Background
Twentieth Century
Overview
In
the twentieth century the architecture of houses moved from the ornamentation
of the prior periods to simplicity of design, with new and improved
technologies incorporated whenever possible. Ornamental simplicity
did not preclude style. Architects and homebuilders in the early part
of the century capitalized upon the general interest in the still
lingering idea of the "long ago and far away." The historic
buildings of Europe and North America became the basis of a wave of
picturesque and romantic stylistic interpretations found in new construction.
Styles popular in Louisiana during this period included the Colonial
Revival, Tudor Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival, and Bungalow.
Housing
reformers influenced changes in the interiors of houses. These included
making the outdoors more accessible by providing several ways of entering
and exiting the house; reducing the number of single purpose rooms;
and having built-in features like cabinets, closets, fold-down tables,
and inglenooks (spaces featuring benches in the fireplace corner).
The
average suburban home was a single-family dwelling that incorporated
technology for comfort and convenience. Many luxuries like central
heating and built-in gas and electric facilities, which had been exclusive
to the well-to-do just a few years earlier, became readily available
as standard features for middle-class housing. Modern heating systems,
the use of efficient insulation, and improved window construction
made homes more comfortable.
Technology also was the basis for cleanliness and proper sanitation,
compactness and better organization, efficiency, and safety. Technology
became omnipresent in almost all rooms of the house -- particularly
in the bathroom and the kitchen. In 1945 major appliance manufacturers
standardized dimensions for stoves, refrigerators, sinks, etc.
The new smaller kitchen with its latest technology was designed with
efficiency and cleanliness in mind. Its goal was to benefit the housewife
by saving steps and minutes, which would allow her more time to do
other things. The New York Times reported in 1927: "A
small, compact kitchen, where steps are routed and tools grouped,
not only makes kitchen work less fatiguing but promotes health and
happiness."
In the early and mid-parts of the century, the color "white"
was revered as a sign of sanitary awareness. Concrete basements, living
rooms and dining rooms were whitewashed. Kitchen walls were covered
by washable tiles, enameled sheet metal, enamel paint, or lightweight
oilcloth -- and they were always white. Appliances were also white.
Mental health advocates touted bare white walls as restful and calming
in nature.
As
the twentieth century progressed, the popularity of simplified design,
standardized room layout, and suburban living grew. At the same time,
architects and builders responded to a new challenge -- the auto-driving
American who wanted to live away from the central city.
It
was not until the 1950s that garages attached to houses gained rather
wide acceptance. The problem was that most Americans thought of the
garage as a kind of barn, and barns had always been placed at a distance
from the house because of the smell and fear of fire. Some early attached
garages had fireproof doors and tile walls to separate them from their
adjoining dwellings.
The
Aladdin Company of Bay City, Michigan, founded in 1904 by Will and
Otto Sovereign, was the first company to provide kits containing all
the materials needed for building houses. The company systematically
manufactured entire houses which could be chosen through a catalogue,
ordered by mail, shipped unassembled by railroad, and put together
on site by amateur builders. The company's slogan was "We build
a better tomorrow by building a better today."
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