What Is an American Foursquare?
The American foursquare house was a doughty reaction to the ornate and prim designs hailing from Victorian fashions. Having recently fought for independence from the British, the American designers behind the blocky foursquare found little use for the architectural preferences of their once-enemies. The foursquare house, found all over the young American country in the 19th century, was a monument to homespun craft and the hardworking ideal. Sometimes known as a prairie box, the American foursquare house is notable for its rectangular, two-and-one-half story construction. Designed to suit smaller city plots of land, the plain exterior allowed for maximization of interior space, a necessary concern in a nation of growing families. Generally unadorned, the front exterior of many foursquares feature a covered porch or veranda, as well as a single dormer extension in the front-center area.
