City dates 1895–1930
Arts and Crafts / Craftsman
The City dates its Arts and Crafts theme from 1895 to 1930, and the Craftsman style within it from 1905. Its statement describes Craftsman houses by their love of natural materials and the generous front porch that invites outdoor living.
- Roof + form
- Low-pitched gabled roofs and broad, overhanging eaves with the structure on show: rafter tails, knee braces and king posts. Houses run one or two stories; the statement uses "bungalow" for one to one-and-a-half.
- Windows + doors
- Casement windows set in groups rather than one by one. The statement names replaced windows and enclosed porches as the most common changes, and, when surveyors weigh whether a house still qualifies, says some window replacement may be acceptable if the openings have not been resized, particularly kitchen and bathroom windows on rear and side elevations.
- Walls + surfaces
- Shingle siding is typical, with clapboard or stucco less often, and porch piers are often stone, clinker brick or stucco. In the statement's evaluation, stucco added over original shingles or clapboard rules a house out of individual listing as an example of the style.
- Before you change it HOMEFRONT's suggestion
- Photograph the porch, eaves and windows as they are now, and gather any old photos or records, before work that can't easily be undone. The City's statement points to HistoricPlacesLA for designated and surveyed buildings.
Craftsman features show up as early as 1895, and bungalows kept being built through the 1920s, so the style alone narrows nothing down to a year.
The City's statement: Arts and Crafts Movement, 1895–1930 ↗City dates 1912–1942
Spanish Colonial Revival
Spanish Colonial Revival is a 1912–1942 sub-theme of the City's Mediterranean and Indigenous Revival theme. Its statement describes the houses, from small cottages to large villas, by their stucco walls, red-tile roofs, simplified detailing and picturesque massing.
- Roof + form
- Low-sloped red-tile roofs, often several gables gathered together, over a house composed as a picturesque group of masses. The statement says the style shows best on a free-standing building, where that three-dimensional massing can be seen.
- Windows + doors
- Arched windows and few openings, set into walls that look thick. The statement points to recessed windows used to suggest adobe on a stucco-and-wood-frame house, and to wrought-iron balconies and window grilles called rejas.
- Walls + surfaces
- Broad, plain walls of white or pastel stucco. The statement notes that across these revivals stucco covered wood frame on houses and brick or poured concrete on many larger buildings, so a smooth wall can hide very different construction.
- Before you change it HOMEFRONT's suggestion
- Find out what the wall is built of before choosing a repair, and record the tile, ironwork and arched openings as they are. To check whether a house is designated or was surveyed, the City directs readers to HistoricPlacesLA.
The statement itself notes that most buildings surveyors meet blend several styles, with one at best predominating.
The City's statement: Mediterranean & Indigenous Revival Architecture, 1893–1948 ↗City dates 1930–1975
The Ranch House
The City's statement treats the ranch house as both a house type and a style, dated 1930 to 1975: a one-story house with a rambling footprint, horizontal massing, a free-flowing plan and a close tie to the outdoors.
- Roof + form
- Low-pitched roofs over an informal, asymmetrical composition and a rambling plan with one or more wings, often with the attached garage as one of them. When the City's surveyors evaluate a custom ranch house, the statement treats any change to the roofline as unacceptable for listing.
- Windows + doors
- Large picture windows are one of the style's defining traits. Traditional ranches add French, Dutch and sliding glass doors and shutters; contemporary ranches fill their gable ends with clerestory windows.
- Walls + surfaces
- A variety of facade treatments, typically including wood board-and-batten siding. Traditional ranches pair it with brick or stone chimneys; contemporary ranches use a simpler palette of stucco and board-and-batten.
- Before you change it HOMEFRONT's suggestion
- Before changing the roofline, windows or siding, look for original plans, the dates of any additions and old photos, and keep copies with the house records.
The statement covers a rustic Traditional Ranch and a Contemporary Ranch with modern details, built as custom houses and as whole tracts, so no single look stands for the era.
The City's statement: The Ranch House, 1930–1975 ↗City dates 1946–1975
Postwar Modernism
Postwar Modernism is a 1946–1975 theme in the City's L.A. Modernism statement. Its Mid-Century Modern sub-theme, which the statement calls one of the largest and most diverse collections of architecture in Los Angeles, is described by geometric forms, smooth wall surfaces, flat or low-pitched roofs and no exterior ornament.
- Roof + form
- Flat roofs, at times with wide overhanging eaves, over simple geometric volumes and horizontal massing. More expressive examples add dramatic roofs such as the butterfly, the A-frame or the folded plate.
- Windows + doors
- Floor-to-ceiling windows, often flush-mounted in metal frames, and plenty of glass joining indoor and outdoor space. The statement says some windows and doors may have been replaced as long as the openings and the original window pattern are intact.
- Walls + surfaces
- Unornamented wall surfaces and a structure shown directly, often wood or steel posts and beams. The Case Study houses that shaped the style often left their posts and beams exposed instead of hiding them.
- Before you change it HOMEFRONT's suggestion
- Collect the building's history and earlier alterations and keep evidence of the original design before changing glass, roof or structure. Bring qualified people in for safety and energy questions.
"Midcentury" names a period of design. It is not, by itself, a reason to keep or replace any part of a house.
The City's statement: L.A. Modernism, 1919–1980 ↗