Wilmette News Agency employees, 1920s.
The Craftsman style was born from the Arts and Crafts Movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Arts and Crafts movement began in reaction to the Industrial Revolution's effects on the decorative arts, but over time also became involved with the social effects of industrialization. It acknowledged the satisfaction that arose from living with beauty, completing meaningful work, and recognizing the importance of separating oneself from a hectic, technology-driven life to reconnect with nature. In all things, the benefit of simplicity was stressed, whether it was in the beauty of a well-made, simply adorned piece of furniture, the practicality of having a home that was efficiently designed, or the pleasures to be found in a small garden outside the back door. If the Arts and Crafts Movement had a motto, it might well have been the proverbial "less is more." It is no coincidence that these same ideas resonate so strongly with many Americans today, as our recent technological advances are again contributing to a feeling of social and personal turmoil. These feelings gave rise to a strong and growing revival of the Arts and Crafts Movement during the last two decades of the twentieth century.
However, in its earliest days, during the mid-nineteenth century, the Arts and Crafts Movement began on the other side of the Atlantic. In England, voices began to speak out against what was viewed as vulgarity and tastelessness in the design of furniture, ceramics, textiles and other decorative arts. Critics found fault with both the poor quality of the items and the diminished quality of life experienced by the factory workers who made these items.
John Ruskin, an influential art critic and writer, was among the first to call for reform. He, in turn, influenced a young visionary named William Morris, who was a poet, designer, craftsman, and social reformer. Morris is sometimes credited as being the "father" of the Arts and Crafts Movement. "Have nothing in your home you know not to be useful, or believe to be beautiful," he said. His own home, Red House, was decorated very simply, in stark contrast to the majority of homes at the time, which were crammed to the brim with the excesses of the Victorian Age. Morris formed a collaboration of like-minded individuals who in turn developed a business to preserve craftsmanship and high-quality design in the decorative arts. Morris and Company was very influential and remained in business until 1940. Because of Morris and others, Arts and Crafts societies formed in Europe and abroad, and the philosophy began to trickle down to the masses.
The writings of Morris and other proponents of the Arts and Crafts Movement found an audience in the United States in the, person of a stone mason and furniture maker by the name of Gustav Stickley. In 1901, Stickley began to publish a magazine called The Craftsman, which became a prominent voice for promoting the artistic ideals of the Arts and Crafts Movement. In addition, the magazine became a forum to promote the incorporation of these ideas into a way of living and working, a way of building and designing a home, and a way of furnishing such a home. Stickley referred to these as Craftsman ways, and in each case he stressed the philosophy of simplicity, harmony with nature, and a high level of craftsmanship.
The legacy of Stickley's influence on architecture is evident in what we now identify as Craftsman style houses. These houses, which date from the early twentieth century, share features such as low-pitched gabled roofs, an emphasis on horizontal design, exposed eaves with rafter tails, decorative beams and/or brackets under the eaves, and at least one porch-which connected the house to the idea of nature and the outdoors. Oftentimes porch supports and chimneys in Craftsman-style houses have battered (sloping) sides. The materials used on the exterior of the houses include combinations of brick, stone, wood, and stucco, depending on locally available materials. The idea was that the house should appear to have grown right out of the ground. A color palette taken from nature was promoted for the exterior.
Interior details of these Craftsman-style homes included an open floor plan, built-in furniture, and a fireplace, usually prominently located and symbolic of the importance of hearth and home. Houses often showcased the beauty of natural wood, with significant moldings, wainscoting, or large ceiling beams in the living or dining rooms. Living rooms were designed to be large, in contrast to the small enclosed spaces that characterized Victorian houses. The idea was to allow family members to assemble in one large room, bringing them together even while they engaged in separate activities such as reading or studying music. This may well have been where today's concept of the "family room" originated. In the Midwest, the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright, an associate of the Arts and Crafts Movement, meant that many Craftsman houses also carried influences of the Prairie style of architecture, particularly in the use of decorative art-glass windows.
The Craftsman style was the most prevalent housing style from 1905 through the 1920s. The bungalow boom that coincided with the Arts and Crafts Movement resulted in a very large number of bungalows built in the Craftsman style. It is ironic that the industrialization against which the Movement originated ultimately gave rise to the growth of the middle class. It was this group's demand for small, efficient, affordable housing that resulted in the proliferation of the Craftsman style.
Wilmette has many examples of Craftsman-style housing since the period from 1900-1920 was a time of significant growth in the Village. These houses are primarily bungalows and foursquares. Some of Wilmette's best examples of the Craftsman style can be found in a very cohesive grouping of fifteen houses on Oak Circle. Built circa 1920, twelve of the fifteen houses are bungalows, and many of them still retain an abundance of Craftsman detailing. They also show a strong connection to the Prairie style, with their numerous bands of art-glass windows.
Unfortunately, the teardown trend in Wilmette and other North Shore areas threatens many great examples of this style. Because Craftsman-style houses tend to be smaller than new homes being built today, there is a feeling that they are expendable. It is the hope of the Wilmette Historic Preservation Commission that by ongoing educational efforts we can highlight the importance of homes such as these to the history of Wilmette. They tell the story of a worldwide movement and, in Gustav Stickley's words, of "a higher ideal, not only of beautiful architecture, but of home life."
Vicki Birenberg is a member of the Wilmette Historic Preservation Commission and a resident of Oak Circle. The information contained in this article was taken from a nomination of Oak Circle to the National Register of Historic Places, which Birenberg recently completed with the assistance of Rachel Randolph in Wilmette's Community
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