The Washington times., 1924-07-19
LEADS
IN MODERN
HOMES
y S. Builders Have Profited
BY Types Of Houses
Of the Past

Two powerful forces now charac-
tsrize American home building, ac-
cording to a recent historical mum.
Der Of the American Builder. =
These tendencies greater liyeabil-
ityand improved quality are more
pronounced than ever before. AS
the result, the home builder Of to-
day looks more attentively to the
interior Of his house than formerly
Equipment which saves labor and
provides comfort and conyenience
ahd careful planning to secure max
i5pum use Of space. rank in Inn
nortance with the consideration
gwen the selection Of building ma.
tsfials and the choice Of house
design.
Healthy Condition.
This is truly . healthy condition.
one founded on the soundest Of
l1gic common sense and is evolvs
tlg better buildings And at no sac.
1ifice Of attractiveness or ideals.
PROGRESS made in homebuilding
since the days Of the pioneers to
the beginning OF the twentieth cen.
fqry can be termed little more than
nprmal. It merely followed the
general trend of educational and In.
qhstrial development but occasion
ely took erratic turns with result,
ant structures that were chiefly
notable for their shocking extraya.
rance in design and use Of mate
In the main. American architec.
gnre has always been Influenced BY
european standards. though modify
tng them to conform to tastes and
conditions in this country. The
Colonial or Georgian type. created
- England during the era Of the
TOUR King Georges. was most widely
aropted Ia New England about the
me Of the Revolutionary war and
g stu highly popular; though IN
various Americanized adaptations
ana combinations. The modern
teh-Colonial house, so popular
To-Day, is an example Of American
assigning ingenuity which possesses
lresistible and enduring charm.
Accounts for Charge.
Spanish. italian. Greek. Moorish
and English Renaissance, the ultra
ornate L'Art Nouvesu from France
the caste-like German structure. the
handsome English half-tinfbered
house of the Elizabethan period and
the wide-roofed Japanese tyne have
served as inspiration for American
architects and builders, though sci.
dom copied literally, rrl1is accounts
Tor the charge: !" America has no
distinctive type Of architecture.
Rerllaps 1t Is better this way.
Results count. and The result OF
American home-building thought is
the modern American residence, un.
d0ubtedly the most attractive. as
We'll as the most 'livabIe'' house
on earth.
Used Best Types.
American home builders are not
ellftrely bound by conventions and
fEEditionS of past generations. but
have used the best and discarded
the worst features of the older
types.
In the early development of home
butlding in this country European
Ideas Of proportions, contour and
room arrangement quite naturally
crApt into American designing. Thus
the unnecessarily large and incoll.
Reniently arranged rooms of the
older residences, and greater build
Ing expense. Rising cost of build.
Ing materials has brought the con-
ckete, block, tile and brick, the
production and application of stucco
and the creation of machinery to
produce and handle the concrete
mlxture will establish and forever
maintain the. fame Of concrete
pqilders of the present generation.