The Classic 1920s Era In Charlotte Housing

Craftsman style bungalows in Charlotte were part of the development of neighborhoods like Wesley Heights in the 1920s

. Transforming from a railroad town to an automobile town after the turn of the 20th century many mills were the economic mainstay of the Charlotte area employing a great deal of the population. These craftsman style bungalows provided the average family of modest income with the American dream.

The craftsman style began in England as a protest against the industrial revolution by William Morris and quickly gained popularity in the US after the American Arts and Crafts Exhibition in 1897 and the publication by Gustav Stickley of the Craftsman Magazine. The homes that were built in the Charlotte area were later versions of the style and were very often kit homes or prefabricated homes sold by companies like Sears and Roebuck.

The craftsman style, also referred to as arts and crafts and mission style, had influence also from Frank Lloyd Wright and the Prairie School. This is most evident in the architectural elements applied to the faade of many of these houses. Other easily recognized features are:

Overhanging open eves with exposed beams

Square, usually tapered, porch roof support columns

Roof lines that extend over the porch

Mixed materials like stone piers supporting wood columns.

4 or 6 over 1 double hung windows.

Interior mortise and tenon construction of oak woodwork.

Interior elements like green slag glass panes and hammered copper or brass hardware.

When these homes were constructed the family life and the participation of the woman of the house in cooking and child rearing were considered, unlike the earlier aristocracy of the Victorian Era where servants watched the children and prepared the daily meals. In the bungalow style home the living area was in plain view of the kitchen and dining areas so the woman of the house could watch the children while preparing and serving. This open floor plan can easily be remodeled into a space to fit todays lifestyle with some expansion of the existing floor space and the addition of a full second floor. Achieving this, while maintaining the historic integrity of the structure requires a remodeling contractor with vast knowledge of the architecture, construction methods and materials suitable to the craftsman style.

There are many of these craftsman model homes available in Charlotte, and in other cities and towns all across the country, but finding one in its original condition is difficult. Because the neighborhoods where they were constructed went through changes over years, and the style was not really recognized as important until the past thirty years or so, most of these homes are hidden beneath aluminum siding, have fallen into disrepair or have been thoughtlessly enlarged to keep up with a neighborhood with the focus strictly on space and not history. If you are lucky enough to find one that is still flaunting its craftsman quality and style, you have uncovered an historic architectural gem.

by: Leonard Simmons

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