The Style of Houses
Kansas City is widely known for the style of houses. Around the late 1890s, prominent citizens settled in the Quality Hill neighborhood and commissioned elegant homes primarily in Italianate Renaissance Revival style, which continued to be the major influence for new structures past the turn-of-the-century. George E. Kessler, over the course of his forty-one-year career completed, over 200 projects and prepared plans for 26 communities, 26 park and boulevard systems, 49 parks, 46 estates and residences, and 26 schools. His projects can be found in 23 states, 100 cities, in places as far-flung as Shanghai, New York, and Mexico City. He is known for his urban plan for Kansas City with its expansive park and boulevard system and made a profound and lasting impact on the city.
The Style of Houses
Kansas City is known for the shirtwaist homes, which are sprinkled liberally in several urban neighborhoods, including Pendleton Heights, Squier Park, Roanoke Park, Hyde Park, and Valentine. Even as far away as Portland, Oregon, I’ve seen Shirtwaist homes in older neighborhoods.
The shirtwaist is an architectural style that was built from about 1900 to 1920 in Kansas City, according to Sarah Snodgrass, a local Realtor and homes blogger.
A local variation on the American foursquare, it is defined by a number of features starting with its symmetrical front exterior, two or three levels, and substantial front porch. The first level is built of brick or limestone, while the upper levels are covered in stucco or siding. The roof is usually steeply gabled and sometimes flares out into overhangs on the sides of the homes.
Frank Lloyd Wright
Then we have Frank Lloyd Wright. Throughout the Kansas and Missouri, you can see examples of his work, for example, there is the Henry J. Allen House (1915, built 1917-1919) at 255 N. Roosevelt St, Wichita
Henry Allen, Kansas Governor (1919-1923), U.S. Senator (1929-1930), and newspaper mogul, and his wife, Elsie Allen, commissioned this house. Considered to be the last of Wright’s Prairie-Style homes, it includes more than 20 pieces of original Wright furniture.
If you can add to our commentary on different styles of houses in Kansas and Missouri, we’d love to hear from you. If you are thinking of selling your home, we’d love to hear from you.
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