Specifically, is it at all related to houses purchased through Sears,
or does it refer to houses built in opposition to the Victorian style
of the day with the finish work done by craftsmen? |
Request for Question Clarification by
pafalafa-ga
on
17 Aug 2005 19:44 PDT
In the early 1900's, an art and architecture movement known as the
Arts and Craft movement gave rise to a magazine called The Craftsman.
You can read a bit about it here:
http://www.westwinddesign.com/glossdes.htm
Among other things, the magazine included floor plans for homes.
Houses built in the Arts and Crafts style become known as Craftsman
houses.
Around 1911, a company came into being called the Craftsman Bungalow
Co, Inc in Seattle, Washington. They published a book of house plans
called simply "Craftsman Bungalows". Here's a link to one for sale
from 1916:
http://dogbert.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=360431250
I imagine this was the origin of the term. A search of newspaper
databases reveals the phrase suddenly coming into common use around
1912.
Does that help?
pafalafa-ga
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Clarification of Question by
erinpdx77-ga
on
18 Aug 2005 12:30 PDT
That helps, but I still want to know whether there is any truth to the
common association between craftsman homes and the Sears Roebuck
company. I think that because Sears has a line of tools called
Craftsman, people think that craftsman homes are ones people bought
from Sears. I know that for a long time people could buy homes/home
plans from Sears, but I think that the "Craftsman" tool line has
nothing to do with craftsman homes. Am I correct, or am I full of it?
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Request for Question Clarification by
nenna-ga
on
24 Aug 2005 11:21 PDT
I personally never heard of that association and never would have
thought of it. Why do you feel there is an association with an
architecture type and a store?
Nenna-GA
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Clarification of Question by
erinpdx77-ga
on
25 Aug 2005 12:45 PDT
It's a pretty common assumption in this part of the world (west coast)
My step-mother and I got into a little debate; she believes the term
"Craftsman Bungalow" originated with homes purchased through the Sears
catalog. There were many home styles available through Sears, but the
"Craftsman" in craftsman bungalow (i believe) relates to the finish
work (built-ins, moldings etc) being done by craftsmen.
As I mentioned before, Craftsman Tools is a brand of tools that Sears
sells. So, i assume that people associate the "Craftsman" label with
Sears, remember that Sears used to sell homes through their catalogs,
and then make the assumption that a craftsman bungalow must be a home
that was purchased through the Sears catalog. i think she is wrong,
but I'm having a hard time proving it :)
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Request for Question Clarification by
muhammad-ga
on
25 Aug 2005 13:22 PDT
I feel the credit for the origin of the phrase "Craftsman Bungalow"
should be given to Gustav Stickley who first published "The Craftsman"
in 1901. Thereafter, an article mentioning the phrase was written by
him "Craftsman Bungalows : 59 Homes from the Craftsman" (ISBN:
0486258297).
An article about this at the georgetowncollege.edu says...
"...One magazine that popularized the bungalow was The Craftsman by
Gustav Stickley. He first published it in 1901, offering designs and
construction techniques for Craftsman furniture. In 1904 he started to
show Craftsman-designed homes and floor plans, and in 1905 first
applied the word "bungalow," associated with an India house design.
When his magazine featured Green and Green's Gamble house in Pasadena,
the style, now known as the California bungalow, became increasingly
popular. Although the magazine ceased publication in 1916, its
influence continued to inspire house designs among Americans until the
1930s.
As an industrial arts instructor, Woodard probably subscribed to The
Craftsman during his employment at the college to keep informed of the
latest designs and techniques. This seems likely because his home
features designs, materials, and construction techniques that had
appeared in Gustav Stickley's magazine.
In 1914 Clark Woodard purchased a rural lot near the college, and by
1918 he had ample information to design and construct a naturalist
bungalow. The Craftsman would send free house plans to any interested
party. Gustav Stickley encouraged readers to modify designs to meet
their special needs and site. A comparison of Mr. Woodard's floor plan
(fig. 1) with Stickley's 1909 Simple, Straightforward floor plan (fig.
2) shows similarities in the layout. By making some alterations to
Stickley's floor plan it becomes Woodard's floor plan (fig. 3).
Stickley's floor plan is a two-story Craftsman home, but by placing
the two levels side by side it creates Woodard's home. The Woodard
floor plan continues to encompass all the major features of the
Stickley's design. The rural atmosphere near the college provided the
ideal location for Clark Woodard's bungalow... "
read more at http://spider.georgetowncollege.edu/htallant/border/bs9/jutkins.htm.
Hope that helps.
-muhammad
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