Follow the progression of the American home with this latest creation from the Tad Burness studio. This one-of-a-kind collection features historical, exciting, and beautiful homes from 1880 to 1980. Each yearly section presents various styles of houses, kitchens, baths, floor plans, light fixtures, and new developments. Many of the time periods include detailed advertisements with original prices, competing household appliances, and new fads. Representative regions and styles include the kit houses of the early 1900s, Victorian-style homes, and Mediterranean looks. The wealth of information and detail will pique the curiosity of those interested in home restoration, and retro design, as well as architects, real estate agents, interior designers, and members of historical societies.

Shows over 2,500 images of classic American homes and architecture, from the 1880s to the 1980s.

Of the many recipients of federal support during the Great Depression, the citizens of Norvelt, Pennsylvania, stand out as model reminders of the vital importance of New Deal programs. Hoping to transform their desperate situation, the 250 families of this western Pennsylvania town worked with the federal government to envision a new kind of community that would raise standards of living through a cooperative lifestyle and enhanced civic engagement. Their efforts won them a nearly mythic status among those familiar with Norvelt’s history. Hope in Hard Times explores the many transitions faced by those who undertook this experiment. With the aid of the New Deal, these residents, who hailed from the hardworking and underserved class that Jacob Riis had called the “other half” a generation earlier, created a middle-class community that would become an exemplar of the success of such programs. Despite this, many current residents of Norvelt—the children and grandchildren of the first inhabitants—oppose government intervention and support political candidates who advocate scrutinizing and even eliminating public programs. Authors Timothy Kelly, Margaret Power, and Michael Cary examine this still-unfolding narrative of transformation in one Pennsylvania town, and the struggles and successes of its original residents, against the backdrop of one of the most ambitious federal endeavors in U.S. history.

Excerpt from The Radford American Homes: 100 House Plans The first question you will ask is, What do we get in these complete working plans and specifications? Of what do they consist? Are they the cheap, printed plans on tissue paper without details or specifications? About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

North American Victorian architecture and interior design are explored in detail in this essential look at an enduring style. Packed with spectacular original photographs and informative text, this lively book opens a door to the ornate decorative past. It examines the architecture of this eclectic period as it has survived and is interpreted today, and explains through myriad examples how Victorian style can be recreated in every room of the house.

American Homes is the classic work of American house architecture. From the Dutch colonial, to the New England Salt Box, to the 1950s prefab, this unrivaled reference and useful guide to 103 building styles pays homage to our country's housing heritage. American Homes opens the window onto the rich landscape of all the places we call home. Award-winning architect Lester Walker examines hundreds of styles of homes—more than any other survey of American domestic architecture—and helps us understand the history of each style, why it developed as it did, and the practical and historical reasons behind its shape, size, material, ornament, and plan. Hundreds of sequenced drawings illustrate the evolution of our most beloved housing styles, like the colonial English Cottage, which grows before our eyes from a simple square of posts and beams to a fully constructed home with hand-split cedar clapboards and an intricately thatched roof. There's also the Italianate, whose roof displays its intricate carved brackets and is topped with a cupola that serves to filter light to the interior of the home. Annotated floor plans offer insight into the structure of these homes, and with it, a good measure of inspiration. No wrought-iron railing, white stucco wall, or gingerbread gable goes neglected. Every idiosyncratic detail and decoration of each of these uniquely American designs is delicately drawn. American Homes is the perfect reference for enthusiasts of architecture, history, and American studies. It is also the ideal inspiration for anyone who lives in or dreams of living in a classic American home.

"This is a book about American house styles, and they are discussed in twenty-one chapters and illustrated with over 200 color plates and line drawings." "Neither a comprehensive history of American residential architecture nor a compendium of America's "greatest" houses, this fascinating and useful book looks instead at broad trends in domestic building from the first days of European settlement on this continent through the Great Depression and beyond - from saltboxes to split-levels. There are certainly mansions to be found here, for they help to define certain styles. Yet the chief focus is not on grand houses but on typical ones - examples that capture the essence of the everyday rather than the extraordinary."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved