Historic Hyde Park Neighborhood Association

A Word On Architecture

Mar 08, 1999

We see and hear the term "bungalow" so often in our area. So what exactly is a bungalow? One dictionary suggests "a dwelling of a type first developed in India, usually one story, with low sweeping lines and a wide verandah." My dictionary says "a small cottage, usually of one story."

The linguistic origin of the term bungalow is universally agreed to be an Anglo-Indian version of Bangala, which was the proper name of an Hindu kingdom and was also used to describe a common form of a rural Indian hut. The word was adapted to the English language by the early-nineteenth century and was first used by British colonials, stationed in India, to describe housing built from local traditions.

As time progressed, the term was associated with different housing forms throughout different lands including Kenya, Australia, New Zealand, and other regions of Southeast Asia. Although adapted to many cultures, the basic formula to a bungalow style remains constant: a modest, usually single story dwelling with a prominent roofline, verandah, and a centrally placed living room that helps to circulate air throughout the interior, a desirable feature before air conditioning in hot and balmy summer months.

Bungalows typically could be built for a small sum (at least in the early 1900s), could fit on smaller, narrow lots, typical of the Hyde Park area, and were marketed to the middle class. Many bungalow styles in Hyde Park are adapted from those seen in California built in the early twentieth century.

1Duchscherer, Paul and Douglas Keister, The Bungalow - America's Arts & Crafts Home, 1995

By: Devin Baillairge?’