Looking Around: American Foursquares

Photo: oldhouseonline.com

(McMansion Hell) No single-family home (besides, perhaps, the ranch or the McMansion) is as instantly recognizable as the American Foursquare.
Named both for its boxy exterior as well as its neat, cubic interior plan, American Foursquares were trademarks of early suburban domesticity beginning around the 1890s, remaining relatively popular until the 1920s when they were overtaken in popularity by the smaller, more economical Minimal Traditional style.
The Foursquare is notable for being one of the first affordable, middle-class home types to feature both electricity and a standard sink-toilet-bath bathroom, amenities previously afforded only to the elite. Continued