Prairie style

Prairie style

prairie style

A style of American domestic architecture that originated with theprairie School, popular primarily in the Midwest from about 1900 to 1920. A house in this style often is characterized by: a two-story height with wings and/or porches of one story, integrated with its site to provide a low, horizontal appearance; the central portion of the house usually higher than the adjacent flanking wings; traditional building materials; exterior walls commonly of light-colored stucco, light-colored brick, or concrete block; contrasting wood trim between stories; a porte cochère and/or a porch having a roof typically supported by heavy columns that are either square in cross-section or have slanted sides; a terrace and/or balcony; often, Sullivanesque friezes and/or door surrounds; a broad, low-pitched roof; eaves with a considerable overhang; hipped or gabled dormers; a prominent, large, relatively low rectangular chimney; often, a series of windows below the roof overhang; commonly, diamond-shaped window panes set in lead cames; commonly, one-over-one double-hung sashes or tall casement windows, often grouped in sets of two or three; doors having windows, often glazed with highly decorative geometric patterns.