Nov 9th 2012 11:25AM
By Bud Dietrich, AIA As the 19th century waned and the 20th century was dawning, a group of architects and designers in the Upper Midwest banded together to form the Prairie School. An entirely new approach to domestic design, the Prairie School featured a new language. Rooms made of four walls and small holes for... Continue Reading »
Nov 1st 2012 5:20PM
By Bud Dietrich, AIA Kit houses were America's first mass-produced, prefab homes, sold by Sears, Montgomery Ward, Gordon Van Tine, Aladdin and a few others. The materials for these homes, ordered straight from a catalog, were delivered to the building site by rail and truck. Remarkably, all of the parts, from lumber to... Continue Reading »
Oct 18th 2012 4:37PM
By Vanessa Brunner For most people, the term "Victorian architecture" defines a diverse but singular style. The reality is that this term encompasses several architectural house styles, all of which were used during the mid to late 19th century. The name, of course, comes from the reigning British queen at the time:... Continue Reading »
Aug 9th 2012 11:00AM
By Bud Dietrich, AIA From the early 19th century through the early 20th, America's cities grew at a rapid pace. Immigrants from other countries as well as a migration from farms to city centers fueled this growth. To accommodate the new urban population, block after block of a new type of urban dwelling, the row house,... Continue Reading »
Aug 2nd 2012 1:30PM
By Bud Dietrich, AIA I've just started the design of a new home in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western Virginia. The property, more than 5 acres, is spectacular -- heavily wooded, with a change in elevation of almost 100 feet from front to back. As the land slopes away, the treetops drop down revealing mountain and... Continue Reading »
