California Bungalow Architecture
California Bungalow Architecture is a descendent of the Bungalow style that made its way across America, including Phoenix, in the early 20th century. This form of residential structure has become a popular part of American society and has even spread to various parts of the world.
The Bungalow style of architecture comes from India where they took the British style of thatched roof huts and incorporated them in to their own society. This style was refined by architect A. Page Brown in the early 1890’s from San Francisco, California.
Brown brought this style of architecture to California and made it popular in the western part of America. As a result of the post war prosperity, lower middle class Americans were now able to afford individual homes and began moving out of apartments. The Bungalow style offered a low cost way for these American tolive.
As a result of the Arts and Crafts movement, the California Bunglows used craftsman features along with Spanish influence to create a new style of living in the American west. CaliforniaBungalow style housing consisted of 1-1 ½ stories and sloping roofs that did not give the upper level much space.
The extended porch that most of these homes had was covered overhead by a roof that is typically held by solid beams. The larger California Bungalow homes would have anL-shaped porch that extended around the side of the house. As the neighborhoods in which theseBungalow homes were the main style of living, the porches became enclosed as the noise in the neighborhood reached high volumes.
The homes were usually more horizontally portioned the vertically to give more space in the bottom floor. Like most structures in this time, the homes were built primarily of wood or stone,with stone and brick being used commonly for the chimney.
Most homes included a front stoop that led to the porch area. To go with the exterior of the home, gardens, even if they were smallin size were featured as a major part of the home.
The inside of the California Bungalow home were not like most homes in America during that time. The bottom floor had a common room which was the focal point of the home. The common room was typically centered on a fireplace, a trait the all Bungalow home featured. The fireplace provided a cozy atmosphere for all members of the home.
The family room area leads directly to the dining room area that sometimes seemed as though it was an extended part of the family room. Both of the rooms had low ceilings due to the lack of height in the home. Under the sloping roof of the home was typically an attic that was used for various purposed depending on the family who lived in the home.
Once established in America, the California Bungalow style spread overseas, mainly toAustralia. The Hollywood film industry spread American culture all around the world, allowing foreigners to experience American living. This exposed people around the world to a different way of living and allowed them to adapt it to their own way of life.
The California Bungalow can be seen most notably in the oldest historic district in Phoenix: The Roosevelt Neighborhood in Downtown Phoenix as well as a few in F.Q Story amongst others.
Learn about the other common architectural styles of the Phoenix historic districts.
