Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutHistoric Preserv Article 412 Olive9/ERITAGE RESERVATION EWS Issue 19 Box 640, Bozeman, 111T 59715 Winter 1994 Mail Order Architecture Many people would like to think that their historic home is work of art-a unique, one-of- a-kind residence that was individually designed and built for one client by a creative local architect. But if your house is between fifty and one hundred and twenty years old, it could also belong to an entirely different class of buildings that were derived from the mail- order plans of a distant architect-publisher. This unusual merchandising technique trans- formed the house COILWUction business and, with it. the architectural character of cities and towns across the nation. Spurred by improved technology in printing and photo reproduc- tion, scores of books and periodicals at one time streamed off the presses and into the mail boxes of America's perspective home-build- ers. Indeed, many of Bozeman's late nine- teenth and early twentieth-century ho~ were ~'!~'-''!" £-rn"' m~~~-11ced p!ar.s :md .. con- structed without the direct involvement of local architects. Pattern book houses are important pieces of Americana-a symbol of bygone days when we shopped by mail for everything from bun- ion protectors to grand pianos. Their designs were churned out in plan factories by enter- prising architects who recognized the eco- No. 1096 nomic value of presenting their work to the broadest possible audience. After all, selling one design many times promised to be easier than creating a different house for each and every hard woo client. Arranged according to price so that potential buyers could zero in on their particular budget requirements, most pat- tern books provided ground plans and eleva- tions of medium priced residential architec- ture. Some covered a full range of prices and structure types, from dwelling houses to barns, schoplhouses and churches. Nooe, however, claimed to be a complete set of drawings and specifications for the builder. For this reason, and the fact that the owner was given a broad choice of details and floor options, no two pattern book houses were exactly the same. Pattern book houses could, for instance, be unique to a town or region, even if they we"? =entiully.-dupliwa~ clsc¥,;here iii th~ wilil- try. While pattern books have been in circula- tion since the 1797 publication ofThe Countty Builder's Assistant the credit for perfecting a method of mail-order designing goes to George Palliser, a carpenter-turned architect from Bridgeport, Connecticut. Together with his brother Otarles, Palliser published over twenty PRICE of Plans and Specifications $5.QQ Hoi.;sE DESIGS :Xo. 1096 ·ti · r 1his house will be furnished for 8.'i.00. Full and complete working plans and spec, cau~ns o I n ·n whic:h it is builL Coat of la from 11,25<>-to 11.500 accord1n& to the oca I Y 1 House design number 1096 from Fred T. Hodgson's turn-of-the-century pattern book Practical Bungalows and Cottages for Town and Country pattern books between 1876 and 1908. The books were made up of drawings of completed houses which had been designed by the sib- lings and showed the building's cost. where and for whom it bad been built as well as giving a price for plans and specifications that was far less than the architect's normal per- centage. Palliser's aim was to bring some architectural guidance to the middle class in instances when the usual architect/client rela- tionship was considered too expensive or when it was simply unavailable, as in much of rural America. Soon Palliser's work was taking the place of local architects aaoss the nation and distant clients were reproducing houses from his own published plans. The concept of mail-order architecture grew rapidly, along with demand for reason- able priced houses. What made the plans-by- mllii iuca unique: ami ~i.suoie W'ds'the supe:-= rior quality of the plates in the books, the availability of full-sized working drawings prepared by inexpensive professionals and-- best of all-the chance to work long-distance with the architect to customize the design. "Keep writing until you get just what you want." advertised pattern book publisher George BarberofKnoxville, Tennessee. "Don't be afraid of writing too often. We are not easily offended." By the turn of the century, several building associations roduct manu- fac_tures, lumber dealers aqp O!JPed home servi& organizations-~ plan books in magazines and home ulle- tins. As Bozeman was relativeiy i~ ed and deprived of professionally trained archit;c~ in the late nineteenth and_ early twentieth cen- turies, mail-order architecture had a profound impact upon its built environment. Echoing established stylistic trends that appealed to Bozeman's wide range of budgets and per- . sonal tastes, pattern book houses were espe- cially notable for their quality of design and workmanship. Thus, while some local pattern book residences may be styli!itically vague or modified beyond recognition, many have re- mained interesti ng and well-preserved com- ponents ofBozeman's historic neighborhoods. con't on next page Cont. from page 1 Mail Order Architecture During its formative years, Bozeman's more affluent residents frequently expressed their cosmopolitan values and thereby distin- guished themselves from the masses by subtly masking the underlying standardization of construction methods, floor plans, scale, pro- portional materials and concept of mail order architecture. Upper class attempts at resisting the prevailing lack of diversity in the nation's growing industrial culture were achieved by stylistically integrating or enhancing pattern book designs through variation in roof lines, window treatment, porches, dormers balco- nies, and decorative detailing. The John S. Mendenhall House at 521 South Willson Av- enue, for example, is a highly ornamented Queen Anne structure that was built in 1886 from a pattern book published by D.S. Hopkins of Grand Rapids, Michigan. This two and a half story frame residence displays such exu- berant extras as appliqued sunbursts, scroll brackets, variegated shingles, and a variety of cut out designs, which were shipped to Boze- man on the Northern Pacific Railroad. Simi- larly, the impressive E.W. King residence at 725 South Willson, which combines elements of the Queen Anne and Colonial Revival styles, was derived from the plan books of the Keith Company of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This --cTLfavaga.utbrick-house was further enriched by builder R.J. Scahill, who added terra cotta cable moldings, oval windows of leaded glass and a flared pyramidal roof with gabled dor- mers at King's request. Bozeman's working classes also found a value in pattern book designs, but for different reasons. Simple floor plans addressing basic domestic concerns such as privacy, economy, comfort, and practicality were available from several different mail-order companies. Sell- ing at an average price of five dollars per set, thes,propuced plans and specifications aff zeman's less economically privi- leg nts the opportunity to determine the cter of their immediate living envi- ron at a reasonable cost. The pattern book residences at 402, 433 and 517 North Tracy Avenue offer a diverse and well-preserved sample of the wide variety of modest mail- order architectural forms popular in commu- nities like Bozeman during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Representing an outright assault on archi- tectural creativity, pattern books also became important resources for several local carpen- ter-developers, who made substantial profits building entire neighborhoods on speculation. Entire rows or pattern book houses were quickly erected throughout Bozeman by prolific early twentieth-century builder-speculators such as John and Elmer Bartholomew. The residence at 420 South Tracy Avenue is the best pre- served of three nearly identical Queen Anne style pattern book designs at 412,416 and 420 South Tracy Avenue. Less than two Blocks away, the home at 507 South Black is virtually identical to these other speculation houses--all of which appear to be based upon "House Design No. 1096" in Fred T. Hodgson's turn- of-the-century pattern book Practical Bunga- lows and Cottages for Town and Country. John Bartholomew's own residence at 433 South Black Avenue appears to be derived but substantially enhanced fromHodgson's "House Design No. 2105." Pattern book designs are most densely concentrated in Bozeman's south side residen- tial neighborhoods that stretched toward the College during the early twentieth century. The social and economic diversity that charac- terized this period was d early reflected in Bozeman's built enviro tFr· .;n,: cvet! -,~•hen pat- tern books were tl'·· ,,c,,·• .le~igns. Bozeman's Cooper ' , · .·i. for example, contaim, ·. ,:. ':1at- tem book housce. :-1, . .(emus Queen Anne, Colon 1.1i: ~o·· . aL• · . ::,man Style houses were clearly Jiriv-~---.. ,1 cata- logs such as Hodgson's, w;i.ic;) : •-o. 1ded per- spective -tlrirving-----71".l-ftnor -1a-,,;;--+"ort!rree hundred difforeni .tmv at -:11-p:: ,,,d houses. Nearly all , ... ·:he h ,,.,.~.-uJilt tn the district within the , i . two decades of this century appear to have ::,.::dl designed, at least in part, after one of the patterns in this locally popular catalog. While Hodgson admits that "[i]t is seldom that a builder finds a design and floor plans that do not require slight changes," several houses in the district are virtually iden- tical to his designs. Two of the most striking examples, which are also two of the most architecturally significant houses in the dis- trict, are the small shingle style 306 South Seventh Avenue and the Queen Anne Style 412 West Olive Street. The latter corresponds to Hodgson's "House Design No. 1096" down to the last detail, with the exception of a porch pediment on the house but not the drawing and the two chimneys in the drawing but not on the house. The latter may have been removed after the original construction. Plans by mail remained locally popular even after the 1910 beginning of the long and prolific career of Bozeman's first profession- ally trained architect, Fred T. Willson. Con- tinuing to flourish until the outbreak of World War II, the pattern book phenomenon acquired even greater substance when mail-order giants such as Sears Roebuck, Montgomery Ward and Aladdin expanded into the logical devel- opment of prefabricated houses. These com- panies eventually mailed entire ready-to build houses, complete to the last window pane and can of paint, by rail or truck to their new addresses. But that is a story best left for another day. BHL4B Endorses Bozeman _ ··-· W(!!l}_'!!!:~l!.f!.ritage Trail Project by Connie Staudohar Women's lives and accomplishments have enriched the community of Bozeman since its beginning, yet their importance is often over- looked or forgotten. The Bozeman Women's Heritage Trail Project seeks to reclaim the history of local women by presenting the achievements and diversity of their lives in a historic walking tour of Bozeman. The pro-.,,,..,--,-----------,,,,..,...,, A local example of Hodgson's House Design No. 1096 at 412 West Olive Street · Cont. from page 2 pased Trail highlights individual woman, as The aWHT project is now in the process well as women's clubs, by connecting their of raising funds to publish and distribute a experiences with a wide range of architectural booklet that can be used with guided or self- resources contained in a seven-block area of guided tours. This publication will include an Bozeman's historic south side. The tour will introduction providing a historical context for feature several Montana State University cam-Bozeman women as shapers of culture and pus buildings named after women, private community, a map of the trail, biographical residences, a boarding house, a community sketches of the women profiled, and descrip- park and other public spaces. The notable lions of Bozeman Women's Club contribu- persons associated with each of these sites are lions. The booklet will be illustrated with representative of the varied occupations, roles historic photographs and shall also include and accomplishments that typified the com-brief architectural comments on the sites. munitybuildingprocessintheAmericanWest. The maiden tour of the Bozeman's In recovering their stories and grounding them Women's Herif~ e Trail is scheduled for May in definite places, the Bozeman Women's Herl-14th, 1994 fro 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. as part of the tag~ ~rail project ~eeks to restore women to Bozeman Hi~1oric Preservation Advisory therrngh~I place 1? our public memory while Board's cete,9iation of National Historic Pres- also draWIDg attention to Bozeman's built en-'-ervation )Veek. The tour will be guided by vironment. BWHf Project Director, Connie Staudohar, The Bozeman Women's Heritage Trail and Historic Preservation Officer, Derek (BWHI) joins a growing number of publicly Strabo. The BHP AB is hopeful that this trail funded women's history walking tours already will serve as a prototype for women's history developed across the country. Boston and walking tours in Bozeman's other historic Chicago, for instance, created successful walk-neighborhoods and, perhaps, even for other ing tours more than a decade ago that have Montana communities interested in discover- remained important educational assets for the ing the accomplishments and influences of residents, schools, community groups and tour-women in their own "historical backyards." ists of those cities. As the Boston's Women's Thosepersonswishingmoreinformationabout Trail director has stated, "The issue in women's the Bozeman's Women's Heritage Trail Project history, and the impetus behind the trail; rs that or the upcoming tour can contact the Historic --we've---~c women anrl--necd--to--re<l~vcr--·· PreScrv-atiou Office &, 586-33r hxt. 2'2.r. -- then." The same could be said for Bozeman. Thus, in following the example of these popu- lar programs, the BWHT project will build on existing locally-oriented materials, such as the Historic Resource Survey of 1984, in hopes of broadeningpublicunderstandingofBozeman's diverse heritage. Female Students attending Montana State College in Bozeman, c. l 895 MSU Offers Historic Preservation Seminar In response to the growing popularity of historic preservation activity in Bozeman and throughout the nation, Montana State University's Department of Architecture has recently established a special seminar in his- toric preservation. Offered as a history elec- tive for upper level architecture students, this is the frrst MSU course to focus on historic preservation in more than a decade. It is, therefore, a significant addition to the University's architectural curriculum in that it exposes students to a viable career alternative and could JJ?tentially have a positive impact on the practice of preservation in and beyond the Bozeman area. Created and taught by former Historic Preservation Officer Catherine Goetz, Archi- t~cture 4!80 covers a wide range of preserva- t10n topics_ that ~e applicable to our region. 'f!1ese_ subjects 1~clude: the philosophy of h1stonc preservation; an introduction to the Na!ional Re~ster of Historic Places; preser- vation planmng; heritage tourism; local and federal pres~~a~ion incentives; the adaptive reuse, rehab11itahon and restoration of historic building types in the American West; and ti architect's role in historic preservation. addition to these important is.sues, Goet seminar also features several locally orient1 preservation projects, such as appropriate i fill in Bozeman's historic neighborhoods, se sitive development in the East main Railro District and the adaptive reuse of the histo1 Story Mill complex. While· student work these areas is only theoretical, it can nonet11 less draw attention to important local presc vation issues and hopefully enhance pub appreciation for Bozeman's various histo1 resources. The Bozeman Historic Preservation A visory Board applauds the decision to reintJ duce the field of historic preservation Montana State University Students and hor that the course wilt continue to be offered the future. The BHP AB recognizes the im1>4 lance of promoting preservation education well as the value in building bridges betwe MSU and the City of Bozeman. Persc wishing more information about Architecll 480 can contact the Department of Archit1 tore at 994-4255. BHPAB Seeks New Membe, __ 'Di£.... Bo~man Historic freservation , visory Board currenti;" has two"':emb~ openings that it desires to fill. One of the 11 members must be professionally affiliated~ the fields of history, architecture or Iiistc preservation. The other must be a residen one of Bozeman's many historic neight hoods. Persons interested in joining the ( preservation Board should contact the 1 toric preservation Office at 586-3321 ext.~ Bozeman Historic Preservatioi Advisory Board Below is a list of the Bozeman HP AB be of the eleven members has an interest :~: rs. Ea tionofth • · e preserv . e areas umque historical structures. Cltheri Goetz ts the staff officer for the board, "th in the old Carnegie Lt'brary b ·1d· w1 an offi M u1 mg on the comer endenhall and Bozeman. (Phone 586-3321). Ron Hess Lee Hietala Chariman At-Large Jim Webster Don Bachman Neighborhood At-Large Beth Mentzer Chris Boyd Professional Neighborhood Dora Anderson Catherine Goetz Neighborhood Professional/Secretary Ed McCrone Derek Strahn At-Large Preservation Officer Alice Fryslie and Newsletter Editor At-Large Your SS:00 contribution includes a year's 511~~ lton to Heritage Preservation N Mail to Preservation Office, Box~ Bozeman, MT S971S