In 1912 the capital of the new state of Oklahoma was booming as real estate was bought and new people moved into the state. In the local paper, The Oklahoman, appeared numerous ads for bungalows.
One ad read:
"New Bungalow on west thirteenth street; block from car line and paved street;strictly modern; owner may select paper and fixtures, pay $150 or more cash, balance easy terms. L.D. Knight Walnut 202 108 N. Robinson Ave." (April 28, 1912, pg. 23).
Another:
FOR SALE - MODERN BUNGALOW, W 24th, 1 block from CAR LINE; easy terms, W.M. Ribble, 506 1/2 W. Grand. Phone W 5421" (ibid)
Yet another:
"NEW 6-ROOM California bungalow in Capital Hill, clear: less than cost; $100 cash,balance in rent, Maple 862."
Numerous bungalow neighborhoods emerged across the growing metro area. Some were around the Northwest 9th and Blackwelder, Northwest 14th, and dotted around the city.
Bungalows were the home of the middle class - a step up for many who had known only rentals or apartments. A Symbol of American economic achievement and individual rising status, the homes were also a home built to reflect values about home, craftsmanship, art, and comfort.
Numerous 'kit houses' remain hidden across the Oklahoma City landscape and, although many craftsman bungalows are being rediscovered and refitted, others are not so lucky. Traveling the city, one can detect the denuded bungalows robbed of their classic and family-centric front porches, classic craftsman columns replaced by New Orleans metal, or Victorian columns. Some have had their large outside rooms, 'i.e. the front porch', walled up, The clean lines and noteworthy exposed gables closed in, torn off, or otherwise stripped of character. Worst are the attempts to turn the bungalow into a Spanish, Modern, or Deco house.
Hopefully, as Oklahoma City continues to rennovate its heart, it will become aware of this essentially American development of the private home and help preserve the beauty and the soul these homes added to their communities.
9/12/2009
Classic Books
Dover Publications has some wonderful and inexpensive books on the Bungalow. I have some of these and they are so fascinating and useful for identification of styles and adaptations. Click on the image for the link.
IMAGES OF BUNGALOWS
Learn more about identifying the bungalow at
http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~twp/architecture/craftsman/
http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~twp/architecture/craftsman/
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