asymmetrical with the entry offset to one end of the primary facade . A one-story porch typically stretches the full length of the foursquare primary facade , creating a horizontal emphasis that contrasts with its basic form . The building ’ s signature architectural attribute is the floor plan , which is two rooms wide and two rooms deep . Within Arlington , foursquare dwellings are typically found within its older central neighborhoods . Exterior detailing , if present , reflects either Prairie School , Craftsman ( 201 E . North Street ) or Classical Revival ( 718 W . Abram Street ) styles .
Minimal Traditional Minimal Traditional describes a dwelling type that includes transitional forms between the early twentieth century bungalow and the postwar Ranch house , but also describes a modest scale and type that owes its built form less to stylistic influences and more to economy of design . Simple forms and minimal ornament and stylistic embellishment primarily define this housing type , which was erected in large numbers across the United States from the mid-1930s through the late 1950s .
These dwellings are mostly one-story frame buildings , often on pier-and-beam foundations . Later examples of these dwelling type utilized concrete slab-on-grade foundations . Earlier resources in the category are side-gabled , while the later postwar examples tend to follow a wing-and-gable plan . Recessed or flush entry porches are common , and porch supports are often simple posts or brackets . Exterior materials can vary , but wood siding is most common . Windows are one-over-one wood sash on older examples and some have aluminum-sash windows . A side carport or small , attached , onecar garages is prevalent , and most examples lack the larger two-car attached garage that characterizes other domestic forms of the postwar period , such as the Ranch dwelling Finally , ornamentation is limited and can include scalloped vertical siding in gable ends and decorative shutters . The current survey effort identified a number of Minimal Traditional homes within the city .
Ranch The vast majority of the residences built during Arlington ’ s postwar housing boom were Ranch houses This trend reflected increasing standardization and prefabrication in building materials , a desire for inexpensive and quickly built housing , and prevailing trends towards reduced ornamentation and eclecticism in architectural forms . Particularly after 1950 , automobile garages were attached as an integral part of the house , and concrete slab-on-grade foundations enjoyed widespread acceptance and popularity . Ranch houses typically present an elongated horizontal form with a low-pitched roofline with deep , overhanging eaves . The massing ranges from more the simple three-room deep rectangular blocks of the early Ranch houses to the more complex asymmetrical blocks that mark the city ’ s many “ Rambling ” Ranch or Split-Level homes . Ranch houses in Arlington display a range of exterior decorative styles , exterior wall cladding , and fenestration patterns .
Modern Modern houses feature forms and details that derive from the International style and Mid- Century Modern design theories . In general , these architectural theories emphasized function over form and eschewed nonessential exterior decorative elaboration . In America , Modern-style dwellings resemble Ranch houses in that their overall form typically displays a horizontal emphasis . However , Modern-style dwellings typically
FINAL REPORT
ARLINGTON HISTORIC RESOURCES SURVEY UPDATE
SEPTEMBER 2007
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