Customer Reviews

American House Styles: A Concise Guide

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In the beginning of this book the author points out that a culture is reflected in its buildings. Then he goes on to identify the events that caused the various styles--the War of 1812 that stopped our imitation of English architecture, the change to stud framing and the effects of industrialization that mark the Victorian era, the nationalistic spirit of the 1876 Centennial that spawned the revival in Colonial archictecture at the end of the 19th century, etc.--in such a professional style of writing you'd never suspect he was also an architect. A history professor maybe. All of which explains the subject better than the usual bare chronological sequence.

What helps in a book like this are the odd bits of information casually thrown out that show mastery of the subject.
Colonial homes were never white; Greek Revival were never anything but. A particular cornice is usually done incorrectly, compared to the true Classical version.

He also make the sensible point that you can only compare styles within limits, that at some point you're really discussing altogether different building types, as in ranches, bungalows, and certainly octagon houses. And early on he boasts he can design a modern four bedroom house in any style. Then he proceeds to do it, providing a front elevation and a repeating ground floor plan (front: LR, center hall, DR. rear: family room, kitchen, mud room) with added porch, tower, fireplace, chimney, as needed. Not so much to explain the architectural features, I think, but to give the prospective homebuilder something that actually could be built today.

Where most authors stop around WWII, he continues up to the present. His next-to-last chapter shows the recent builder's styles which will be familiar to anyone who's driven through any of those "Vinyl Village" developments with the Olde English names: the Townes, Pointes, Glenns, and Harbours. Here he doesn't hesitate to criticize the tastless examples, and continues his tirade into last chapter, where he argues against the Post-Modern assault on tradition in favor of a return to order and careful design.

Baker is perhaps a little too concise and a little too oppinionated in this volume. The one-page descriptions are not always clear, and in the case of some particularly complex and diverse styles, far too brief. Personal notes do not really belong in a general guide of this type, especially at the expense of more detail. Kudos, however, to the clever idea of manipulating the same basic home plan into each of the styles by altering the details and mass relationships. For this reason alone, the book is worth purchasing.

As a layman, the book is easy to read and offers some nice historical facts. However, the one page synopses of various styles seem to be too brief to offer any kind of detailed analysis of what a particular style has to offer. The book probably should have been longer. In addition, we learn much more about what Baker does not like rather than what he likes. The references to classical architecture, including the diagrams, lack clarity. The book may be a good starting point to learn about American residential architecture, but it is by no means a Bible.

This fascinating book is a quick introduction to the evolution of house styles across the history of the United States. Each chapter has a short introduction to the era in American history, and then launches into a description of the house styles, complete with excellent sketches of a typical house and floor plan of that style. I found this to be a fun and educational read. I enjoyed this book, and highly recommend it.

Baker's book covers the basics on the history of the house style in America. It is concise, and easy reading. Those looking for an in-depth and specific guide to the architectural purity and detail of the many individual residential styles have several other excellent books to chose from that would serve that purpose better. Baker is opinionated, but the novel "common plan" he creates to simplify the comparisons is an excellent method to help the novice in understanding the architecture of the house. I'm sure you will have your own opinions of what styles you like and dislike. This book won't answer all of your questions, however, it will give you a jump start on understanding the basics. This book would be helpful for anyone looking to purchase an older home if you are confused by the often misleading real estate agent's description on home styles.

Great book to sort out the various styles in american architectural houses. The history of each house is given well and concise. The language is appropriate and the illustrations are excellant.

I had higher expectations for this book when I bought it. I was looking for a book that covered in depth the different design details used in the different styles of homes. The coverage is rather shallow.

This is a great way to study the different elevations/styles that can be applied to the same basic floorplan. Also a quick reference for the many Architectural styles of the U.S.