What's a Foursquare?

Builders called it "truly American . . . the square-type of modern home," "massive" and "conservative." This familiar house got recognition and a name in 1982, in an Old-House Journal article by Clem Labine and Patricia Poore. It's the American Foursquare. a The epitome of the post-Victorian "comfortable house," the Foursquare is all about dignified self-containment. The new style was suited to smaller lots, prefab parts, and the housing boom. a The Foursquare seemed to spring up almost overnight. There were none in 1890. By 1910, thousands had been built.

The Hallmarks

• Boxy Shape It's nearly a cube (practicality usually dictated a slightly greater depth than width), with two full storeys and an attic often made livable by large dormers.
• Hipped Roof Exceptions exist, but most Foursquares have a hipped or steep, pyramidal roof.
• Wide Porch The piazza normally extends the full width of the front, with a wide stair and entry either at the center or to one side.
• Large Windows Grouped windows became popular with this style, admitting plenty of light.
• Quiet Style Yes, there are Foursquares with art glass, bays, and tiled roofs, but in general the "style" of the house was quietly announced in the use of simplified motifs-A&C, Prairie, or Colonial.