117 House Designs of the Twenties

Rating:
Summary: A superb resource in architectural history
Review: "117 House Designs of the Twenties" is a reprint of the 1923 mail-order house catalogue of the Gordon-Van Tine Company. This crisp reproduction is thus an accurate window into this era in United States home architecture. The wealth of detailed artistic renderings also make this a book of great charm and beauty.

Based in Davenport, Iowa, Gordon-Van Tine was a trailblazer in the field of prefabricated houses. This catalogue covers the company's products in amazing detail. We see cutaway views of homes that reveal the construction technique. We also see plumbing fixtures, lights, and cutaway views of furnaces.

But the heart of this catalogue lies in the detailed floor plans, as well as in the detailed artists' renditions of both exteriors and interiors. This catalogue contains structures ranging in size from a humble one-room vacation cottage to roomy nine-room farmhouses. Both one- and two-story houses appear. The main styles represented are bungalow and colonial revival (the latter including "Dutch colonial" designs), in many different configurations.

The exterior drawings capture many features: columned porches, sun porches, various roof types (gabled, hipped, gambrel), dormers, exposed rafter tails, and more. Equally detailed and charming are the depictions of furnished interiors. This is truly a marvelous book.

Rating:
Summary: A superb resource in architectural history
Review: "117 House Designs of the Twenties" is a reprint of the 1923 mail-order house catalogue of the Gordon-Van Tine Company. This crisp reproduction is thus an accurate window into this era in United States home architecture. The wealth of detailed artistic renderings also make this a book of great charm and beauty.

Based in Davenport, Iowa, Gordon-Van Tine was a trailblazer in the field of prefabricated houses. This catalogue covers the company's products in amazing detail. We see cutaway views of homes that reveal the construction technique. We also see plumbing fixtures, lights, and cutaway views of furnaces.

But the heart of this catalogue lies in the detailed floor plans, as well as in the detailed artists' renditions of both exteriors and interiors. This catalogue contains structures ranging in size from a humble one-room vacation cottage to roomy nine-room farmhouses. Both one- and two-story houses appear. The main styles represented are bungalow and colonial revival (the latter including "Dutch colonial" designs), in many different configurations.

The exterior drawings capture many features: columned porches, sun porches, various roof types (gabled, hipped, gambrel), dormers, exposed rafter tails, and more. Equally detailed and charming are the depictions of furnished interiors. This is truly a marvelous book.

Rating:
Summary: Very entertaining look at 1920s houses
Review: I was looking for some reference material for houses built in the 1920s, particularly pictures of various rooms, so that I can restore some rooms in a 20s house to original condition. This book not only has exterior pictures of many different houses, but also lists things like color schemes and construction methods. It also shows pictures of garages, doors, and even manufacturing methods for the houses. The pictures may be in black and white, but they're valuable references. ... this book is an absolute steal.