Get instant property alerts for www.historicphoenix.com

Get the MoveTo App
The Historic Phoenix Group by Homesmart
  • Home
  • Map Search
  • Advanced Search
  • Historic Districts
  • Architecture
  • Selling
  • Meet The Team
  • Blog
Login
(602) 919-8471

Sign in to your account

Need to reset your phone number?

Don't have an account with us?

Click here to sign up.

Bungalow Architecture in Phoenix

Text By Susan Kleinman, FrontDoor.com |

 

Arts and Crafts Architecture

The 19th century Arts and Crafts Movement sparked the 

Craftsman and Bungalow styles.

The term “Arts and Crafts” refers to the early 19th-century British and American movement to revive handicrafts. The movement was also the inspiration behind the Craftsman and bungalow styles.

English reformer William Morris was one of the founders of the Arts and Crafts Movement in the late 1880s. Tired of excessive Victorian architecture and the machine-driven Industrial Age, Morris and his followers wanted to return to a pre-industrial, handmade society. Morris also wanted to make custom furnishings available to the “common man.”

When the movement made its way to the United States at the turn of the 20th century, Gustav Stickley, founder and editor of The Craftsman magazine and a well-known furniture maker, became the American leader. Originally, the term “Craftsman” meant a home built from a plan in Stickley’s magazine, but it has come to mean homes built in the Arts and Crafts style.

The bungalow was closely associated with the Arts and Crafts Movement. Stickley preached that bungalows would give working-class families the chance to experience “serious architecture.” Bungalows melded simple design with handcrafted artistry — all for about $900 dollars. The style was also easy to build and maintain, and it became the most common type of Craftsman home, cropping up from California to the Chicago suburbs.

Bungalows and Craftsman homes remained popular until they fell out of favor when the casual ranch style emerged after World War II. However, the sleek, timeless style is regaining popularity today.

 

Key Elements

Built of natural materials. Craftsman homes are typically built of real wood, stone and brick.

Built-in furniture and light fixtures. Built-ins were the hallmark feature of the Arts and Crafts era. Built-in cabinets allowed the furnishings to be part of the architecture, ensuring design unity and economic use of space. Even the light fixtures are often part of the design.

Fireplace. A fireplace was the symbol of family in the Arts and Crafts movement, so most homes feature a dominant fireplace in the living room and a large exterior chimney.

Porches. Most homes in the Craftsman style have porches with thick square or round columns and stone porch supports.

Low-pitched roofs. The homes typically have a low roof with wide eaves and triangular brackets.

Exposed beams. The beams on the porch and inside the house are often exposed.

Open floor plan. The Arts and Crafts movement rejected the small, boxy rooms like those in Victorian houses.

 

Famous Examples

St. Francis Court. In 1909, Sylvanus Marston, an architect who studied at Cornell, assembled bungalows in Pasadena, Calif., around a small “courtyard” to solve the density problem and create the illusion of space.

Craftsman Farms. Gustav Stickley’s retreat in Morris Plains, N.J., is a perfect example of the Arts and Crafts style. The entire home is furnished with furniture from Stickley United Crafts.

The Gamble House. This 8,200-square-foot Arts and Crafts icon is in Pasadena, Calif. It was built in 1908 by Charles and Henry Greene, who obsessively crafted every detail of the furnishings and art.

 

Practically Speaking: Hassles and Headaches

By definition, a Craftsman home is carefully constructed, open and uses space economically. That means the style is likely to need few repairs if it has been well maintained.

“Craftsman homes have a high quality of design and craftsmanship, so they hold their value, explained David Jensen, an architect from Long Beach, Wash. “They are like the Rolls Royce, or the Robert Redford, of the architecture world.”

A Craftsman home’s simple, elegant design means it’s less likely to look dated. That said, homeowners today typically want a more open floor plan than older Craftsman homes provide. Often the kitchen needs to be updated to add more counter space and room for larger appliances, says Jensen. Also, homes today typically have more lighting and windows.

 

House Hunting

Ready to bunk up in a bungalow or Craftsman home? Search Here or check out these districts. The Bungalow style is most prevalent in:

Willo Historic District

Roosevelt Historic District

Coronado Historic District

If you’d like to drive by some great examples of Craftsmen Bungalows, try Holly Street in Willo Historic District just off of Central Avenue. There are some incredible examples there!. (1 through 99 West)

“Downtown Phoenix is a hotspot because a lot of the development in the West was happening at the height of the style’s popularity,” explains Jensen.

In Chicago, there’s the “Bungalow Belt.” Because of the chilly winters, the Chicago bungalows have a sunroom rather than an open porch. Also, take a look at neighborhoods in almost any city that were established between 1900 and 1930 and you’re sure to find some retro Craftsman digs.

 

More About Bungalows!

Wikipedia

About.com: Architecture

The Library of Congress

Antique Home

Essential Architecture

American Bungalow Magazine

Cottages & Bungalows Magazine

 

Like or Share
Loading likes...

Address Search

Don Mertes, Historicphoenix.com (602) 919-8471

Interactive Map Search

Our Socials!

  

 

Historic Phoenix Real Estate

Community Real Estate

  • Carefree, Arizona Real Estate
  • Cave Creek, Arizona Real Estate
  • Chandler, Arizona Real Estate
  • Gilbert, Arizona Real Estate
  • Glendale, Arizona Real Estate
  • Paradise Valley Real Estate
  • Scottsdale Real Estate

Historic Districts

  • Alvarado Historic District
  • Arcadia Neighborhood
  • Ashland Place Historic District
  • Brentwood Historic District
  • Campus Vista Historic District
  • Central Avenue Estates
  • Cheery Lynn Historic District
  • Coronado Historic District
  • Country Club Manor Neighborhood
  • Country Club Park Historic District
  • Del Norte Place Historic District
  • Earll Place Historic District
  • East Alvarado Historic District
  • East Evergreen Historic District
  • Encanto-Palmcroft Historic District
  • Encanto Vista Historic District
  • Encanto Manor Historic District
  • Fairview Place Historic District
  • F.Q. Story Historic District
  • Garfield Historic District
  • Idylwilde Park Historic District
  • La Hacienda Historic District
  • Los Olivos Historic District
  • Luxury Properties
  • Margarita Place Historic District
  • Medlock Place Historic District
  • North Central Corridor
  • North Encanto Historic District
  • Oakland Historic District
  • Phoenix Homesteads Historic District
  • Pierson Place Historic District
  • Roosevelt Historic District
  • Villa Verde Historic District
  • Willo Historic District
  • Windsor Square Historic District
  • Woodland Historic District
  • Woodlea Historic District
  • Yaple Park Historic District

Recent Blog Posts

  • Phoenix sees major rejuvenation ‘between the Sevens’
  • Mid-Century Gem with Midtown Location!
  • Creative Writers Wanted

Phoenix Architecture

  • Art Deco Architecture in Phoenix
  • Bungalow Architecture in Phoenix
  • Cape Cod Architecture in Phoenix
  • French Provincial Architecture in Phoenix
  • Pueblo Revival Architecture in Phoenix
  • Ranch Architecture in Phoenix
  • Spanish Colonial Architecture in Phoenix
  • Tudor Revival Architecture in Phoenix

  • Home
  • Advanced Search
  • Selling
  • Buying
  • About Us
  • Blog
  • Featured Properties
  • Contact Us

Don Mertes, Homesmart Elite
5225 North Central Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85012
602-919-8471

© All Rights Reserved - Privacy Policy

Sitemap

  • Alvarado Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Arcadia Neighborhood in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Ashland Place Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Brentwood Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Campus Vista Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Central Avenue Estates in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Cheery Lynn Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Coronado Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Country Club Manor Neighborhood in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Country Club Park Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Del Norte Place Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Earll Place Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • East Alvarado Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • East Evergreen Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Encanto-Palmcroft Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Encanto Vista Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Encanto Manor Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Fairview Place Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • F.Q. Story Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Garfield Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Idylwilde Park Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • La Hacienda Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Los Olivos Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Luxury Properties in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Margarita Place Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Medlock Place Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • North Central Corridor in Phoenix, Arizona
  • North Encanto Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Oakland Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Phoenix Homesteads Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Pierson Place Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Roosevelt Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Villa Verde Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Willo Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Windsor Square Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Woodland Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Woodlea Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Yaple Park Historic District in Phoenix, Arizona
IDX Real Estate Websites by
• Accessibility • Terms • Privacy