Classic Cracker: Florida's Wood-Frame Vernacular Architecture [Hardcover]

Ronald W Haase (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2008

In this visually delightful book, laced with quotations from one of the best chroniclers of Florida Cracker Life, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Ronald Haase takes us on an intimate tour of the utilitarian wooden structures constructed by early settlers in North Florida.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Each region of our country has developed a distinctive architectural style. So it is with the old Cracker homesteads of Florida, whose sagging porches and rusting roofs are eloquent testimonials to a lifestyle that responded to its environment rather than fighting it.

In this visually delightful book, laced with quotations from one of the best chroniclers of Florida Cracker life, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Ronald Haase takes us on an intimate tour of the utilitarian wooden structures constructed by early settlers in North Florida. These houses, raised high off the ground and surrounded by shady porches, responded both to the warm and sultry climate and to the very idea of living side by side with nature in such a beautiful environment. The technology with which they were built and the resulting modest but dignified forms reflected their rustic settings of tall pine scrub or hardwood hammock.

Professor Haase traces the development of Cracker Architecture as it adapted to the changing lifestyles of Florida settlers throughout the 1800s. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Pineapple Press (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561640131
• ISBN-13: 978-1561640133
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #764,258 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent summary of one of Florida vernaculars, August 13, 2002

By 

J. Guillen "Zodchii" (South Miami, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Classic Cracker: Florida's Wood-Frame Architecture (Paperback)

Brief, but very informative, well documented and organized summary of a neglected (and marginal) theme in architectural history.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding presentation of a special type of house., September 9, 2005

By 

Bobby B. Hinton - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Classic Cracker: Florida's Wood-Frame Architecture (Paperback)

A complete and thorough description of a type of architecture and therefore the culture. This book was meaningful to me because of my southern heritage and I live in a cracker house. I didn't know it was a cracker house until I read the book. The author is fun and easy to read and the information is great.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent guide to vernacular architecture, March 13, 2002

By 

"wbc5" (New York, New York United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Classic Cracker: Florida's Wood-Frame Architecture (Paperback)

A well-designed and thorough examination of Southern vernacular architecture. With its concetration on Florida 'Cracker' design, Haase discusses the unique limitations of the Florida climate and the adaptations made to regional styles. His clearly labelled diagrams and enthusiasm for the subject bring a welcome light to architecture that is too often overshadowed by the flamboyant designs of Addison Mizner and other South Florida styles.