For most of last year, Steve and I searched around for a house we could afford. Mostly we looked at Cape Cods, and even grew sentimental about housing developments of the 50s.
Because we weren't picky about living a block away from railroad tracks or being spitting distance from our neighbors, we ended up with something far grander. It's a four square. The basic definition:
The foursquare is typically a two-and-a-half-story house on a full basement, with a monitor dormer (a dormer with a roof-line that mirrors the primary roof) in the attic. Most foursquares have pyramidal hip roofs (which come to a peak in the center). Front porches span the full width of the house, with two, three or four simple columns supporting the porch roof.
Perhaps most notably, the foursquare is a nearly square house with square shaped interior rooms. The first floor typically has four rooms, including an entry foyer or reception hall, living room, dining room and kitchen. Upstairs, three bedrooms and a bath all politely sit in their own corners.
There is some variation. Ours has two sets of gabled windows. Many in our area are made from river rocks, even the columns on the porch, which is typical of the Hudson River style. Since these homes were related to Arts and Crafts movement, there is usually a lot of detail work inside. We have two oak columns in the living room and thin, oak plank floors.
Sometimes you have to dig through years of "modernization" to find the real stuff. After ripping down wood paneling and two layers of wallpaper, we came to the original plaster, which is as strong and cool as Italian marble.
These Four Squares went up during the turn of the century in towns across America. The new middle class enhabited them, even purchasing them from the Sears Catalog. As the Progressive movement swept the country with its vision of science and progress, these efficient, practical homes reflected the times.
During our forays off Route 80 last week, we found these homes boarded up and forgotten in Pennsylvania towns that no longer have industry or rail travel to support the economy. We wanted to take home these forgotten puppies and clean them up.
When in Cleveland, we visited Ross, a friend of Steve's who owns an art gallery. He lives in a Four Square in Lakewood, an inner ring suburb of Cleveland. The homes there are being renovated by professors and artists, who appreciate the high ceilings and dark moldings. With Ross's paintings and Italian furniture, the interior looks remarkably modern.
The Four Square, the Colonial, the Ranch, the Cape Cod, the Bilevel. These homes for the masses are becoming a new obsession. Anybody have any book suggestions?