Craftsman 1860 – 1920

The American Arts and Crafts movement began to get traction following the Exhibition of Contemporary Craft Objects at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts in 1897. The style is recognizable by its incorporation of handcrafted wood, glass and metal works. The American Craftsman home began to appear around 1905 and remained popular for the following 25 years. The style has numerous characteristics to include; low pitched front or side gables, large overhangs, decorative rafter tails, front porches and tapered columns. The Craftsman home characteristics are many times seen on bungalows, cottages and farmhouses throughout the United States.

Craftsman homes typically have one main entry door, although there can be numerous secondary doors leading to patios, decks, the backyard or a side yard. Craftsman doors are unique to the style, typically the upper third of the door is glazed while the bottom portion is paneled and separated from the upper half with a thick piece of trim. These doors are typically wider than a standard door and nearly always stain.

There are several characteristics to a craftsman style window. Most windows are double hung although casement windows are occasionally found. Top window sashes are multi-paned with the glass running in a vertical direction. While bottom sashes are typically single-paned

A short tapered column is one of the most defining characteristic of a craftsman home. The column typically has a stone or brick base and spans the front porch of the structure.