American Foursquare

The American Foursquare is an American house form associated with the Arts and Crafts movement, popular from the mid-1890s to the late 1930s as a reaction against the ornate, mass-produced detailing of Victorian and other revival styles, favoring plain design with handcrafted woodwork. Its hallmarks are a basically square, boxy massing, two and a half stories in height, with four large rooms to a floor apart from a smaller attic story, a center dormer and a large front porch with wide stairs, its boxy shape maximizing interior space on a small city lot. Other common features include a hipped roof, arched openings between common rooms, built-in cabinetry and Craftsman-style woodwork, and the form incorporates elements of both the Prairie School and the Craftsman style.