Shingle Style homes began in New England in the late 1800s. They were
the vacation "cottages" for the wealthy who summered in resorts along
the Atlantic coastline. The style lasted only a short time during the
late 1800s, but its impact on the future course of architectural history
was significant. In the mid-20th century, interest in these comfortable
homes was renewed and continues today as many people are recognizing
their casual elegance. Their rough wooden shingles, irregular roof
lines, and wide, shady porches encourage lazy afternoons in rocking
chairs. Within the house, one room flows freely into another. Over 50
homes in the continental United States are presented in over 500 color
photographs, including multi-million-dollar residences, smaller
mansions, cottages, and renovated shingle houses. Their sites are as
varied as their designs. Some are on the coastline, surveying the
crashing waves; others peer through trees on city streets; still others
occupy an island or rest in the middle of a vineyard. The Shingle Style
homes of today are compared to some of the famous "shingles" from the
past, including Naumkeag, the Folly, and Stonehurst all in
Massachusetts. One chapter looks at Shingle Style renovations. The
foreword, by John C. McConnell AIA, an architect and professor of
American architectural history at Boston College, looks role the style
played in American architecture--from the early 1870s to the late
1880s--and its influence on future architecture. A chapter by architect
Turner Brooks, an Associate Professor at Yale University School of
Architecture, investigates at Shingle Style descendants.
