Also called the “Prairie Box”, the American Foursquare was a mass-produced, post-Victorian style that was popular from the 1890’s-1930’s. Along with the California Bungalow, it was a very popular mail-order era style of property, gracing the Sears Roebuck catalogue.
As has been almost every new style of architecture, Foursquare was a direct change-of-pace from the previous ornamentation of Victorian & Revival styles, incorporating portions of both craftsman and prairie styles. Always a huge, boxy design to maximize interior space, 2-and-a-half stories, usually featuring 4 large rooms per floor, these homes used a variety of building materials and were easily mass-produced using handcrafted woodwork A large front porch, symmetrical front fascade, and all bedrooms on the second floor were characteristic. Truly a style that has weathered the ages gracefully.
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