My new (old) house - can anyone help with style?

[teeny0518]

Hello! It's been a while! I used to post on this board a lot with my old (old) house, but I unfortunately lost that house in a breakup. However I am newly married and now under contract with a new (old) house here in Cincinnati! We are so excited!

I for the life of me though, cannot identify the style of this house. It was built in 1905 and is mostly brick. When you walk through the bottom floor you first go into the entry, then living room to the right, then dining room to the left, then kitchen to the left. The main stairway is split, so you can go up to the landing and then down into the kitchen, or up to the second floor. There is a third floor as well. I thought maybe it was Colonial Revival but it doesnt have the gambrel roof. Any ideas?? I will try to attach a pic!

[ScottG]

Whenever I see a house like yours situated on a narrow city lot, the term "gable-ended Colonial" comes to mind. The Cleveland area has many that date to the same era as yours, but relatively few are constructed of brick. It looks as though you've found a gem. Good luck with it.

[markwright247]

Your house is pretty nice, I love brick houses!

[teeny0518]

Thank you for the replies!! There are a lot of similarly constructed houses in the area we are moving to as well - most are sided though! I think you are right saying it is Colonial related, perhaps revival - it was built during such a transitional period I almost think it could be lumped it into Edwardian? Everything I have read about 1905 describes it as a bit of a period of change!

I wonder why the siding on the top floor came down so low? See those two strips of thicker siding at the bottom? Very odd! I wish I could find an old picture of it!!

[JRC]

Even though it doesn't have a hipped roof, I always called houses like this Foursquares. I've always thought the name had more to do with floor plan layout, anyway. (Foyer and LR in front, DR and Kitchen in back)

[McCall]

Even though it doesn't have a hipped roof, I always called houses like this Foursquares. I've always thought the name had more to do with floor plan layout, anyway. (Foyer and LR in front, DR and Kitchen in back)

First of the layout you mention does not denote a foursquare, mine is enter into undefined foyer in that you are also entering directly to living room stairs to your immediate right, hall straight ahead to breakfast room and on to kitchen, dining room is between kitchen and living room on the left of the house.

Fourquares can have either centered or entrance to one side or the other of the front, and are Square. This house looks like a variety of colonial, and if it is square which you can't see from the picture would be a very tiny house.

[teeny0518]

Thanks for the replies! It definitely is not a square shape, though I did consider the foursquare as well! It is a rectangle, with the smaller side facing front. I guess I will go with a form of Colonial. It is just odd because there are SO many houses for sale in our neighborhood with the exact same layout so I would have thought it would have been a more common, well-known style. Maybe there was one local builder at the time that did them all?

Here are some other houses for sale in our neighborhood in the same style! And these are just a few!!

[Kansas. 1911.]

Did you get to look inside all those houses when you were shopping? Each is darling. I don't have a clue regarding your house style, but it sure is nice looking. Your main floorplan sounds like a foursquare, not a center hall colonial. My father in law, on the other hand, has just the opposite. He lives in a foursquare with a center hall on the main floor.

[teeny0518]

Did you get to look inside all those houses when you were shopping? Each is darling. I don't have a clue regarding your house style, but it sure is nice looking. Your main floorplan sounds like a foursquare, not a center hall colonial. My father in law, on the other hand, has just the opposite. He lives in a foursquare with a center hall on the main floor.

We did look at a couple of these inside among many others! The area we are buying in is relatively affluent, and unfortunately while consisting of almost entirely of old houses, most have been remodeled to the point of no return. Many of the houses in the area have walls that have been torn down or additions that have been added, mainly to the kitchen. Most don't have original doors/knobs, many had split stairs in the past but had since removed one section of the split to save space in the tiny kitchens. Ours was one of the few that did not have these problems thankfully!

[teeny0518]

Even though it doesn't have a hipped roof, I always called houses like this Foursquares. I've always thought the name had more to do with floor plan layout, anyway. (Foyer and LR in front, DR and Kitchen in back)

The bottom floor is definitely foursquare sounding but the top floor is not. The stairs are more centered, which sounds like colonial! Gah, maybe our house is just a mutt...