What were houses like in the 19th century?

To us, middle-class 19th-century homes would seem overcrowded with furniture, ornaments, and knick-knacks. In the early 19th century housing for the poor was often dreadful. Often they lived in ‘back-to-backs’. These were houses of three (or sometimes only two) rooms, one of the top of the other.

What were homes like in 1900?

In 1900, for instance, a typical American new home contained 700 to 1,200 square feet of living space, including two or three bedrooms and one or (just about as likely) no bathrooms. It was probably a two-story floor plan.

Which style of architecture became popular in the 19th century?

The most common styles of this mid-19 th Century Period are the Greek Revival, the Gothic Revival, and the Italianate. The Greek Revival style (1820-1860) is definitely part of this period, but since it has its roots in the Early Classical Revival style, it is detailed in the Early Federal Period.

What period is a house built in 1900?

The two decades between 1900 and the start of the First World War are called the ‘Edwardian’ period, although strictly this means from from 1901 to 1910, the reign of King Edward VII. The Queen Anne style remained in vogue into the early Edwardian period.

Why are Victorian houses so creepy?

“They were thought of as dust traps.” So it made sense that people began associating ornate Victorian houses, where perhaps their grandparents had lived, as old, decaying, spiderweb-filled messes.

What were conditions like for the poor in the 19th century?

For the first half of the 19th century the rural and urban poor had much in common: unsanitary and overcrowded housing, low wages, poor diet, insecure employment and the dreaded effects of sickness and old age.

When did homes in the US get electricity?

In 1882 Edison helped form the Edison Electric Illuminating Company of New York, which brought electric light to parts of Manhattan. But progress was slow. Most Americans still lit their homes with gas light and candles for another fifty years. Only in 1925 did half of all homes in the U.S. have electric power.

How was a house built in 1900?

In the early 1900s, typical American homes still had fewer than 1,000 square feet but began to reflect changes in the industry. Construction varied depending on affordability, with choices of basic or upgraded homes. Builders began using concrete spread footings, or reinforced cement foundations, for building strength.

What revolutionized the architecture from the late 19th century?

19th-century architecture was greatly influenced by earlier architectural movements and foreign, exotic styles, which were adapted to the new technologies of the early modern age. The revivals of Greek, Gothic, and Renaissance designs were fused with contemporary engineering methods and materials.

What was happening in 19th century America?

In the United States, the nineteenth century was a time of tremendous growth and change. The new nation experienced a shift from a farming economy to an industrial one, major westward expansion, displacement of native peoples, rapid advances in technology and transportation, and a civil war.

How were homes built in 1900?

What did 1930s houses look like?

1930s houses had a very typical layout with a room off the front hall with a second living room and kitchen at the rear. The exterior of these homes mixed red brick and pebbledash with herringbone brickwork, weather boarding, and tile hung walls. The windows had wooden frame and often diamond-shaped leaded panes.

What kind of homes were built in the 19th century?

This week, we’ll consider homes built in the 19th century and earlier. Homes built prior to the late 1800s fall into two basic categories.

When was the colonial style of house built?

The Colonial house style consists of many styles built during the “Colonial” period (early 18th Century) in America’s history when England, Spain, and France had colonies scattered across what is now the United States. 1820-1880.

Which is the oldest house in the United States?

Oldest stone American Colonial house; oldest house in Connecticut. Oldest church building in the original 13 colonies (though only the foundations remain from the original brick building). One of the oldest timber-frame houses in America. The oldest part of the house was built in 1640 by Joseph Loomis, who came to America from England in 1638.

What did row houses look like in the 20th century?

The cornice, belt courses, windows, and front door provide cues to style and thus date of construction. Row houses built during the 20th century, as early as 1910, tend to exhibit Colonial Revival sentiment, sometimes emulating surviving brick Federals.