Historic Styles
Familiarity with historic house and neighborhood style is an asset for buyers and sellers of historic houses. As they explore to find a new historic home and neighborhood, buyers may determine that the various amenities and details associated with homes and neighborhoods of a specific historic period are more or less suitable to their lifestyle and aesthetic preferences. They may focus on certain neighborhoods and styles based on that determination. Therefore, a seller’s familiarity with and effective description of those amenities, as they market their historic homes and neighborhoods, is very important. Basic knowledge about historic house and neighborhood styles can help to more effectively bring buyers and sellers of historic houses together.
Historic Neighborhoods
Tightly tied to transportation advances, neighborhood styles have historically evolved dramatically.
For example, street car suburbs of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century were typically developed in a grid patterns. In Knoxville, neighborhoods of this period include the Old North Knoxville, Fourth & Gill, and Parkridge neighborhoods.
Later, during the early twentieth century, neighborhoods were also designed around wide boulevards with center medians that sometimes contained street car lines. In Knoxville, examples of neighborhoods of this kind include the Island Home, Fairmont and Emoriland, and Sequoyah Hills neighborhoods.
Curvilinear street patterns became more practical, especially during the middle and late twentieth century, as automobiles became more prevalent and the infrastructure required for streetcars was no longer a necessary consideration in neighborhood style.
Further, as automobiles became more prevalent and the need for a pedestrian path was more often reduced to the distance between the garage or driveway and the home, sidewalks disappeared from neighborhood style. Neighborhood style historically evolved to suit the changing needs of residents, especially as new modes of transportation were adopted. This evolution resulted in a variety of historic neighborhood styles.
Related to historic neighborhood style is the proximity of various stores, offices, schools, parks, and other public gathering places to a neighborhood. In general, the ability to drive to various public gathering places resulted in the distancing of these amenities from neighborhoods as neighborhoods historically evolved. For example, the neighborhood corner market evolved to become the supermarket, serving many neighborhoods as the automobile enabled residents to travel further conveniently to buy groceries.
Especially in historic neighborhoods that were developed in a grid pattern and well before the prevalence of the automobile during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, buildings that historically housed various stores, offices, schools, and other public gathering places were often located in and near historic neighborhoods. These buildings may remain and continue to serve their historic purpose or be adapted to a new use.
Historic Houses
Advances in framing methods and the evolution of heating systems, from fireplaces to central systems, enabled more elaborate styles of homes beginning in the late nineteenth century. Decoratively, historic house styles were heavily influenced by historic precedents during the late nineteenth century and, later in the twentieth century, modern ideals, or the abandonment of style with reference to any historic precedents. Also, some styles, especially during the twentieth century, were influenced by the styles of other cultures.
Many of these styles are common in Knoxville. Medieval influences are apparent in the Queen Anne style, built around the turn of the nineteenth century, and the long popular and evolving Tudor style, built from around the turn of the nineteenth century through the early twentieth century. Classical influences are apparent in the long popular and evolving Neoclassical and Colonial Revival styles, both built from around the turn of the nineteenth century until the middle twentieth century. Modern ideals of the early twentieth century are reflected in the popular Craftsman style. Spanish influence is apparent in the Spanish Eclectic style, also built during the early twentieth century.
For more information about historic house styles, consult A Field Guide to American Houses by Virginia & Lee McAlester or submit your questions below.