HomeMy Public PortalAbout3. Chapter 6 - Architectural Styles and Vernacular Building Types in PlainfieldArchiSearch Historic Pr eservation Consultan ts Plai nfiel d’s Histor ic Urbaniz ed Core: An Intensi ve-Level Survey 29 6. ARCHITECTURAL STYLES/VERNACULAR BUILDING TYPES IN PLAINFIELD Buildings can be viewed as puzz les of sorts, w ith the different pieces–the roof, the windows, the door placeme nt, the decoration–forming one picture. Then groupi ngs of buildings, even community -wide ,can be pieces of a broader puz zle, putting together a picture of how and when a communit y develo ped.Buildings ca n be organized and analyzed by looking at details, architectural el ements, scale and ma ssi ng, and width and depth. This generally f alls into two categories: architectural style and ve rnacular bu ilding types. Familiarity with architectural sty les and vernacular building types is helpful not only in describ ing buildi ngs and deter mining arc hitectura l s ignif icance, but also in understanding our communit ies in a br oader scope. Architectural styl es and vernacular building types h elp to illust rate how o ur communit ies dev elope d, perio ds of ou r history where more gro wth occurred , what the favored tastes of the times w ere, a nd more. Moreov er, regis tration p rograms such as the N a tiona l Register of Historic Place s and local designations provide for eligibility o f properties through significance in architectural styl e. Criterion C for Architecture is by far the most commonly used Criterion for eligibility to the Nation al Register, whether for individual or historic district listings.Architectural style can be hi gh styl e, infl uence o r eleme nts of a style , or trans itional , sho wing a combinati on of s tyles and infl uence. High style exampl es of a rchitect ural sty le are built according to the principles of n ational or regional, readily i dentifiable styles. As such, true high sty le build ings should have many attributes of a styl e, textbook illustrations of the epitome of the particular s tyle.More typica lly, bui ldings h ave el ements of a style or sho w influence of a sty le. Such examples may have only a few details or features of a style . Sometimes, such influence may be so minim al, that only a building’s roof line and windows may show influence. Architec tural styles generally follow specific periods and provide a time line o f development throughou t our country. The east coast has o lder styles which we general ly do n ot have in Ill inois, f or e xample true Colonial and G eorgian architecture. As Illinois dev eloped along river c orridors, older styles of architecture are clustered in these areas and may not occur at all in areas such as the prairie lands of Central Illinois. Similarly,the occurrence of a pa rticula r archi tectural style may be later in Illinois versus Ohio, f or example,with the Fe deral st yle in Ohio dati ng from c . 1790 - 1840, ve rsus c. 1830 - c. 1865 in Il linois . In more recent years, the typol ogy, or way to organize buildings, has exp anded to include vernacular buildings, a large category which identif ies buil dings more by plan, shape/size, an d function. Rather than having been influenced by archite cts of the time, vernacular buildings are general ly defined as non-academic buildings which were constructed according to the methods traditional within a particular locality or region, or to a particul ar group of people. Un like architectural styles, v ernacular buildings may date to much bro ader time spans, with some forms such as the Hal l and Parl or and the I-House spanning nearly sev en decades. Therefore, vernacular buildings typ es are not as helpful in determining the date of a building as architectural s tyle can be.
ArchiSearch Historic Pr eservation Consultan ts Plai nfiel d’s Histor ic Urbaniz ed Core: An Intensi ve-Level Survey 30 Important to note is t hat some buildings may reflect architec tural style and a vernacular building type. Some ex amples may eve n be con sidered to be hig h sty le exam ples o f a styl e, yet a t the co re exhibit a common vernacular building form. In fact, some architectural styles were rath er commonly paired with vernacular building types, for ex ample, the Side Hall Plan with the Italianate style and the Upright and Wing with the Greek Reviv al style.Architectural Terminology Architectural terminol ogy can take ye ars to learn and can be rather over whelming. Numerous st yle guides ar e avail able fo r assist ance; s ome of t hese are listed in the Re ferenc es sec tion of this rep ort.Several terms might be useful to know in getting through the following styl e and vernacular building type de scripti ons. •The size of buildings is ty pically counted in “bays” for width and “pile s” for depth. The use of “bays” here is dis tinctively d ifferent from a “bay window,” a feature which is typical ly a semi-hexagonal one or two story p rojectio n with win dows. Here “bay” is simply how many openings are across the f irst story of a house –windows and doors . Similarl y, “pile s” are the number of openings along th e side of the house. This termino logy is especially usefu l w ith regard to vernacular b uilding types because the pat tern of bays and piles substant ially hints at the interior arrangement of the buildin g. For example, a three bay, on e pile house would most likel y be a Ha ll and P arlor ho use typ e, being only tw o rooms in composition (see below).•“Wings” could be original or at le ast hist oric ex tension s of buil dings, u sually off the rear elevation. The term “addition” would mean that an extension has been confirmed to have been added la ter, possibly not hist oricall y. Many historic buildings were co nstructe d with wings originally, sometimes in diff ering materials, usually in differing heights.The following provides a highlight of the architectural style s and vernacular buildings types which are most commonly found in the Village of Plainf ield. Generally, s tyles and types which had only ten or fewer examples are not discussed in this report. However, a fe w of the styles discuss ed, such as Gothic Reviva l and Mediter ranean, have only a few examples, but were i ncluded in this r eport.These were included because signif icant examples are within the surve y, some of which have been recommended for lo cal des ignation s. Modern styles (styles less than fifty years old) were not included in this report. For additional information on these and other styles, a variety of style guides are liste d in the Reference section at the end of this report. For v ernacular building forms, How to Complete the Ohio His toric Invento ry by Steph en C. Go rdon of the Ohio Histori c Preservat ion Office is reco mme nded as an excellent, e asy to use guide, which also incl udes architectural styles and architectural terminol ogy. Whi le obvi ously t he publication is geared toward construction in Ohio,it is generally appl icable to Il linois as wel l. It was used as the chief source for vernacular building summaries in this report.
ArchiSearch Historic Pr eservation Consultan ts Plai nfiel d’s Histor ic Urbaniz ed Core: An Intensi ve-Level Survey 31 As a side n ote, two architectural features are found with some f requency in the surv ey are, and are rather uni que to Pl ainfiel d. These are the triangula r oriel and trifo il/quatre foil/s exfoil attic sa sh.The sexfoil atti c window on the left is a feature of 807 N. D esPlaines Street. The triang ular oriel on the right is a featu re of 719 N. Bartlett Avenue . Both feature s are found rath er commonly throughout the villa ge, although most of the windows are trifoil or q uatrefoil, meani ng three or fou r-lobed windo ws rather than s ix as that s hown on the left.Architectural Styles Greek Revival The Greek Revival style is by far the mos t outstanding architectural representation in the V illage of Plainfi eld. Despite common in tegrity issues, the qual ity of d esign an d quantity of exa mples o f the style in Plain field i s partic ularly striking . The occurrence of the Greek Revival style in Plainfiel d is especially significant, given the general lack of the sty le throu ghout the State of Illinois . Particular to the occurrence of the use of the style is its common use in conjunction with vernacular building types, chiefl y the Up right and W ing, Gabl ed E ll, an d Gable F ront for ms. Moreover, the style is reflected in the proportions of a number of houses throughout the community, a sense o f scale and massing–small houses which are not quite two stories, but have a usable upper s tory.The Greek Re vival style was gene rally u sed fro m c. 1820 - c. 1865; examples in Illin ois are in general later than more eastern examples of the style, as is typi cal with other st yles. But as sty les are barometer s of time lines of de velopment in the United States, the occurrenc e of these ea rlier ninetee nth century styles in what was the “western” part of the coun try les sens s ubstantial ly than the occurrence of the style , for example, in Indiana, certainl y in Ohio.The Gr eek Revival styl e was substantially inspired by archae ological excavations and measu re d dr awings of ancient Greek templ es; the style promoted the use of classical ideals an d eleme nts .Significantly, carpent ers in the United States did m uch to popular ize the style, wit h the style
ArchiSearch Historic Pr eservation Consultan ts Plai nfiel d’s Histor ic Urbaniz ed Core: An Intensi ve-Level Survey 32 becom ing quite popular in the 1830s and 1840s. Pattern books such as Minard Lafever’s Moder n Builder’s Guide (1833) and Beauties of Modern Architecture (1835) promot ed the s tyle. Applications of the s tyle may vary gre atly, f rom the s tereoty pical S outhern ma nsion to the formal,yet simple forms more associate d with vernacular building types as the way the s tyle is implemented in Plainfield. Elements of the style may incl ude columns or pilasters, ofte n Doric o r Ionic orders;trabeated entranc es (a do or with narrow sidelights and a short transom), often recessed, with Latin cross- or two-pan eled do ors; 9/6 o r 6/6 windows; flat lintels and s ills; cornice returns and so metimes heavy entablatures; and frieze windows, short rectan gular wind ows which illu minates the u pper half story on the side of the gable. T he frieze windows a re common ly set within a defined cornice at the top of the main facade, which would not appear to have a real u pper st ory; the side gab le end more clearly exposes the upper story, usually with ful l-height windows.In Greek Revival Archit ecture in America: being an account of impor tant trends in American Arc hitecture and American life prior to the War Betwe en the St ates (New York: Dover, 1944), Talbot Hamlin speaks of the “Greek elemen t” coming in early to Ill inois and rapidly dominating the architectural s cene.107 Particula rly notable is Haml in’s highlight of the Dennison Gre en House on Main Stre et in Pl ainfiel d.In the 1840s the gre ater sk ill and sop histica tion of the ar chitec t-builde rs and the designers becomes evident in houses more imaginative in design and more creat ive in detail. Such for example is the D ennison G reen ho use (pro bably of the 1840s) at Pla infield, a beautiful one-and-a-half-story cottage with a hipped roof, a reces sed porc h, a fo rmal and c lever pla n, and a charmin g sense o f propo rtion i n the fr ieze wi ndows and their relatio n to th e openin gs below.108 Included are the front elevation , and first and second floor plans as done by the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1935. The floor plans show a central hal l and Four-over-Four plan; a kitchen was added later to the r ear. He notes, “F ormality without o stentati on.” Haml in goes on to no te Illinois as havi ng vario us examp les of the L- o r T-plan house wi th a recessed porch in the reentrant angle, against the side wing, a type that he notes was common in Michigan and Ohio.109 Important to note is that at th e time Ha mlin com pleted this boo k–1944–the typology for vernac ular buil dings that we have now was not in use. One of the other Illino is Greek Revival e xamples that he illustrates is cle a rly an U pright an d Wing Ho use (New ton Farmho use nea r Belvid ere), but he label s it a “variatio n of the T-shape d house.”110 Forty-ei ght buildi ngs in th e surve y were l isted as having G reek Rev ival s tyle. A s with man y of the styles, the majority of examples o f Greek Revival ex hibited the influenc e of the style, rather than being full high style ex amples. Building with the influence o f the style totaled thirty.
ArchiSearch Historic Pr eservation Consultan ts Plai nfiel d’s Histor ic Urbaniz ed Core: An Intensi ve-Level Survey 33 The house at 15002 N. Divis ion Street was bu ilt c. 1855 and exhibi ts Greek Revival i nfluence th rough cornice re turns and frieze wind ows. As is typ ical in Plainfi eld, the st yle is used on a vernacular house form, i n this case , the Gabled Ell (left). The small scale house at 40 9 W. Commercia l Street exhibits the influence of the style through corni ce returns on its Gable Front vernacular form. Th is house also has Greek Revi val proportions, having a short er upper story, with f rieze windows on the sid e elevation of the gable.Flander s House, 507 W. Main Street, is among the few high s tyle examples of Greek Reviva l in the village (left). The James Matth ews Hou se at 1 115 N. Mill Street, 1837 , is among the earliest examples of the style in the village (right ).Gothic Revival Generally, the Gothic Revival style in the United States dates from c. 1830 - c. 1880, and was a style which revived the spirit and forms of true Gothic architecture in Europe. Perhaps the style’s most striking applications are found on c hurches, some public buildings, and occasional castle-like buildings, but more commonly it was applied to “country cottages.” Promoted substanti ally th rough pattern books which became w idely available during this period, the Gothic Revival style was especially popularized through the works of Andre w Jackso n Downin g (1815 - 1852) and Alexander Jackson Davi s (1803 - 1893). Davis’s Rural Residences , published in 1837, and Downing’s Cotta ge
ArchiSearch Historic Pr eservation Consultan ts Plai nfiel d’s Histor ic Urbaniz ed Core: An Intensi ve-Level Survey 34 Residenc e s , published in 1842, espoused the romantic and picturesque qualitie s of the style,particular ly for the so-called “country cottage.” An emphasis on ve rticality, pointed arch windows,stee ply-pitched gables with deco rative ba rgeboards , labelm olds, an d board and batten s iding wer e commonly found featur es on these cottag es. Brick versi ons might b e detaile d with c astle-like battleme nts and e laborate chimney s. In How to Complete the Ohio Historic Inventory , Stephen C. Gordon identif ies thre e diffe rent pe riods of Gothic Revival , disting uished as Gothic Revival , c. 1835 - c. 1870; High Victorian Gothic, c. 1870 - c. 1885 ; and Late Goth ic Revival, c. 1900 - c. 1930. Other style guides also dis tinguish between different periods of the Goth ic Revival, even using the term “Carp enter Go thic” for the frame cottage versions of the style. The High Victori an Gothi c was use d more co mmonly f or public and rel igious buildings than for residen tial arc hitecture . Polyc hromatic w alls wh ich mixe d b rick and stone,complex gable roofs with dormers and towers, and incised ornament were among the el ements of this later versio n of the style, which appeared heavier and more exaggerated in its application. Venetian,French, and German influences brought a more ecl ectic appearan ce to the s tyle. J ohn Ruski n, a noted author an d philan thropist from Eng land, pro moted t he style there, arguing for contrasting textures achieved through a combination of mater ials . The Late Gothic or Colle giate Gothic Revival style was applied almost sol ely to rel igious and institutional buildings, particularly schoo l and univers ity buildings . The ea rly twen tieth ce ntury version of this styl e reverted back to more simple,pure adaptati ons of true Goth ic form, retainin g the po inted arc h eleme nts, but us ing a much more restrained application of detail. Smooth limestone or brick walls with minimal stone tr im were common. L ancet wi ndows and quatrefo ils were also us ed. In Plainfield, the earlie st version of the style occurs in companion with later versions of the Gre ek Reviva l styl e. Only three bui ldings i n the survey were re corded as be ing Goth ic Revi val in style, with anot her fiv e buildin gs showi ng the influen ce of t he styl e. 901 N. Eastern Avenue, c. 1858 - 60 (left) is an excellent example of th e Gothic Revi val style, with steeply-p itched gable wall dormers and barge board. 223 W. Mai n Stree t, c. 18 52 (right), exh ibits th e Gothic Revi val style through the gable wall d ormer and shouldered la belmolds. However, the house also has a number of characteristics of the Greek Revival and Itali anate styles. Bot h houses are recommended fo r local landmark designa tion.
ArchiSearch Historic Pr eservation Consultan ts Plai nfiel d’s Histor ic Urbaniz ed Core: An Intensi ve-Level Survey 35 Romanesque Revival As was typical of many styles, the Romanesque Rev ival style was insp ired by E uropean trends. In the U nited States, R ichard Up john and James Re nwick wer e the fi rst two ar chitects to desi gn in the Romanesq ue Revival style. Ren wick’s Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., completed in 1848, inspired interest in the Romanesque Revival style. Maso nry construction, round arches,corbeli ng, square o r polyg onal to wers, wal ls divi ded by bel t course s, and 6/6 o r 4/4 side el evati on windows are features of the styl e. While generally the style dat es fr om c. 1850 to c. 1880, the influence of the style can s till be seen up to the turn of the century, particularly in reli gious and commercial buildings in small and mid-si ze d towns. Frequently the influence of the style is so minimal that round arc hed windo ws and min or corbe ling may be the only features to re flect the style.Most examples of th e style are symmet rical.The Romanesque Rev ival style is u sed minimally in the village, li mited to th ese two commerci al buildings along Lockpo rt Street. An excellent exa mple is the Robertson Building at 51 9 W. Lockport (le ft) which is recommended for local l andmark s tatus, as well as contri buting to re commended hsi toric distri cts. Built c . 1892, the Robertson Building includes co ntinuous s tone lintels and sills, and an arcaded parapet; the storefro nt has also been restored. The nearby buildi ng at 515 W. Lockport (righ t), was also cons tructed c. 1892, and e xhibits the influe nce of the s tyle.Italian ate The Italianate st yle was argua bly the most popular residential and comme rcial s tyle o f the mid-late ninetee nth century. Coinciding with a period of great population growth, an d commercia l and industrial expans ion, the style is commonly found thr oughout Il linois . Key f eatures of the s tyle ar e low-pitched hip roofs, broad overhangs, shaped brackets on broad cornices, taller 2 vertical /2vertical double-hung sash, round or segmentally arched windows, an d hoodmolds. For commercial buildings,
ArchiSearch Historic Pr eservation Consultan ts Plai nfiel d’s Histor ic Urbaniz ed Core: An Intensi ve-Level Survey 36 cast iron storefront features such as turned rope columns and pil asters w ere use d. A boxy , square shape was gene rally u sed in re sidenti al vers ions of the sty le, whic h were al most alwa ys two s tories.Porches typica lly hav e square or chamf ered woo den pos ts and porch cornices often mimic the main house cornice. Given the time period and styl istic e lements , the sty le als o compan ioned we ll with the Side Hall Pl an vern acular f orm. Like the Gothic Revival sty le, the Italianate style also began in England as p art of the Pic turesque movemen t, a reaction to the classic al ideals in a rchitect ure that ha d dominate d for ne arly two hundred years. There, rambling informal Italian farmhouses served as inspiration. In somewhat of a contradiction, Italian architecture from the Renaissance or ancien t Rome had led to t he prev ious era of cla ssical ly ins pired arc hitecture . In the United S tates, mo re formal versio ns of th e Itali anate style, based on the pala zzo, fell under the Renaiss ance Rev ival s tylisti c label ; the te rm “Italian Villa”is sometimes used for versions which are either boxy with symmetrical balance and have a belvedere,or are asymmetrical with square tower features. Of fifty Italianate buildings recorded in the survey,only eight were high style examples.The Ital ianate style appears more commo nly as an influenc e in Plainfie ld. However, the village does h ave some excellent examples of t he style. The Corbin House at 15133 N. Division/State R oute 59 (left) has been moved to its current locati on and h as synt heti cally si ded wal ls; ho wever, the hous e retains many of its original It alianate featu res including pedi mented drip c aps ove r windo ws, cor ner bay, and hi ghly en livene d corni ce. An outstanding example of the style is at 718 N. Bartlett Avenue (right). It, too, featu res a highly e nlivened cornic e, prominent d rip caps, and a truncated h ip roof simi lar to the Corbi n House.French S econd Empir e The shorter-lived French Second Empire style was used from c. 1855 - c. 1885. It is distincti ve for the use of a Mansard roof, a d ouble-p itched ro of which opene d up the attic level for use as a thir d story. T he Mansard roof also provided an other potential palle tte for architec tural orn ament, wit h its steep f ron t pitch exposure frequently decorated with colorful slate shingles creating a pattern.Otherwise, the style has m any of the same attributes as the so mewhat concurrent Italianate style,
ArchiSearch Historic Pr eservation Consultan ts Plai nfiel d’s Histor ic Urbaniz ed Core: An Intensi ve-Level Survey 37 incl uding talle r 2 vertical/2 vertical double-hung sash, wide co rnice bands, shaped brackets, and porches with square or chamfered wood posts and brackets. The dist inctive roof was named fo r 17 th -century architec t Francoi s Mansart . The revival of the roof occurred during the reign o f Napoleon III in France (1852-1870), and the style’s use in America was seen as being very modern, reflecting the latest French bui lding tre nds. In some ca ses, Ita lianate style houses were rem odeled ,incorporating the new, fashionable roo f line, which also added the pra cticality of incr easing usab le space in the h ome. How ever, the sty le was n ot limit ed to residential use. It was als o used for many public buildings in the United States during the Grant administration.While no high style examples of the style are found in Pl ainfield, the influence o f the style is pe rhaps uniquely seen particularly on porches o f T-Plan houses. Even in this o ccurrence, the porch roof is not exactly a true Ma nsard, bu t rather a st eep shed or pent roof , which topped with a fla t roof.Neverth eless , the int ent is c learly a refle ction o f the Fre nch Seco nd Empire style . The French Second Empi re styl e app ears mi nimally in th e villa ge, bu t incl udes exampl es at 2 22 N. Joli et Road /U.S.Route 30 (left) and 711 N. Cente r Street (right ). The uniqu e flared Mansard roof on 222 N. Joliet Road is t he chief expression of the style. The Mansar d-lik e porc h roof on 711 N. Center is more t ypical of how the style i s used as an influence in the villag e. These qu asi-Mansard roof porches, more a broad truncate d hip roof as to mimic a Mans ard,are quite c ommon on T-Plan hous es in the village.Queen Anne Variety is the simplest way to s ummarize the Queen Anne style: wall surface s varied with fish scale and other pattered shingles, asymmetrical facades with gabled pavilions and bays, a v aried roof line with multiple roof types or multipl e gables , windows of vari ous typ es or gro uped in v arious pairs and sets, and ela borate porche s which o ften wrap facades to side eleva tions. T he Queen Anne style was popular particul arly fo r domesti c archite cture in the l ate nine teenth century , c. 1880 - c. 1905. The impetus f or the s tyle wa s the Centennial Expositio n of 1876 in Philadelphia; the designs of English Vict orian era arc hitect Rich ard Norma n Shaw was also an influence, as h is work had b een widely published in archi tectural journals . Palliser’s Model Homes , 1 878, and Comstoc k’s Modern Architec tural
ArchiSearch Historic Pr eservation Consultan ts Plai nfiel d’s Histor ic Urbaniz ed Core: An Intensi ve-Level Survey 38 Designs and Det ails , 1881, were among the publications of the pe riod which featured designs and plans for Queen Anne style hous es for carpenter-builders. The Queen Anne style was als o used for commercial buildings , with var ied brick work, turre ts, round arche s, and horizontal banding being among the sty listic features . The style may be expres sed in a variety of influe nces, wi th some o f the most reduced t wo story versio ns of th e styl e havin g only a gabled pavili on and p erhaps a cut-awa y bay. Simple one sto ry co ttage ex amples of the s tyle may have p atterned shingle s and an elaborat e porch despite on a small scale house. T hirty-se ven buil dings in the survey show Qu een Anne style or influence.The house at 723 N. Bar tlett Avenue (left) is an excellent exa mple of the Queen Anne style. Its features include a two story gable front cut-away bay and a full-facade f ront porch whi ch wraps th e gable front b ay. 15003 N. Division Street/State Route 59 (ri ght) is a g ood example of t he style, wit h a similar st eeply-pit ched hip roof and gable front pavilion. It features a Classical Revival front porch . With the Queen Anne style overlapping th e Classical Revival style t oward t he lat e 19 th and ear ly 20 th centuries, this combi nation of styli stic influ ence is non u ncommon.Shingle Style Similar to the Queen Anne styl e, the Shingle Style al so features asymmetrical facades and porches.Howeve r, Shingle Style buildings are more dominate d by patte rned shi ngles–but t, fishs cale, or undulating patterns–sweeping roof lin es (usually gable), and general ly simpler building forms. The style name was coined by architec tural his torian Vi ncent Sc ully in 1955, and the style is loos ely based on late me dieval Englis h forms. The Shingle Style is a d istinctively American style which was first used for New England summer houses. Later examples of the style employed gambrel roofs, Palladian windows, and classical porch col umns, perhaps showing some influence of the Colonial Rev ival style as well. The Shing le Styl e was use d minimall y in the late ninete enth ce ntury, c. 1885 - c. 1890, and was the mo st short -lived of inf luence s at that time per iod.
ArchiSearch Historic Pr eservation Consultan ts Plai nfiel d’s Histor ic Urbaniz ed Core: An Intensi ve-Level Survey 39 The house at 722 N. Center Street (left) is an excellent exam ple of the Shingle Style, with its steeply-p itched, sweeping gable front and side gable pavilion s. The hous e at 501 N. DesPlaines (ri ght) features varie d wall materials inc luding shaped sh ingles. Both h ouses retain a high degree of int egrity and are recomme nded for National Re gister and local landmark status.Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival style was one of a number of so-called “period rev ival styles” which dominated turn of the century and early twentieth ce ntury domestic architecture. While typical ly in previo us eras more distinct periods of style would have dominated, the early to mid-twentieth century was filled with a number of overlapping perio d revival styles s uch as Colonial Revival, Tudor Reviva l,Dutch Colonia l Re vival, Georgian Revival, Medit erranean, F rench Colonial/Norman Revi val,Missions, Spanish Eclectic or Spani sh Colonial Revival , and even Late Gothic Rev ival. Colonial Revival was perh aps the longes t live d of the m all, c arrying we ll into the lat e twenti eth cen tury. The Colonial Revival style was a r eaction to wh at architects saw as an excess es of the domestic architec ture of the Victorian era, much of the nineteenth century. Architects took inspiration f rom Ameri ca’s own past, s eeking stylis tic authe nticity . Howev er, the p roportio ns of th e twenti eth cen tury adaptation were larger, with a free interpretation of Colonial elements on signif icantly larger houses.The New York architec tural fir m of McK im, Mead, a nd White was an early proponent of the style.Later the success and interest in Colon ial Wil liamsburg did much to stir a mo re broad spread interest in the s tyle. M oreove r, nation al publi cations made the style easily availa ble. Profession al journals such as Architectural Reco rd , Pencil Points , and Archit ectura l Forum provided measured drawings and photographs; more over, more readily available publications such as Ladies’ Home Journal , House Beautiful , and the White P ine Serie s pr omoted the s tyle. T he Owners Servic e Insti tute and t he
ArchiSearch Historic Pr eservation Consultan ts Plai nfiel d’s Histor ic Urbaniz ed Core: An Intensi ve-Level Survey 40 Architects’ Small H ouse Se rvice Bur eau (1915 - 1942) provided professionally des igned small house plans in the Colonial Revi val and other per iod revival styles. In the 1930 s and 194 0s, the style became popular for post offices, s chools, and libraries as well. The Georgian Reviv al style and Cape Cod vernac ular for m became s ubtypes of this style. Both th e Colonial Revival style a nd especially the Cape Cod vernacular building type became even more popular within the su rge of post-World War II ho using boo m.Gable or hip ro ofs with dormers; rectangu lar, almo st box-l ike for m; symmet rical mas sing, smo oth Tuscan columns or fluted pilasters ; elaborate p orticoes or full-length porches; port cocheres, rear terraces, and pati os; lar ge double-hung multi –light windows with shutters; modillions and dentils at the cornice; balustrades on roofs or porches; P al ladian windows; and side porches were common elemen ts of the style . Twenty-five Colonial Revival buildings were document in the survey; most of these (nineteen) had o nly the influence o f the style.Two excellent examples of the Coloni al Revi val sty le in Pl ainfi eld are locate d at 720 N. Center Street (left ) and 605 N. James Street (ri ght). Both h ouses featu re prominent p orches with Colonial Revival eleme nts, and have b road rectangular massi ng. Bot h hou ses are recomme nded f or local landmar k status and as contributing to potential historic districts.Craftsman/Arts and Cr afts, and Prairie Part of an i nternati onal co ncern f or refo rm in the arts, the Craftsma n style or Arts and Craft s movement sought to promote simpler design, natural materials, and fine craftsma nship. Ninetee nth century English designer Willia m Morris par ticularly inspired the American development of th e style and the philosophy behind it. In the United States, Gustav Stickley became a major pro ponent of the style , not onl y throug h h is furniture designs, but also through house designs and philosophical ideas he promo ted throug h The Craftsman . Publishe d fro m 1901-1 916, The Craftsman featured house p lans an d other A rts and C rafts in spiratio ns.
ArchiSearch Historic Pr eservation Consultan ts Plai nfiel d’s Histor ic Urbaniz ed Core: An Intensi ve-Level Survey 41 Among the charact eristics of the st yle are triangular knee bra ces and expose d rafter t ails; mu lti-li ght upper sash over single-l ight lower sash; casemen t windows, often with slender geometric muntins;low-pitched gable fronts with wide eav es; texture d press ed brick; and a mix of wall materials, most commonly stucco on an upper story abov e wood shingle or clapb oard on the firs t story. Board overlay, mimicking half-timbering, and tapered posts on p orches were also used. The Bungalow and Four Square vernacular buildings types commonly featured the influence of the Craftsman style.Horizontal e mphasis, asymmetrical massing, low-pitched hip roo f with broad eaves, prominent chimneys, stucco or Roman brick walls set against dark wood trim, bands of caseme nt windows (sometimes multi-light perhaps with stained glass), mass ive square porch piers, and a ge neral lack of ornamentation are the chief characteristics o f the Prairie style. While Frank Lloyd Wright was the chief architect of the style , other a rchitect s practi ces the style as well . Used f rom c. 1905 - c . 1930,the Prairie style develop ed as a chiefly Midwestern s tyle, intended to complement the gentle, rolling topograp hy of the Chicago and southern Wiscon sin regi ons. Th e styl e repre sented a great de parture from the overload of pe riod revival styles which dominated early and mid-tw entieth century American domesti c archite cture. Ho use form , color, and styling was to ble nd with natur e. Desp ite the true hub of the style nationall y being in the Chicago area, particularly Oak Park, the influence of the style is seen only minim ally in Plainfield , mostly in combin ation wit h vernac ular for ms and the Craftsma n/Arts and Craf ts styl e. Twenty-seven buildings in the survey area were recorded as being Craftsman, with most of these (twenty-five) having only the influence of the style. Six bu ildings have the influence of the Prairie style.The Arthur Covili House at 404 W. Ottawa (left ), was c onstru cted c . 1924 - 26 and reflects the Prairie/Arts and Crafts styles through the mixed use of brick with stucco, the low-pitched hip roof, and the sweeping eaves. The house at 15300 N . Division Street/Sta te Route 59 (right), at the northwest corner of Newkirk, fe atures a ceramic tile hip roof and full-facad e porch wit h concrete de corative inse ts reflecti ng the Arts and Crafts or Craf tsma n style. It is currently under reh abilitatio n for conversion t o office us e, but the additions b lend well with the original building.
ArchiSearch Historic Pr eservation Consultan ts Plai nfiel d’s Histor ic Urbaniz ed Core: An Intensi ve-Level Survey 42 Dutch Colonial Revival Among a number of period revival styles which occurred in the e arly twentieth century, the Dutch Colonial Revival style is distinctive for its gambrel roof, either side o r front f acing. Th e side of the gambrel roof typically has a shed roof dormer of substantial siz e, opening up the upper half st ory to nearly full story use. Multi-pane windows and lunette windows in the gable ends were also common;shutters may be applied as a decorative element. Ge nerally, with the exception of the gambrel roof,the elemen ts of this style are ide ntical to those of the C olonial Revival style, with en trances detailed with classical elements and side porches extending the living space. The style was part icularly popular among middle-class urban and suburban families, reachin g its peak in the 1 920s - ear ly 1930s. However, plan books c arried the style into the 1940s. Sears Roebuck, for example, offered twenty-s even di fferen t Dutch Co lonial Reviva l house s from 1911 to 1940. The house at 209 W. Lockpor t Street is concealed from clea r view by mature everg reen trees, but if one of the f ew houses which in Plainfield whi ch reflects the influe nce of the Du tch Colonial Revi val style. While the house now appea rs as bei ng from the e arly 20 th century, Sanborn map s show that the house is much older. This c. 1870 house was “updated” around 1945 to appear a s a then modern , Dutch Colonial Re vival house; i ts revised ap pearance is now historic, o ver fifty years old .Tudor/English Revival The Tudor Revival or English Rev ival style was ye t another of the period reviv al styles of the early twentiet h century , used c. 1910 - c. 1945. Th e styl e was bas ed on 16 th -century English vernacular buildings, and was promoted in England by Richar d Norm an Shaw as early as the 1880s. As was typi cal with other such styles, builders’ manuals and architects’ journals did much to promote t h e style in the U nited State s. Projecting gable wings or pavil ions of various heights, and promine nt chimneys are the most common elements of the sty le. Chimneys commonly ris e up the main facade.En t rances may be in corpora ted within lower, s hallow gable win gs. Tudor Revival buildings are
ArchiSearch Historic Pr eservation Consultan ts Plai nfiel d’s Histor ic Urbaniz ed Core: An Intensi ve-Level Survey 43 usually masonry , either stone o r brick, but may also have stucco , particul arly in use with dark wood trim imitating real ha lf-timbe ring. A mi xture of mate rials is common as well, e specially around entrances which may be framed in stone against a brick wall plane. Tudor R evival houses are u sually asymmetri cal, with multi-light windows (grouped, and usually casement s as h), slate roofs or fals e thatched roofs w ith roll ed edges , a n d copper gutters and downspouts with ornamental he ads.Influence of the style may be as simple as an e xtendin g gabl e pavilio n entrance and a prominent facade chimney. The Tudor Revival style is foun d minimall y in Pla infiel d, with on ly twel ve build ings showing the style or infl uence.The Tudor Revival style is us ed on only a few h ouses in Plai nfield. One very goo d example, recomme nded for local landmark status, is at 204 W. Lockport Street (left). Asymmetrical massi ng, mixed used of brick with stucco, various window groups, and an extendi ng entrance are among t he Tudor Revival fe atures of th e house. A less pronounc ed example is at 217 N. Joliet Ro ad (right), with a prominent front chimney which extends to encompass the front entrance.Mediterranean The Mediterr anean s tyle is found qui te minimal ly in Pl ainfiel d, but infl uence o f the style can be seen in the work of loc al builde r Clift on Brown, in combin ation wit h othe r influen ces. While “Mediterranean” lacks the “revival” label of other styles of this period, it is ne verthel ess amo ng the numerous period revival styl es which occurred in the early twentieth century. The style dates from c. 1915 to c. 1945. The Pan-American Exhibition in San Diego in 1915 is credite d with bein g the chief inspira tion fo r the interest in this style. “Mediterranean” is pop ularly applied to styl es having origins in southwestern Europe–Spain, Italy, an d southern France. The sty le diff ers fro m the earlier Mission style in general ly empl oying f ewer arch es with mo re recta ngular win dows and doors; arches,however, continued to be a part of the design. Later versions of the style became more ornate and walls more tex tured. The use of stucco wa s common , even tinted s tucco in colors such as o chre,cream, or yel low; ho wever, t he use o f yell ow brick a lso bec ame pop ular, which is a trait in some of the houses attributed to Clifton Brown. Characteristics of the styl e may include porches and pe rgolas on side el evatio ns; lo w, elong ated mass ing for d omestic designs ; caseme nt windows or multi-light
ArchiSearch Historic Pr eservation Consultan ts Plai nfiel d’s Histor ic Urbaniz ed Core: An Intensi ve-Level Survey 44 sash; deep window and door reveals; metal window grilles and balconie s appe aring to be hand-wrought iron; entrances framed by elaborate ornament c arved or case in class ical or Spanish Colonial forms; and low-pitched tile roof s, often hipped with shallo w eaves.Houses at 134 N. Joliet Road/U.S. Rou te 30 (left) and 713 W. Commercial Street (ri ght) both exhibit t he influenc e of the Medit erranean style, with yellow brick walls an d round arched entrance s. Both hou ses are recommend ed as contributi ng to histo ric distric ts. The Commerci al Street hous e was Clifton Brown’s own residenc e.Vernacular Building Types Hall an d Parlor The Hall and Parlor house type is three bays wide and a single pile deep, with a side gable roof. It may be one or one a nd one-half stories in he ight and it commonly occurs with rear wings;occasionally the rear wings and additions can be rather extravagant in comparison to the two room base of the house. In its simplest form, the Hall and Parlor is just a two room house: the “hall ” being a room, a general eating and living space, not a conv entiona l hall way; and a “parlo r,” a small er, more formal gathering space which may have als o functioned as a bedroom. The upper half story or attic may have s erved a s slee ping sp ace. D o orways are generally lo cated in the center of the f acade,opening directl y into t he “hall ,” the lar ger of t he two ro oms. Chi mneys ma y be located at one or both ends of the gable. Plainfi eld h as bo th one and one and one-half story versions of the Hall and Parlor. Only nine example s of the Hall and Parlor are in the village, with two of the examples being variations of the type.
ArchiSearch Historic Pr eservation Consultan ts Plai nfiel d’s Histor ic Urbaniz ed Core: An Intensi ve-Level Survey 45 On the left i s 611 W. Commercial Street, a one story example of the Hall and Parlor h ouse t ype. Th e two r oom core of the h ouse i s fair ly obvi ous fr om the exteri or, with the single pile dept h. The Classi cal Revival inspi red door hood was added to this c . 1860 hou se in the e arly 20 th century. On the right, 301 N. Joliet Road/U.S. Route 30 dates to c. 1870 and appears to be a 1-1/2 story version o f the Hall and Parlor h ouse type. It, too, is onl y a single pile (or one room) deep at i ts core.Side Hall Plan Sometimes also k nown as t he Two-Th irds Georgia n, the Si de Hall Plan or Side Hallway house was used from c. 1840 - c. 1890. It is usually two or two and one-hal f storie s tall and has e ither a f ar right or far left entranc e within a thr ee bay facade. Si de Hall P lan h ouses a re one r oom wide with a staircase/hall, and at least two rooms deep. It is genera lly known as an ur ban house for m, fitting well on narrow, urban lots during this period of heavy industrial and urban development in the United States. Roof forms may vary, but as the form coincided compl etely with the Italianate sty le, hip roofs are more common than gable front roofs for this form. Po rches ar e not as integral to the h ouse fo rm,and may consis t only of an e ntrance porch or have no porch at all. Among the excelle nt examples of the Side Hall Plan house type is the Italianate inf luenced Side H all Pla n hous e at 213 West Ottawa. Thirteen Side Hall Plan houses were doc umented i n the sur vey, wi th two examples being a variati on of th e true fo rm.
ArchiSearch Historic Pr eservation Consultan ts Plai nfiel d’s Histor ic Urbaniz ed Core: An Intensi ve-Level Survey 46 Two excellent examp les of the Side Hall Plan house type ar e located at 15124 N. Division Street/S tate Route 59 (left)and 213 W. Ottawa Street (ri ght). As is typi cal for the h ouse type, b oth house s feature th ree bay facades w ith an end bay entrance. Both of the se examples als o have Italianate influence, e xpressed on the doub le door entrance and hood on the Division Street house, and through the pedimented drip caps on the Ottawa Street ho use. 15124 N. Division retains a very high degree of integr ity, and is recommended for local landmar k status.I-House Occurring during much of the nineteenth century to the turn-of -the-ce ntury, the I-House is so named for its common distribution in the “I states”–Indiana, Illinois , and Iowa. In one of its more common versio ns, t he I-House is essentially a two st ory Hall and Par lor–two room s wide and only a single room deep. It most co mmonly h as a side gable ro of with a symmetrical facade of three bays (Pre-Classic I-House) or five bays (Classic I-House). The three bay version has the hall room and parlor, with the cen tral doo r openi ng into e ither the smalle r room or the larger room. The staircase may be located in either of the rooms. Chimney locations v ary from the interior (within the core of the house), interio r end, or ext erior en d. Five bay versions of the I-House have a central hallway with two rooms on either side. Rear el l wings are common, in a variety of heights. Les s common is the Four Bay I-House, which may have one or two entrances and either a two rooms over two rooms plan, or a three over three pl an. Architectural style, if used at al l, is most typically exp ressed through a variety of porches, f rom simple entrance porches to full-width front porches. Windows, e ntrances,and gable ends may also ex hibit influence of an a rchitect ura l styl e. Sixte en I-Ho uses wer e documente d in the s urvey, wi th two of the exa mples be ing vari ations o f the true form.
ArchiSearch Historic Pr eservation Consultan ts Plai nfiel d’s Histor ic Urbaniz ed Core: An Intensi ve-Level Survey 47 Two excellent examples of the Pre-Cl assic or three bay I-House are lo cated at 15201 N. Divis ion/St ate Rou te 59 (left) and 507 N. Dillman Street (ri ght). Both h ouses are th ree bays wide and a single pile, or room, deep. Bo th also retain hist oric porches , with tha t on 15201 N. Division ha ving a signifi cant curved wood cornice. The I-House at 618 W. Mai n Street (left ) has been conver ted fo r u se as an offi ce, but retai ns its hi storic form; a Classical Revival influence entran ce hoo d as be en rest ored. T he ho use at 206 W. Eva ns app ears to be a 1-1/2 stor y Pre-Classic I-House, al though its form is longer than the other examples.Upright and Wing The Upright and Wing house type has two compon ents: a taller, tw o or one and one-ha lf story gable front section and a shor ter one or one and on e-half sto ry side gable wing. Key to the definition of this house type is that t he two se ctions are of differing heights, with gable ends in different directions.The wing is most commonly recess ed from the facade plane of the upri ght, makin g an L-pl an or T-plan and prov iding a l ogical opportun ity for a porch a long the wing. En trances may be in the upright,but are more commonl y in the wing unde r a porch . This ho use form is als o known as the Tem ple
ArchiSearch Historic Pr eservation Consultan ts Plai nfiel d’s Histor ic Urbaniz ed Core: An Intensi ve-Level Survey 48 and Wing House. Its popularit y co incided with the o ccurrenc e of the Greek Re vival period, with pilasters, cornice returns, and wide entablatures sometimes adorning this ve rnacular house ty pe. On the interio r, the win g may hav e origin ally i ncluded one or t wo be drooms, and a pantry or a lar ge kitchen; t he uprigh t u sually include d a formal parlor, staircas e, and add itional bedrooms . The Upright a nd Wing ge nerall y was use d from c. 1830 - c. 1890.The Upright and Wing is an integral part of the G reek Revival/early v ernacular building which is so signi ficant in Plainfield. The house typ e generally occurs in small, shorter proportions, sometimes with very little differe ntial in height be tween the two sec tions. Importantly, this early house f orm is located along Pl ainfiel d’s trans portatio n corrido rs–Divi sion, Ma in, Lock port, and Jolie t Roa d.Twenty-s ix buildi ngs in th e surve y have the Upri ght and Wi ng form.Upright and Wi ng vernacular hous es include these two examples at 711 W. Ottaw a Street (left) and 204 N. Joliet Road (right). As i s common with this vernacular form, the se two example s show influ ence of the Greek Revival style.The Ottawa hous e has frieze windows on th e side elevat ion of the g able front and t he Joliet Road house has cornice returns on the gable front. Both houses h ave unfortunate ly been synthe tically sided .Gabled Ell , T-Plan , and Cross Plan The Gabled E ll hous e type is one or two s tories w ith an in tersect ing ga ble roof creating an L-plan front. Gabled Ell houses may be of balloon frame or brick bearing wall construction. Occurring from c. 1865 - c. 1900 , the Gabled Ell was a pop ular post-Civil War house ty pe. Key to this house type is the two intersecting gables being the same height, rather than two distinctly different ty pes as on the Upright and Wing. The front indentation within the ell is call ed the reentrant angle and almost always includes an entrance porch, commonly of fering the opportunity for styl istic features such as decorative posts, cornices, brackets, and deco r ative ra ilings. Side ga ble ends do not us ually have entrances; side win gs paral lel to the street are usually longe r than the front-facing gable end is wide.Main entrances may be multiple under the porch, from the side of the gable front and the front of the side gab le wing. The period of occurrence of the Gable Ell coinc ides with several architectural
ArchiSearch Historic Pr eservation Consultan ts Plai nfiel d’s Histor ic Urbaniz ed Core: An Intensi ve-Level Survey 49 styles of the period; these c ould inc lude la te use of the Greek Revival style, and the Italianate, French Second Empire, and Quee n Anne s tyles. As can be common with houses, porches may als o reflect later changes to Gabled Ell houses, showing turn of the cen tury and e arly twe ntieth c entury architectural influe nces su ch as the Colonial Revival style. Amon g the examples of th e Gabled Ell house type in the survey area i s the excellent examp le shown above on West Ottawa Street. Thirty-three examples of the Gabled Ell house type were documented in this survey.The T-Plan is similar in time period an d detailing to the Gabled Ell , but has a prominent T-Pl an which faces the front o r side. In some cases, T-Plans which fa ce to th e side, thereby appeari ng to be L-shaped in the front, may st ill be classified as a Gable d Ell. The T-Plan form has a quite interesting occurrence in Plainfield, concentrated al ong Bartlett and Center streets, and having similar embelli shments in the re entrant a ngle por ches showing French Second Empire inf luence, an architectural influenced used minimally in Plainfield. Thirty-one exampl es of the T -Plan we re documented in this survey.Cross Plan hou ses are also s imilar in time pe riod and d eta iling to both the Gabled Ell and T-plan house types. Cross Plan house s are typically two s tories, with intersecting gable wings. Most commonly, these houses are irre gularly massed, with the l onger ax is perp endicul ar to the street, and the shorter axis pa rallel to the street. The shorter axis may be asymmetrical, that is , extend longer to one si de than th e other. Like th e T-Plan house, t he Cros s Plan c ommonly feature s a re entran t angle porch, emphasizing one side of the gabl e front more than the other. O nly si x examp les of the Cross Plan were documented in this s urvey.Excellent examples of the Gabled Ell house type are loca ted at 32 W. Ottawa, c. 1880 (left), an d 807 N. DesP laines,c. 1870 (right). 32 W. Ott awa retains a very h igh degree of integrity, including or iginal 2/2 double-hung window s;the asbestos s hingle sidi ng is now over fift y years o ld and i s thu s his toric . 807 N. De sPlain es unf ortuna tely h as viny l siding; however the house overall ret ains a high degree of int egrity, includ ing arched ho odmolds and a one story semi-hexagonal bay which are of I talianate influence. Both properties ar e recommended for loca l landmark status.
ArchiSearch Historic Pr eservation Consultan ts Plai nfiel d’s Histor ic Urbaniz ed Core: An Intensi ve-Level Survey 50 wT o excellent examples of the T-Plan house type are located at 715 N. Center Street (left) and 7 13 N. Bartl ett Avenue (ri ght). The occurrence of T-Plan house s seems to b e concentrated on these t wo streets, wi th both s treet s havin g several examples in a ro w. Both houses feature the reentrant angle por ches with entrance bui ld-outs, lowe r 1-1/2 or 1 story rear wing s, and side/rear porches off the wings.The house at 806 N. Illi nois Street i s recommended f or local landmark statu s as an excellen t e xample of the Cross Plan building type with Italianate style , retaining a high degree of integrit y. The view on t he left illu strates how s imilar these Cross Plan houses are to the T-Plan house types. The view on the right shows the Cross Plan appearance from the front, wi th the lef t or south s ide of the house clearly b eing the mai n focus of t he house.Gable Front Gable Front houses also ge nerall y date f rom c. 1865 - c . 1900 and int o the early twentieth century.Gable Front houses have a rectangular form, with the narrow end toward the street. The entrance must be in the Gable Front, rat h er than o n a side eleva tion. Ga ble Fron t houses are usual ly 1-1/2 or 2 stories tall; 1 st ory exampl es which are onl y one ro om wide wo uld be Sho tgun house s. The
ArchiSearch Historic Pr eservation Consultan ts Plai nfiel d’s Histor ic Urbaniz ed Core: An Intensi ve-Level Survey 51 Gable Front le nds itself to architectural embellishments rather well , with cornice returns being common in the village, showing Gre e k Revival influe nce. As such, so me examp les migh t more accurately be classified as Templ e Form. The Side Hall Plan house form is frequently a Gable Front form. Gable Front houses m ay ot herwise not exhibit the three bay width of the Side Hall Plan.Sixty-nine Gable Front h ouses we re reco rded in th is surve y, with s even o f these having s ome variatio n to the true form.T wo examples of Gab le Front house s from two dis tinctly diff erent time p eriods are 213 N. Joliet Road/U.S. Rout e 30 (left ), the Elih u and E liza Co rbin Ho use, c . 1856, and 514 W. Comm ercial Street (righ t), c. 18 9 0-95. The Corbin House exhibits influence of the Greek Revival sty le through its c ornice ret urns. The hou se on Commercial Street reflect s the Queen Anne style throu gh its modi fied Palladian wi ndow group and we st elevation o riel. Pyramidal Cottage While t he true i nterpre tation o f this ho use form dates f rom c. 1890 - c . 1910, the v ariation s of the form extend well i nto the twentieth century. The true Pyramidal Cottage i s a square house with a pyramidal hip roo f. The roo f may al so be trun cated, th at is, fl at on top , without f orming a pyramid peak. Th e true fo rm would us ually be at leas t two roo ms wide by two rooms deep. H owever, the variation of the form may extend to a rectangular shape , taking on an almost Bungalow appearance.These exampl es have the narro w end pl ace towa rd the str eet. Th is elongated form dates from c.1910 - c. 1950. In most c ases, th e cottag es are w ithout arc hitectura l infl ue nce. Occasion ally,porches display architectural influen ce, but many examples do not have porches. Forty-three examples of the Pyramidal Cottage were rec orded in this surv ey; thi rty of t hese we re variati ons of the true form.
ArchiSearch Historic Pr eservation Consultan ts Plai nfiel d’s Histor ic Urbaniz ed Core: An Intensi ve-Level Survey 52 Two examples of t he Pyrami dal Cottag e are lo cated at 4 (le ft) an d 10 (ri ght) W . Chic ago Stre et, ne ar the easte rn bound ary of the su rvey. These date to c. 1955 and c . 1940 respe ctively. Neith er example has a ny architectu ral stylistic i nfluence. Several other examples are in this area of the vi llage.Four Square Two or two an d one-ha lf stor ies in h eight, thi s verna cular ho use form is chara cterize d b y i ts boxy form, hip roof, an d commonl y roof dormers. Basement s are usual ly rais ed, which requires stairs t o get to the front entrance. This o ften incorporates a full-width front porch, which sometimes gives the opportunity t o express an ar chitectural style from this pe riod, c. 1905 - c. 1930. Foursquares frequently have at-grade doors on the drive way sid e of the ho use, all owing fo r a landi ng entry convenient to the kitchen and basement , and acknowledging the growing automobile era.Foursquare houses are at least two rooms deep. I t was one of the most pop ular house types during t he early twentieth century, with many mail-order (s uch as Sears and Montgomery Ward) an d pattern book companies prominently featuring the house. Plainfield has a number of good examples of this house type, occurring in a v ar iety of buil dings mate rials, f rom clap board and br ick, to patterne d concre te bloc k.
ArchiSearch Historic Pr eservation Consultan ts Plai nfiel d’s Histor ic Urbaniz ed Core: An Intensi ve-Level Survey 53 The Four Square at 802 N. Bartlett Avenue i s an excellent e xample of the hous e type, with the typic al ful-facade front porch, hip roof, hip roof dormer, and at-grade driveway side door (left). T he example at 305 W. C hicago is unique in the Village for its rock-faced con crete block construction (right), with this property also i nclude a uniq ue two story outbuildi ng, also of rock-f aced concrete b lock .Bungalow Architectural refere nce boo ks vary as to whe ther the Bun galow is an architectural style versus a vernacular building type. In Identifying American Archit ecture : A Pic torial Guide t o Styles a nd Terms,1600-1945 , a popul ar and ea sy-to -use sty le guide, John J.-G. Blumenson includes the Bungalow among architectural styles. Marcus Whiffin , in American Architectur e Since 1780: A Guid e t o the Styles includes it as a style with the rather awkward moniker “Bungaloid.” Original editions of these two guides da te to 1977 and 1969 respectively, at a time when views of historic architecture, much less an acknowledgment of vernacular buildings types, was seriously limited. Stephen Gordon in How to Complet e the Oh io Histo ric Inve ntory has bridged the style versus typ e Bu ngalow di lemma by includi ng i t in both the architectural style and v ernacular building type sections o f the book.Commonly real e state profes sional use the term quite generic ally, a pplyin g it to an y small house, bu t the Bungal ow is ac tually a distinc t form.Bungalows are most commonly one and on e-half stories, but may al so be one or two stories. Key features are long, sweeping gable roo f lines, overhanging eav es, prominent porches (often wit h tapered posts), exposed rafter tail s, and knee braces which ac centuate the roof overhan g. Wall surfaces may vary gr eatly an d often a combina tion of surface s may be used to v isually separat e the first and upper half stories. In How to Complete the Ohio Historic Inventory , the Bungalow vernacular type is sub-divided into two categories: Dormer Front and Gable Fr ont. Dor mer Front Bungalows have side facing gables and a front facing gabled or shed roo m dormer, o pening up the up per sto ry space on the front side of the building. Often his Bungalow sub-type has a ful l-width porch which is set within th e main side gable, t he front slope of which extend s down to encomp ass the porch. T he Gable Front Bunga low is o ne or on e and on e-half stories tall, wi th a low-pitched roof and front facing gable. This house type is particularly adaptable to narrow urban lots. Bungalows date from just after
ArchiSearch Historic Pr eservation Consultan ts Plai nfiel d’s Histor ic Urbaniz ed Core: An Intensi ve-Level Survey 54 the turn of t he cent ury to aro und 1940. The Craftsma n/Arts and Crafts style is used commonly with this house type, as is the Spanish Eclectic sty le. Numerous Bungalow house types are found throughout the survey area.Excellent examples of the Bungalow house type are at 506 W. Ottawa (left) and 217 W. Ottawa (righ t). Bot h are examples of the Dormer F ront sub-type, with prominent gable roo f dormers.Cape Cod Cottage The Cape Cod Cottage is a form that might be better classified within t he Colonial Revival architectural style , as the form and s tyle ar e usuall y insep arable. The one and one -half s tory sid e gable ho uses are symmetrical and are distinctive fo r promine nt gable roof do rmers whic h open t he upper half st ory to t he front . Windows are usual ly doubl e-hung, multi-light; shutters are common.Entrances typica lly ex hibit Col onial Re vival influen ce. Lowe r one or o ne and o ne-half story s ide wings are common, including use as a ope n or e nclosed side porch or f or later versions, single car attached g arages. Side wings may have ro of balus trades to outline a poten tial upp er story porch,another Colon ial Rev ival in spiratio n. Wall material s may inc lude cl apboard, br ick, or s tone. Th e Cape Cod Cottage dates from c. 1925 to c. 1955, and became in creasingly popular toward the later part of that time period. The house ty pe was in spired by 18 th century cottage s in Cap e Cod,Massachusetts, and later became a mod el for post-World War II housing, inspired by the succe ss of Levittown, New York, a pla nn ed communi ty. Twenty-f our examp les of this hou se type were documented in the survey.
ArchiSearch Historic Pr eservation Consultan ts Plai nfiel d’s Histor ic Urbaniz ed Core: An Intensi ve-Level Survey 55 Two excell ent ex amples of th e Cape Cod ho use t ype are at 733 N. B artlet t Avenu e and 406 W. Ne wkirk. Both examples have gable roof d ormers on steeply-p itched si de gable roofs. Originally bo th houses had single c ar attached garages, but t hat on 733 has been c onvert ed to a room. Th e Newki rk Stree t hou se is recomme nded f or local landmar k statu s as an excell ent ex ample o f the Cape Co d hou se typ e, ret ainin g a very h igh d egree o f inte grity.Ranch Ranch houses first appeared in the 1940s, but only gained in pop ularity during the post World War II building boom of t he 1950s and became th e epito me of su burban resi dential construc tion. Long rectangular for ms and low-pit ched roo fs, eith er gable or hip, g eneral ly chara cterize the for m.Entrances ar e at g rade and g arages a re ofte n attache d or eve n incorp orated in to the de sign of the house. Entrance porches are quite minimal; large picture win dows a re common. Brick is most common, but the wall treatment of Ranch houses may be in a variety of materials. Later versions of the building type, in the 1960s and later, often inco rporated sliding glass doors acc essing attached patio space. Ranch houses date fro m c. 1940s - c . 1980. Plainfield has a number of good e xamples of Ranch houses, includi ng a con centrati on in the Newkirk/Union/Pr att neigh borhood, Union and Union Court. More Ranch houses were rec orded in the surv ey than any othe r building type - 109 total.
ArchiSearch Historic Pr eservation Consultan ts Plai nfiel d’s Histor ic Urbaniz ed Core: An Intensi ve-Level Survey 56 Excellent examples of the Ranc h house type include 112 W. Ottaw a, near the Lakeside Dr ive/Court developmen t,and 602 Hartong, betwee n Joliet Road and W. Chicago. Both examples have lo ng rectangular for ms, although the differ in roof types and shallow pav ilion extensions.Tri-Level Like the Ranch house, Split-Level or Tri-Level houses became popular with the post World War II suburban surge of construction, c. 1950 - c. 1980. These houses feature two distinctive ro of heights,usually a taller gable f ront sec tion and a lower side gable section which includes the entrance. Like the Ranch house, porches are minimal. Entrance s open on to a landing, with a variety of levels offering living and sleeping spaces . Garage s are att ached at the end o f the ho use, usua lly fr ont faci ng.A variety of build ing materi als may be used, including synthe tic sidi ngs as a n origin al wall treatmen t.Examples of Tri-Level hous es include 139 N. Corbin and 4 N. Pratt. The house on Corbi n is set among a wide variety of earl y and mi d-twe ntiet h cent ury hou sing, but Pr att and the s urroun ding s tre e ts inc ludin g High view ar e entirely late t wentieth c entury in const ruction.
ArchiSearch Historic Pr eservation Consultan ts Plai nfiel d’s Histor ic Urbaniz ed Core: An Intensi ve-Level Survey 57 Carriage Barn Carriage barns ty picall y da te to c. 18 60 - c. 1915 and were des igned sp ecific ally f or horse -drawn vehicles, equipme nt , and horses. They may be constructed o f a variety of materials, but most examples in Plainfield are frame in construction. Carriage hou ses may vary from more modest si ngle story ou tbuildin gs to large two story versions wi th architec tural style. La rger versions u suall y incorpo rate hay lofts and ma y have also i ncluded upper st ory liv ing quarte rs for th e carriage driver.These outbuildings are typically l ocated on t he re ar lot line, distinctly s eparated from the main residence, perhaps on or across an alle y from the residence. Often c arriage ba rns are mo dified wi th garage doors replacing original barn doors; sometime s this ma y be a hi storic a lteratio n. The survey area include d a surpri sing numbe r of his toric ca rriage bar ns, alo ng with a n umber of v ery well designed modern garages, built to mimic carriage barns. The east side of Bartlett Avenue includes an outstanding collection of historic (and modern) carriage barns, linin g the rear alley, significant enough i n numbers and size to crea te the s ense o f a an ac tive al leyway . Both of the carriage barns sh own above would b e contribut ing to recommende d hist oric d istri cts. T he exa mples are 717 (left) and 734 (righ t) N. Bartlett Avenu e.
ArchiSearch Historic Pr eservation Consultan ts Plai nfiel d’s Histor ic Urbaniz ed Core: An Intensi ve-Level Survey 58 The examples sho wn above are both on N. Division/Stat e Route 59: 15123 on the left and 15021 on the right. The example at 15021 appears more barn-like t han many of the examples in t he survey area.Garage Beginning around 1910, t he incre asing us e of aut omobile s cause d the nee d for thi s outbuil ding form .The earlie st garage s were ty picall y for a single car, twelve feet by eighte en feet. Mail-order garages were fairly common–they were portable and prefabricated. Garages were built in a varie ty of materials and may also have architectural style. By the 1930s, garages were more commonly being incorporated into the design of house s. Garage doors were typically mu lti-fold doors or swing doors;commonly, th ese ha ve been replac ed with mo dern, ov erhead do ors. Sho wn is an example at the northwest corner of Joliet Road and West Union.Two exc ellent exampl es of h istor ic gara ges are locate d at 203 N. Joliet Road (left) and 732 N. Cen ter Street. The Joliet Road example is made of hist oric concrete b lock, and has exp osed rafter tai ls on its steeply-pitched hip roof. The example on Center Str eet has shiplap sided walls. Both examples have or iginal paired folding doors.