American Foursquares

The American Foursquare is a post-Victorian house type that emerged in the early 1900s and was an architectural reaction against the ornateness and complexity found in Victorian homes. The Foursquare was designed to maximize square footage on small lots and was an inexpensive home that provided large amounts of comfortable living space. Its simple form allowed styles such as Colonial, Craftsman, and Prairie to be applied to it. Typical Foursquare characteristics include a square plan, a hip roof, wide eaves, a central attic dormer, and a front porch (usually spanning the width of the house).