Seattle is a relatively young city in comparison to places on the east coast and certainly Europe. Yet despite that youth it has a treasure trove of architectural styles, most notably the bungalow. Hugely popular in the early 1900s, they still charm homebuyers. The recent Bungalow Fair at Town Hall, Sept. 30-Oct. 1, sponsored by Historic Seattle, is one such example of the burgeoning industry associated with these homes. At the Fair more than 50 craftspeople in metal, tile, glass, textiles, ceramics, and lighting along with antique dealers, architects, and interior designers exhibited their work. For the proud owners of these bungalows, the fair gave participants an opportunity to think about ways to incorporate the many offerings presented there into their homes.
A bit about bungalows
"To the land of the fruit and honey,
where it does not take much money,
to own a little bungalow."
- from In the Land of the Bungalow by George F. Devereaux
Bungalows had their heyday in the Arts and Crafts period of 1899-1929. According to the Illustrated Styles of Architecture website, the Arts and Crafts movement was an outraged public response to the Industrial Revolution, which was threatening time-honored manual crafts with extinction. The bungalow was a popular low-cost alternative to the mega Victorian homes of that era and had modern conveniences like built-in bookshelves and cupboards. Even better, people of modest means could buy one of these homes.
Larry Kreisman, Program Director of Historic Seattle, noted that bungalows are found across Seattle's neighborhoods.
"Bungalows offered something for everyone across every economic level. They typically consisted of two bedrooms, a bath, living room, dining room, and kitchen. You could get one as a starter home as a new homeowner. The middle class could get one a bit more decked out and detailed with sideboards. Bungalows were even available for the rich country gentlemen such as the structure we know today as Chateau St Michelle."
There are thousands of bungalows in Seattle. Kreisman said they were an outgrowth of streetcars transporting people to the new suburbs. One example of these new neighborhoods in southeast Seattle was the Hunter Park Improvement Company in the Mount Baker neighborhood. Developers offered people houses and land in connection with proximity to the streetcar line. During the bungalow's heyday, building companies offered incentives to prospective homebuyers such as built-in desks, beds, and bookshelves.
The media played a part in spreading their popularity. Bungalows were promoted in such popular magazines as Ladies Home Journal, and Bungalow Magazine, created by self-styled Seattle "Bungalow Man" Henry Wilson. In an article in the Tacoma News Tribune, Lisa Kremer stated that bungalow kits, consisting of precut wood and plumbing, were sold by Sears for $ 1,000. The kits would arrive by rail car at the local train station.
Kremer noted that Gustav Stickley, the original designer of Craftsman homes and furniture, wanted his bungalow home designs "to substitute the luxury of taste for the luxury of costliness; to teach that beauty does not imply elaboration or ornament; to employ only those forms and materials which make for simplicity, individuality and dignity of effect." Bungalows united simplicity and artistry, and they were one of the first home styles that seemed truly American with wide porches, low-hanging eaves and sturdy porch columns. Owners loved their affordability and sensible design.
Living in a bungalow
A bungalow generally has most of these qualities:
* Built between 1900-1929.
* One, or one-and-a-half, stories tall.
* Overhanging eaves.
* A generous porch/pitched roof.
* Heavy columns on the porch, often with rock or stone supports.
* Double-hung windows, sometimes with the top section divided into three or six sections.
* Living room joined to the dining room with an arch or columns between.
* Built-in cabinets or sideboard.
* Small kitchen.
* Living room doubles as the family room.
* Fireplace.
Today many of these dwellings, considered the "bread and butter" of Seattle's residential landscape, are being torn down in an effort to create greater housing density all across the city. In a recent article in Seattle Weekly, John Chaney, executive director of Historic Seattle, described Seattle's bungalows as "endangered," a sentiment echoed by Christine Palmer of Historic Seattle.
Palmer pointed to the disturbing national trend of "bash and build" development, an accelerated destruction of existing small homes and businesses in cities.
"When the land price exceeds the price of the structure, you've got a tear-down - homes are either remodeled to maximize the value or they're "scraped" off the land and replaced."
If bungalows aren't being torn down then they are being "recreated" superficially at housing developments in the outlying areas. One of Kreisman's pet peeves is the face deep adaptation of the bungalow style to new homes.
"While developers put on the outer details of a bungalow house, the adaptation is only face deep. These homes are truly not a bungalow. They have cathedral ceilings, huge bathrooms, huge spaces," noted Kreisman. "They are missing the point of what a bungalow is. It provides you a sense of home, a place where you could be with your family and share life, and enjoy the simplicity of the home and its closeness. People who tear these houses down don't seem to grasp the concept that this history is never coming back. We need to find creative uses for these old homes. Neighbors banding together and being good stewards of their neighborhood become the advocates who protect these places."
A long-standing steward of the Lakewood neighborhood is Buzz Anderson, former president of the Rainier Valley Historical Society. Born and raised in Columbia City, Anderson's grandfather was among the area's first settlers. He and his family owned and operated Grayson and Brown Hardware up until August of this year when he finally decided to call it quits.
"Yeah," Anderson said with a laugh, "I'm retiring a corporate business license that's 103 years old!"
Anderson cares about old houses, and his excitement is evident as you listen to the man.
"I am passionate about old things and preserving them, preserving the past. I love old homes. I like the appearance of them. They feel cozy and warm with soft lines, and don't have the starkness of modern homes."
Much like Kreisman, Anderson laments the loss of these old bungalows.
"So many people don't think of history. They don't have any sense of it. If it wasn't for my folks and my grandparents and other people like them, we wouldn't have these memories. Some people just don't care about history and what it means. I guess that's progress, but some people go overboard and just tear down things that should be saved. That's terrible and what they put up is, well, just criminal!" asserted Anderson. "You know, the sad part for me, living here in the South End for so many years, is I knew the people who lived there in these homes and their families. People are a part of the house and the next thing you know, a builder comes along and tears down the house. You can't bring these things back."
Anderson noted there are two bungalows in Columbia City on the National Register of Historic Places. The first is the Yamada House on the southwest corner of 39th Avenue South and South Edmunds Street. The other is at 39th Avenue South and South Angeline Street. These homes have a Category 1 designation on the National Register, which, due to their great historical value, they cannot be significantly altered.
Anderson toyed with the idea of tampering with his house, once. Last summer it looked like Anderson and his wife Jo were going to have to replace some of the siding on their 1913 bungalow.
"We had a vinyl siding salesperson come out and give us a bid. The guy explained how he was going to box in the 6-inch rafters typical of bungalows and cover up the broad wooden window casings with the vinyl material. When he got done explaining what he was going to cover up and how he was going to "fix" the problem, he asked me what I thought," Anderson recalled. "What do I think? Not on this house, I told him, and that was that."
South End writer and homeowner Mary Sanford may be reached through editor@sdistrictjournal.com.[[In-content Ad]]
