One of the best things about Sacramento is its diversity, not only in cultures but in historical influences, threads as old as California, itself, woven together to form a rich textile. There's no greater example than in our architecture, with residential homes built since the mid 1880's in just about every style imaginable, often right next door to each other. One Sunday afternoon, take a pleasant drive through midtown, East Sacramento, downtown, Alkali Flats, Land Park, Curtis Park, or other great historic neighborhoods and you'll see beautiful homes in these 10 architectural styles.
1876-1955
This return to the oldest classical home style was a tribute
to American in architecture. The revival period imitated the colonial homes
that were as old as the country, itself.
Colonials exhibit sprawling square form with plenty of dressing in
shutters, window boxes, a prominent front door, and a sharply pitched roof.
2. Minimalist Homes
1935-1950
This form of architecture has actually been called “devoid
of style, at all,” and is a function of attitudes of frugality and caution after
the Great Depression – as simple as they come. But there are offshoots of
minimal styles as time and attitudes evolved, including traditional, minimal
transitional, and even minimal modern.
These small, 2 bedrooms 1 bath “salt flats,” were often erected with the
intent of being temporary housing for the workers who constructed Sacramento’s
more grander neighborhoods.
Bungalows are one of the most
common forms of home architecture in certain areas of the country, and
certainly California. But there are many
different kinds of bungalows, including California, Arts and Craft, and Spanish
Revival. California bungalows feature 1
to 1 ½ stories, thick columns, and big front porches. Arts and Craft is
actually commonly known as Craftsmen architecture, originating from the
magazine where designer Gustav Stickley first published his house plans. Spanish bungalows are inspired by the
Mexican-American experience and influence in old California. In combination, bungalows are a fun,
handsome, and homey style of architecture that breaks the rules just as often
as it follows suit. Curtis Park and T
Street in midtown has some great representations of bungalows.
1600 – 1900
These homes incorporate elements of the Spanish bungalow but
also bring in stone, adobe, or stucco walls depending on the era, flat or red tile
roofs, parapets, decorative tiles, wooden doors, second-story balconies,
interior courtyards, and other touches inspired from Spanish culture in the
Southwest.
1840 -1900
Victorian architecture was brought into existence thanks to
the Industrial Revolution, where mass production allowed decorative materials
and building technologies like no time before. Victorian houses seem to pride
themselves on delicacy and detail, combining elements of Greek, Federalist,
Colonial, Gothic, Italiante, and even medieval architecture. There are plenty of gorgeous Victorian homes
in areas like Alkali Flats, Sacramento’s oldest neighborhood.
6. Mission Revival
House Style
1890 – 1920
Mission homes are seen a little less frequently in
Sacramento but a few do exist. They are
more popular in Southern California and areas of the American southwest like
Arizona and New Mexico. They have smooth
stucco siding, roof parapets, square pillars, round windows, and red tiled
roofs in the traditional Spanish style.
1890-1940
Imitating the romance of countryside homes in England, the
Tudor style has been described as something out of a storybook. They’re also called Ann Hathaway Cottages,
Hansel and Gretel cottages, Cotswold, and English country cottages. They have brick, stone or stucco siding with
brick or stone fireplaces as show pieces, small-paned windows and dormers, low
doors, and cramped, sloping second floors beneath uneven roofs. They became very popular in the United States
around the 1920’s and 1930’s.
1885 – 1925
This architectural style exhibits all the symmetry and order
of Georgian, Federal, Classical Greek and Roman Styles. Neoclassical is seen as more of a trend than
one particular style, but it’s always perfectly with distance from the central
front door and perfectly symmetrical windows and often columns and pediments.
You’ll see a couple of massive, beautiful neoclassical homes in the Fab 40’s.
9. Medieval Revival Homes
Also called Tudor Homes, these homes feature decorative timbering, steep rooflines, tall, narrow windows, and huge chimneys. They are often bred with elements of European design like thatched roofs, overlapping gables, and stonework. Not defined by a particular size, Medieval Revival homes can be as small as country cottages or as big as Antebellum mansions, but give us a glimpse back to construction techniques in the middle ages, even if just for show.
1893-1920
This style was brought to America’s attention by
revolutionary architect Frank Lloyd Wright, a creative genius many decades
ahead of his time. At a time when others
were looking at traditional and European home revivals, Wright defined a new
truly American style with low, wide horizontal lines, overhanging eves, open
and spacious floor plans, and large windows.
They were constructed in L, T, or Y shapes instead of the traditional
rectangles, homes seemed to mimic and celebrate the endless open spaces of our
country. Wright’s homes were popularized
as “Prairie Style Homes,” after an article in Ladies Home Journal in 1901
described them as “A Home in Prairie Town.”
As the Great Depression changed our outlook and priorities, Wright
simplified his version of these homes with the more boxy and pragmatic American
Foursquare or Prairie Box style. Take a
walk around McKinley Park and look across the street for a good glimpse at
Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired homes!
