much more fun!
There are four kinds of distractions here:
OBSERVATIONS highlights the lowlights of our built environment – and observes occasional architectural details which might otherwise be overlooked.
PLAN BOOK AND KIT HOUSES examines structures built from mail order plans or actual kits.
PROJECTS follows the progress on a variety of design-related endeavors.
DRAG QUEEN ARCHITECTURE showcases buildings built in one style but which are trying to pass themselves off as a different style.
Let’s face it; we built better buildings in the eighteenth, nineteenth and early twentieth centuries than we do now. Let’s take a cue from the past and start to remember how buildings are supposed to look and function. Thanks for joining me – please use the contact form for polite inquiry or to gripe at me.
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