Term: bungalow (architecture)
Definition:
a style popular ca. 1910-1940 whose name is derived from the Asian word "bangla" which, in Bengal, refers to a low house with porches surrounding it. Small, modest dwellings with simple horizontal lines, wide projecting roofs, one or two large porches, and plain woodwork, they were usually built with ordinary wood siding, either horizontal or vertical, but sometimes stucco. The usual Bungalow had a massive chimney, and the living room carried across the front of the house. If a second story was provided, it was subdued visually to give the house a one-story look. Protruding brackets frequently were utilized as decorative features. Bungalows offered economical home ownership and, generally, they were well constructed of quality materials. Speculative builders between 1920 and 1940 often platted entire neighborhoods for Bungalow development. In large cities such as Milwaukee, Bungalow tract homes stretch for blocks. In Madison, Cora Cadwallader Tuttle designed five Craftsman-influenced Bungalows, built between 1908 and 1913 at the corner of Grant Street and Vilas Avenue. One of Wisconsin's most notable Bungalows is the Polson House, located in Spooner and designed by well-known Prairie School architects Purcell and Elmslie. The Emery Street Bungalow District (NRHP 1983) in Eau Claire, a distinct neighborhood of varying Bungalow designs, is an example of a Bungalow district evaluated as significant in a community that contains many individual examples of the ubiquitous style. View more information elsewhere at wisconsinhistory.org
View pictures relating to architecture at Wisconsin Historical Images.
[Source: Cultural Resource Management in Wisconsin (Madison: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1986).
]
