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Architecture/1941 Custom home - what style?

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Expert: Rikki Nyman - 2/3/2011


Question

House 6
Our house was built in 1941 in West Hartford, CT, for Mr. E.K. Hubbard 2nd, designed by Willard H. Wilkins of the firm Scheide, Browne & Wilkins. It is a split entry house which seems quite unusual for that period. The front door enters into a 2 1/2 story foyer with a large powder room and a large coat closet on that level. There is a partial flight of stairs leading up to a hall off of which are two bedrooms and a large study. There is a partial flight of stairs descending to the level with the kitchen, dining room, living room and maid's quarter. From this floor there are two private stairs which lead to the basement and garage.

The exterior is covered on the top with board & batten and on the bottom with painted brick. There is a closet that is built over the room in the front right of the house, and the exterior of that closet is covered wth shakes. Was the board & batten section also originally covered in shakes? Would the brick have been painted white? What colors would have been used?  At some point, we believe in the mid-70s, a glass enclosure was added in the front to conserve energy.

We would like to overhaul the exterior of the house, as the roof and the gutters need to be replaced, and we would like to remain true to the house's intent, but have a hard time imagining that this is what it was intended to look like - the side of a barn!

The original plans cannot be found after searches at the town hall and the CT Historical Society. Any insight into what you think this house would have looked like, or in what direction we should take the repairs would be very much appreciated. I have additional pictures that I can send.

Answer
Grace -

You pose a classic old house question ... what did your house look like when it was originally built?  First, the basics. Have you checked the public library and checked with the neighbors?  Sometimes, a long time resident can provide a time line. Have you checked the city or county for tax records and sales history?  You might be able to track down previous owners who could shed some light on the changes your house has seen. The layout you describe is unusual. Split levels were unusual but not unheard of, however, I can't recall seeing an original split entry before WWII. I'd do more research on Wilkens to see what his signature designs looked like if possible. Alternately, I'd look at higher end home magazines (House & Garden, House Beautiful are good for a start) for the period to see what upper middle-class folks were building.

There is a high probability that the house could have been either shake or board and batten. Both were common and went well with the national mania for all things in modernized Colonial design. It was also highly likely the brick was painted white, which was very popular during the 1930s. The white brick facing gable ell looks original and untouched to me. The main body of the house appears to have been substantially altered but what they started with really requires more research.

You have a very interesting puzzle on your hands. What I do know is when a house approaches 25 years of age, there is an irresistible temptation to completely revamp it. They look old and dumpy ... terribly passé. I've done thousands of hours of research and seen hundreds of remodels displayed by proud homeowners. The houses often bear NO relation to their previous incarnation ... it doesn't matter if the year is 1910 or 1970.  

Your house retains some of its modern Colonial characteristics, so I'd work from that. As for color, you have a huge range of choices. The Colonial classics include whites, dove grays, buttery yellow, red, and sage greens. Stains were common on shakes and shingles so you could go for muted greens or browns including a reddish mahogany though the light brick might be a jarring contrast. A more mid-century palette would also be pretty interesting ... one I recently saw was a charcoal body with ivory trim and a coral-colored entry. It was looked modern and very edgy but was beautifully true to the pre-War Colonial architecture.

Hope this helps!
Best,
Rikki Nyman
www.antiquehomestyle.com

Rikki Nyman

Expertise

Residential architectural questions concerning houses designed between 1900 and 1950, where the question pertains specifically to styles, designs, plans, building materials, color schemes, paint colors, interior finishes and so on. I am NOT qualified to answer engineering questions or issues involving construction methods, plumbing, electrical and the like. For example, I can describe what an appropriate color scheme would be for a vintage 1920s kitchen, or sources for plans for Storybook Style houses. I can not tell someone how to replace the electrical wiring in their old home.

Experience

I have been researching old houses and writing about them for more than five years. (See www.antiquehomestyle.com, which is my site.)

Organizations
Oregon Historical Society Architectural History Center, Portland Oregon

Publications
www.antiquehomestyle.com

Education/Credentials
B.S. History, Minor in Architectural Design

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