BUNGALOW

As the 19th century drew to a close and the 20th began, Victorian ideals and the domestic
architecture that embodied them were coming under increased scrutiny. Beginning in the
1880s, the Arts and Crafts movement and its bungalows would transform the landscape
of American domestic architecture and serve as a transitional housing form in the years
prior to World War II. Between 1900 and 1930, the bungalow was the most widespread
housing type in the country, from city to suburb.
Bungalows responded to a constellation of sociocultural forces and economic
necessities, particularly to the Progressive Era philosophy of the Arts and Crafts
movement. As the cost of previously unavailable household technologies such as indoor
plumbing and electricity increased, the size of American homes was reduced to
compensate for these expenses (which could add between 25 and 40 percent to a home’s
cost). At the same time, “simplicity” became a watchword of the Arts and Crafts
movement, which was taking shape in the United States with the help of publications
such as Gustav Stickley’s Craftsman magazine. For Arts and Crafts proponents, the craftsmaninspired
bungalow provided an economically advantageous, socially responsible, and
artistic dwelling for members of the middle and working classes.
Bungalow scholar Clay Lancaster explains that “the word ‘bungalow’ originated in
India, derived from the Bengali noun bangla, meaning a low house with galleries or porches all
around” (see Lancaster, 1985). The first American bungalows appeared along the eastern
seaboard as a type of resort architecture. Much grander in scale than the more modest
bungalows that followed, these early bungalows nevertheless included the ample porches
and exposed-framing construction that are typical of the form. Although not all scholars
agree on this point, the architects who are usually credited with perfecting the bungalow
style in the United States are Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene. In
addition to the Greenes, architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie style of domestic
architecture influenced mid-western bungalows. In California, where the bungalow was
most popular, Arthur and Alfred Heineman were well known for pioneering the concept
of the “bungalow court,” featuring multiple bungalows around a central courtyard.
Beginning in the early 1900s, the Greene brothers designed a number of relatively
inexpensive California homes as well as the “Ultimate Bungalows,” for which they are
best known (for example, the Blacker House [1907] and the Gamble House [1908]). The
distinguishing features of the Greenes’ style include (1) a heavy use of wood and natural
materials, such as clinker brick and river stone; (2) exposed interior and exterior joinery;
(3) the use of sleeping and living porches to enhance the occupants’ contact with nature;
(4) a concern for the “total design” of a home, including its textiles and furnishings; and
(5) the use of relatively open floor plans. Many of these features are evident in simpler
and smaller bungalows that feature natural building materials, wide porches with heavy
(typically masonry) columns, and low-pitched roofs with exposed rafters and joinery. In
addition to these features, many bungalows incorporate outdoor gardens with pergolas,
porches specifically designed for sleeping, and prominent chimneys constructed of rustic
materials.
Architectural historian Marcus Whiffen (1969) explains that “it was the bungalow as
much as any other kind of house that led to the adoption of the ‘living room’ and the
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‘outdoor-indoor’ living space—of craftsmanship, climatic adaptation, and harmony with
the landscape.”
The simple floor plans of most bungalows maximize the amount of interior space
available by discarding the Victorian parlor in favor of a combined living and dining
area, often separated by a colonnade or book arch. The typical bungalow plan provides a
kitchen at the rear, a living-dining area with the living area at the front of the home, and
two bedrooms with a bathroom between them. To maximize the bungalow’s limited
interior space, built-in furniture pieces, such as buffets, bookcases, and seating
inglenooks, were integral features. Built-ins enhanced the beauty of a room with their
natural woodwork while contributing to the reputation of the bungalow as an easily kept
home.
Bungalows vary somewhat by region in terms of their exterior appearance, building
materials, and interior plans. Bungalows in the eastern United States tend to exhibit an
English influence, whereas west coast bungalows draw inspiration alternately from Japan
and the Swiss chalet. Such observations are only guidelines, however, as the widespread
diffusion of the bungalow through plan books and mail-order catalogs has functioned to
minimize regional differences. The typically wooden exterior of the bungalow is also
occasionally replaced or joined by stucco, brick, or stone. The most typical interior
variation of the bungalow is the provision of an extra bedroom or breakfast area. In
addition, many two-story homes can be characterized as bungalows despite the fact that
the term usually denotes a one-story home. Two-story “bungaloid” homes (as Marcus
Whiffen calls them) often feature dormer windows to maintain a relatively low profile
appearance.
Potential home owners could build a bungalow from an architect’s original plans,
purchase bungalow plans from widely available catalogs such as Radford’s Art is tic Bungalows , or buy a
prefabricated bungalow kit from companies such as Sears and Roebuck or Aladdin. Mailorder
bungalows produced by Sears, Aladdin, and several smaller companies appeared in
1906 and reached their greatest popularity between 1910 and 1930. An estimated onehalf
million mail-order homes were produced between 1900 and the start of World War II
in 1939. Today mail-order houses can be found throughout the country.
Beginning with the stock market crash of 1929 and continuing through the Great
Depression, the popularity of the bungalow declined, as did interest in domestic building
generally. The construction industry was dealt a sharp blow by the enduring economic
crisis, with housing starts falling a precipitous 90 percent between 1925 and 1933. By the
time the country emerged from World War II, the affordable mass-produced suburban
house had eclipsed the picturesque bungalow. Nevertheless, the bungalow and its
attendant philosophy of the simple life established attitudes about the home that persist
today.