Quincy House Tour

1680mn

1680

1680 Maine Street is a good example of the relationship between the Craftsman, Prairie, and Tudor revival styles during the first two decades of the twentieth century. At first glance, the house appears to be reminiscent of the medieval-English-half-timber house. The use of brown stained wood and off-white stucco coupled with the varying roof heights and gable ends are all elements used in the design of American-Tudor houses. However, certain elements of the house also allude to later applications associated with the craftsman and even the shingle style.

In mass, the form of the house is not Tudor revival at all. Instead the house is more box-like with varying projections and bays that make one believe that the builder was trying to adapt the Tudor style to a more “modern” house plan. The porch is equally unusual to the Tudor style. In this case the porch, built of ashlar red limestone, is proportioned horizontally and is emphasized by the mass of the supporting columns. Porches like this are often seen on Prairie style or craftsman houses. The carport is also another element associated with the modern American styles of the twentieth century and little adaptation of this element is seen in Tudor revival houses.

The Tudor revival was indeed an inspiration for many prairie school architects in the Midwest because of its architectural expression. The smooth stucco crossed by rough-stained boards gave a house texture and hand-made character. Wright’s Prairie style homes in the Oak Park Area adapt the use of stucco and board to make it a decorative expression never used before. The use of half timbering is a little dishonest in that the boards are no longer structural members like their European counterparts. This is one of the reasons why this style was rejected among many “modern” architects by 1910. However, as an ornamental element, the Tudor was often quite successful.