California Bungalow Architecture

The California bungalow is an alternative name for the American Craftsman style of residential architecture as applied to small and medium-sized houses, a more modest interpretation of the movement than its grand ultimate bungalow showpieces. The style flourished from about 1910 to 1939, becoming a common sight in suburban neighborhoods across the United States after emerging in California, and it spread significantly to Australia and New Zealand during the same period. California bungalows are typically one or one-and-a-half stories with sloping roofs, exposed rafter eaves and often a dormer window, finished in wood shingle or stucco with brick or stone chimneys and a front porch, and inside, plans favor simplicity, with direct entry into a living room centered on a fireplace, open common areas, and lower ceilings than the Victorian houses they replaced.