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| Image courtesy of Old House Journal |
The American Foursquare is more of a house form than a house style—the nearly perfect “cube” shape was quick and economical to build, and easy to embellish with detailing in a variety of styles. The Foursquare became popular nationally in the mid-1890s and persisted well into the 1930s. It is common to find Foursquare houses with Colonial Revival, Renaissance, Italianate, Classical, Craftsman, or even Mission-styled details. The Seattle “Classic Box” is a highly embellished local variant of the Foursquare house that is found across the city, with many stellar examples in the Capitol Hill and Queen Anne neighborhoods.
The Foursquare was also popular with homebuyers. The floor plan
of four primary rooms on the main floor (sometimes with a center hall) and four
bedrooms on the second floor, was flexible, roomy, and efficient. Large windows
made for spaces full of light.
Ballard has its share of Foursquare houses; some fancy, but many
that are plain as befit Ballard’s working-class origins. No matter; the square
shape and symmetrical facades are pleasing enough on their own even without a
lot of architectural detail. Typical features include:
