Arts & Crafts  / American Foursquare (Artistic)

Hallmarks

Hallmarks of Foursquares

• BOXY SHAPE It’s nearly a cube (practicality usually dictated a slightly greater depth than width), with two full storeys and an attic that was often made livable by large dormers.


• HIPPED ROOF Exceptions exist, but most Foursquares have a hipped or steep, pyramidal roof.


• WIDE PORCH The piazza normally extends the full width of the front, with a wide stair and entry either at the center or to one side.


• LARGE WINDOWS Grouped windows became popular with this style, admitting plenty of light.

• QUIET STYLE Yes, there are Foursquares with lots of art glass, jutting bays, and tiled roofs, but in general the “style” of the house is quietly announced in the use of simplified motifs, whether A&C, Prairie, or Colonial.

A beautiful Foursquare in Oregon has mixed motifs of the period: Craftsman eaves, a Prairie belt course, classical columns. Bays front and side break the box in this fine example.