For whatever reason, lots of old houses and buildings have been “re-styled” to suit their owner’s aesthetic preferences – often resulting in awkward appearances that are as cringe-worthy as drag queens competing on Amateur Night.  One of the most common types of house to fall victim to such architectural indifference is the Arts and Crafts bungalow.  The country is filled with them, and despite a renewed interest in the Arts and Crafts movement, many houses of the period are still treated somewhat like blank canvasses by do-it-yourselfers and house flippers. Some have been “Victorianized”, such as this house, while others are recipients of the latest offerings of the nearest home “improvement” center.

When built, this house Craftsman-style house possessed a rugged handsomeness characteristic of the Arts and Crafts era. The weighty front gable, masonry balustrade and rusticated block walls give this house a visual heft that no amount of pink paint, spindled fretwork and shutters can obscure.

In this example, the house has been supplemented with Queen Anne-inspired spindle work, under-scaled center porch posts, porch brackets, a window box, shutters and a decidedly feminine pale pink for the wood siding.  Despite the delicacy, the Craftsman-era “bones” of the house are unmistakable.