Washington Park East Neighborhood Association

You Own An Architectural Gem

Most of our homes here in Washington Park are a style known as the Craftsman Bungalow. Our homes are architectural gems. It all started when two brothers – Charles and Henry Green – were inspired by the English Arts and Crafts movement and their love of oriental wood architecture. Their passion led them to design and begin building their vision in California around the turn of this century.

As this style home became popular in California, it spread up the West coast to Oregon and Washington. Soon the demand spread east across our nation. The Bungalow was featured in magazines and pattern books. And by the late teens and early twenties, it became the most fashionable style in the country. Here in Denver the Bungalow became the home of choice from the late teens to the early thirties.

Now it once more is making the news nationally. The Bungalow is re-emerging as an architectural style that is commanding respect and even reverence. There are magazines, books, even clubs that celebrate the style. Bo Niles, from an article “Square Footage with Soul”, states it is an architectural icon whose porches encourage people to interact with each other and where people find tranquility in its interior. The author goes on to say the congenial floor plan and cozy details all evoke an aura of authenticity that is enduring and endearing. The Bungalow has craftsmanship and quality that is rarely seen today.

So what made these homes so popular? What is causing the Bungalow’s resurgence in popularity across the nation? Why are people preserving, restoring existing ones and building new ones modeled after the originals? Could it be the classic details like multi-paned windows, ceiling moldings, built-ins, oak floors, natural wood trim, wainscoting, exposed rafter tails, roof beams, side gabled roofs, and wood shingle trim? Or could it be the ambiance? Back when the Green brothers designed these homes, they wanted working people to be able to come home, open the front door, and enter a world of comfort and respite.

Is it not the same today? Rather than entering a sterile world of white, we are fortunate to open the door to rich, warm wood hues. Rather than entering a space where noise bounces off exaggerated ceilings, we enter a cozy, warm space that wraps its arms around us. Could it be our porches where neighbors come together and catch-up on life? Where we stop a moment and are neighborly? Could it be we are beginning to sense bigger may not be better after all?

Jim Talpin, author of The New Cottage Home, states there is a change in the way people are thinking about true wealth, true happiness and the home in which they want to live. They want to simplify. They want to get in touch with their feelings and with the environment. Sarah Susanka, author of The Not So Big House: A Blueprint For The Way We Really Live, discusses the phenomena that many people realize they are deriving little or no comfort from their trophy homes. That people are realizing all they have is square footage with no soul. The latest statistics reveal that a family of four uses about 1500 – 2000 square feet on a day-to-day basis. That home life is centered on activities, not space.

Owning a Bungalow is owning a piece of history that is appreciating in value with each passing year. Nationally it is re-emerging as an architectural icon. Architectural gem? You bet!

Terry Andrews: corecepts@aol.com