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Prairie
c.1900-1920
At the same time that eclectic revival styles were in vogue, a more
distinctly American architecture was emerging. The Prairie Style, popular
around 1900 to 1920, originated in the Chicago vicinity and was disseminated
through pattern books and architectural magazines. Frank Lloyd Wright was
the acknowledged master of the style and its major early proponent. The
vital characteristic of the Prairie style architecture is its relationship
with the landscape. Horizontality is emphasized by low-pitched hipped roofs
with extremely wide eaves, bands of
casement windows, wide projecting
porches and by the use of elongated (Roman) brick. Natural, earthy materials
(stucco, brick, clay tile, rough-sawn wood) were preferred for facades. The
Prairie style is a rarity in that it is an indigenous American style.
Of the few examples of the Prairie style
found in Morgan County, most are in Martinsville. The house at 290 East
Harrison Street, in the
Northside Historic District, is one example. Its low
pitched roof, wide eaves, bands of windows, and low brick wall along the
front facade, emphasizes the horizontality of the style.
Prairie: House, 290 East
Harrison Street (c.1920), Martinsville
Prairie: Nutter-Fleming House
(c.1925), 1089 East Harrison Street, Martinsville
Prairie:
Poston House (c.1910), 210 East Harrison Street, Martinsville
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American Foursquare
c.1910-1930
Some architectural historians consider the
American Foursquare (c.1900-1930) house to be a
vernacular derivative
of the Prairie style. The Foursquare, sometimes classified as "vernacular
Prairie," "Midwest box," and "cornbelt cube," has a boxlike form. Its floor
plan consists of four rooms on the first floor and four rooms on the second.
Other characteristic features are a low-pitch hipped roof with hipped attic
dormers, wide, enclosed eaves, and a one-story porch spanning the width of
the front facade. The American Foursquare is often combined with
Craftsman elements such as
knee braces and decorative
half-timbering.
Many American Foursquares and bungalows were
prefabricated and marketed through
catalogue sales. There certainly must be
some of these catalogue, or kit, houses in Martinsville, but none have yet
been identified.
American Foursquare:
House (c.1910), 40 West Harrison Street
American Foursquare: House (c.1920), 89 West Sumner Street
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