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Architecture/Style of house?

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Expert: Rikki Nyman - 5/21/2011


Question

North view
We have just bought this house in johannesburg south africa.  The previous owner said it was built in 1934.  Does this sound correct to you?  What is the style of the house?  We would like to restore the kitchen and bathrooms (they were redone in the 1980s) and i'd like some pointers so that we keep with the original styling of our new home.  Many thanks

Answer
Leah -

Hi. It's hard to tell from the photo exactly what the style might be. It shows some signs of the bungalow style with the exposed rafters and casement windows. It seems consistent with American architecture of the same period ... a modern interpretation of a bungalow.

There is a huge difference between American and European architecture between WWI and WWII with Americans drawing quite a bit of inspiration from European sources. Americans tended to experiment with styles a lot and innovated constantly with design combinations.

My guess (since my area of expertise is entirely North American) is that South Africa also looked to Europe for architectural design inspiration and to a lesser extent to the US. It would very much depend on the builder's origins, training, and experience. Much depends on local craftsmen and materials. There are also significant regional and cultural expressions of residential architecture especially more than 50 years ago when information traveled much more slowly.

If you could post a front view of the house, it would be easier to say.

Best regards,
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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