TYPOLOGY FOR POST WORLD WAR II-ERA ARCHITECTURE AND SUBDIVISIONS DESIGN
In the Post World War II-era , an unprecedented demand for housing in the United States was driven by a number of forces including a booming population , the passage of the GI Bill , and the rapid expansion of the nation ’ s economy . The building industry responded to this demand with new technologies and building practices .
The scale of building effort was only achieved by efficiency and a certain amount of serial repetition . For example , federally backed financing favored large-scale speculative developments . New techniques for building and manufacturing coupled with technologies that were perfected during the war years offered standardized parts and on-site , assembly-line production for multiple unit construction . Specifically , during the post-war era , developers applied the principles of manufactured housing — economy of scale and standardized designs and materials — and applied it to on-site building . Rather than designing , financing , and building single homes , the postwar developer typically designed entire neighborhoods and completed multiple houses simultaneously . In turn , large-scale , simultaneous building created a relatively unified form with common design elements , materials , and ornament .
The most common characteristics of postwar domestic architecture in the United States , such as low-pitched roofs , deep overhanging eaves , and horizontal emphasis , are indicative of the ubiquitous Ranch style . Unifying materials such as large glazing picture windows and concreteslab foundations are products of new building technologies . The emergence of the suburb in the postwar era , in addition to specific design elements such as the attached garage and rear or back yard emphasis , reflect the significance of the automobile during that period . It also reflected designers ’ responses to changing social patterns and values that eschewed older community networks and institutions and instead emphasized the nuclear family as the primary social unit . Additional domestic types that were popularized during the postwar era include Minimal Traditional , Contemporary , Modern , Neo-Traditional , and Neo-Colonial Revival .
Although Arlington ’ s postwar housing stock reflects national trends and shares common architectural and planning elements , differences in scale , form , ornament , and materials exist that are particular to the city ’ s domestic resources . The following discussion presents residential typologies to describe common housing types that were documented in large numbers in Arlington during the field survey . The discussion also illustrates examples of certain principles of design that were commonly encountered in the city ’ s postwar neighborhoods . It should be noted that the following are general categories / descriptions that are based on original plans and materials ; therefore , variations to these categories may exist due to alteration . The following typology is not meant to be a catch-all , but rather attempts to assist in the identification of general postwar housing types that are located in the city of Arlington .
FINAL REPORT
ARLINGTON HISTORIC RESOURCES SURVEY UPDATE
SEPTEMBER 2007
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