Anomalous Details and a New Project…
The goal of finding a house to restore which was both architecturally and historically interesting has been simmering in the background for some time now. Life has a way of distracting us from our goals (most recently getting involved with the renovation of someone...
Modernist House Muted with Color
One of the most popular -- and easiest -- ways to "re-style" a house is through the use of paint. Countless Victorian-era houses, for example (formerly sporting multi-hued exteriors), were painted white beginning in the 1920's in an effort to make them appear more...
The Odd Blue Doors Explained…
Much like porch alterations, replacement doors have the ability to change the way a house looks or is perceived. Unfortunately, most people just buy what they like and give little thought to maintaining the architectural integrity of the exterior when purchasing a new...
Don’t Try This at Home: History Trashed, and at Great Expense
Recently while perusing area real estate listings I ran across an all-too-common offering -- the unfinished renovation of a house which had retained a good deal of originality prior to being gutted to the studs. At least it affords us the opportunity to take a...
A Visit to the Cottonwood Ranch
Built in three stages beginning in 1885, the house at Cottonwood Ranch in Studley, Kansas, reflects not only the place and time in which it was built, but incorporates some traditions of builder John Fenton Pratt's native Yorkshire, England, as well. The center...
A 1970’s BH&G Plan Book House
Print media, while not as influential as it was in decades past, remains a popular platform for the sale of house plans. When readers of Better Homes and Gardens magazine selected House Plan No. 3709-A as their favorite of those presented by the magazine in 1972, the...
A Gothic Revival with a Jerkinhead Roof!
Now that's something you don't see every day... especially on the High Plains of northwestern Kansas! Both the architectural style and the roof type are atypical of the region. The Jerkinhead roof, a compromise between a gabled roof and a hipped roof, is used with...
The War On Old Buildings – Part 2
The ongoing war against the remnants of our historic built environment continues unabated. Our previous examination of this topic (Part 1) dealt with elementary school textbooks which propagandized children and instilled a bias against historic buildings in the...
“Reading” an Old House
Most old houses have had alterations over the years -- very few come down through time just as they were built. Unless a house was altered with an extreme attention to maintaining details, it is usually possible to get a fairly good idea as to what the house looked...
Pop Quiz: What’s Wrong With This Picture?
Each house or building in the following six photos has at least one thing wrong with it -- from the viewpoint of architectural or physical integrity, that is! Some are quite obvious while others are a bit more subtle; some will have multiple offenses while others may...
Door Hardware, Part Two: 1850 to 1900
In Part One we looked at some types of door hardware which were common prior to the mid-nineteenth century -- latches and rim locks made of iron. While mortise locks were in use, they were not common. Surface-mounted rim locks remained popular in the latter half of...
A Sears Maytown – Largely Intact!
After a century of use, many old houses have been updated, remodeled or otherwise altered to the extent that they are scarcely recognizable. Others, like this Sears Maytown in Struthers, Ohio, are able to transcend time with only slight changes. Owner Dawn Hartzell...
Empty for Sixty Years: Inside a Modest 1880’s Farmhouse
When a vernacular farmhouse on the High Plains of western Kansas was abandoned in favor of a sleek new ranch-style house in the mid 1950's, it was emptied and forgotten about. It had received minimal (if any) maintenance in the following sixty-odd years and is today...
Auction Action – Part 3
This past weekend I attended an annual consignment auction hosted by the Lions Clubs. As usual, there were a few things of architectural or design interest. I didn't buy anything this year because the few things I wanted to bid on were not going to be offered until...
Prim 1880 Second Empire House Harbors 1960’s Time Capsule Interior
The exterior of this c. 1880 twin house in Philadelphia's Germantown neighborhood does little to suggest the surprisingly intact mid-century makeover found inside. Late 1960's aesthetic preferences popular with the masses abound: Fake masonry, fake paneling, fake...
A Customized Sears Hawthorne
Offered between 1913 and 1918, the Sears Hawthorne was a somewhat ungainly-looking Craftsman style bungalow which was not a huge seller. It was essentially the one-and-a-half story version of the Sears Avondale which was far more popular with kit house buyers and...
Radford Design No. 1131
One of hundreds of house designs published by the Radford Architectural Company of Chicago in the early twentieth century, Design No. 1131 is an eclectic composition in that it combines Colonial Revival, Queen Anne and Shingle style influences. This example in...
Awkward Alterations, Part Two
Today we'll look at two different types of alterations which can negatively impact how we perceive a structure. Sadly, the following examples are fairly tame... there are countless others which are far worse. The first category, Indifference, will highlight houses...
The Piano Nobile
Have you ever thought that some older buildings seem to be oddly proportioned -- perhaps a bit top-heavy? Often there is nothing wrong with their proportions; the problem may instead be with our modern perception of what a building's exterior should look like (and how...
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 – Part 2
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 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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