A Resource for People Who Love Historic American Homes

If you are reading this, then like me, you probably love old homes and spend way too many hours poring over house plans. I started this store, and I'm starting this new blog, so that I can share that love with you all. Here you will find a growing collection of detailed, measured drawings of beautiful old homes that encompass the entire range of American styles.

Historic American Homes

The Salem-Towne House  - 1796

From Colonial homes... 

Marcel Breur's House in a Garden - 1948

To Mid-Century Modern...

Trocadero Inn, San Francisco - 1860s

 

And everything in between!

 

Detailed house plans in a range of styles

Although I've just shared with you lovely photos in different styles, I should mention that the focus of my store is not on photos, but on highly detailed and accurate drawings of these homes, of which there are a few examples below.

Why drawings? Because, as the architect Mies van der Rohe said, "God is in the details." It's in the little things, the proportion of a window, the height of a ceiling, the profile of a window casing, that we find the essence of these styles. What makes a Carpenter Gothic home different than a Colonial style home? It's in the details. And these detailed drawings, the best in the vast collection of the Historic American Building Survey, capture those differences.

Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House - 1951

Construction details of the Farnsworth House

If your purpose is to restore an old home and you want to learn more about the style, this is the place for you. If your goal is to build a new home that reflects a historical style, again this is the place for you. 

Calef House - 1852 - a classic southern style house

And if you simply love a well crafted set of architectural house plans, this is definitely the place for you!

Calef House, with its broad and welcoming porch

 

So, come on by and join the fun. Feel free to browse. And if you can't resist, go home with some beautiful house plans!

 

• Tags: architectural prints, classical architecture, colonial style, craftsman style, federal style, floor plans, historic american homes, home plans, home restoration, house plans, house restoration, mediterranean style, midcentury modern home, prairie style, southern style, victorian style

 

 

 

 

Some Natchez Mansions - Rosalie

Some Natchez Mansions - Rosalie

Rosalie was built by Peter Little in 1823. The identity of the designer is not known. According to family lore (as recorded by the Historic American Building Survey in 1934) it may have been Little's brother-in-law James Griffin. 

Rosalie - Front Elevation (photo: HABS)

 

Little had moved from Pennsylvania to Natchez as a youth and become a very successful and wealthy cotton broker. When Peter's friend Jacob Lowe and Jacob's wife both caught yellow fever and were dying Little agreed to take on the care of their daughter Eliza, who was 14 at the time. After their deaths, 25 year old Peter Little married Eliza and sent her for several years to a boarding school in Baltimore. Upon her return from Baltimore they set up house together. As they prospered, they acquired land that had been developed in the 1700s by French military forces and named Rosalie in honor of the Countess of Pontchartrain. Peter and Eliza chose to keep the name Rosalie for their new mansion. Though they never had children of their own they raised Peter's niece in this home and hosted orphan children from the orphanage which they sponsored.

Rosalie - Entry Portico (photo: HABS)

 

After the Littles' deaths in the 1850s the house passed on to the Wilson family. During the Civil War, after the 1863 Battle of Vicksburg it served as headquarters for the Union Army. Rosalie remained in the ownership of the Wilson family until 1838, when the last descendants, Annie and Rebecca, sold it to the Mississippi State Society, Daughters of the American Revolution. They continued living there until their deaths, with Annie passing away at the age of 101 in 1958.

My thanks to the Mississippi State Society Daughters of the American Revolution, who own and care for Rosalie today, and whose website served as the source for the above history.

Rosalie - First Floor Plan

 

The mansion epitomizes the classic antebellum floor plan, with a central hall running the depths of the house, with two rooms on each side. With two exposures for every room the house is well cross-ventilated, keeping it cool in summer. In addition the expansive porches provide shaded outdoor areas to enjoy as well. The full width porch is on the south side, blocking the heat of the sun from this, the most exposed face. The high attic is also ventilated, helping to exhaust hot air as it naturally rises. With the first floor raised well above the ground, the basement is almost fully at grade. 

Rosalie - Entry Elevation

 

The front elevation follows classic Early American lines, inspired by the work of Andrea Palladio (16th century Italy) as popularized by Thomas Jefferson. The portico has 4 doric columns built of brick and plastered. The entablature is of a simplified and shallower form, more suitable to the lightness of wood construction.The entablature and pediment above it are of cypress, from Little's own sawmills. 

Rosalie - South Elevation

 

The back elevation, which is roughly south-facing, has a two-level porch stretching the entire width. This gave every room access to porches and sheltered the south face from the sun. Access to both porches is through double doors with sidelights and elliptical fanlights, opening off each end of the central hall, on both levels.

Adjacent to the main house is a small 2-story structure containing a kitchen on the ground level and bedrooms above. The Little family likely kept enslaved servants and this was their housing.

The drawings above are from a beautiful set of 10 sheets prepared by the Historic American Building Survey (HABS) in 1934. Full size prints, 18"x24", of these drawings are available for purchase at my eBay store for any who are interested.

Frank Lloyd Wright & the American System Built Designs - design B1

Frank Lloyd Wright and the American System-Built Designs

Design B1

American System-Built Homes - Design B1

In the years just before World War 1, Frank Lloyd Wright’s lifelong interest in making great design available to all people resulted in the American System-Built Homes project. These were a catalog of home designs, ranging in size and configuration. They included single story, two story designs and even duplexes. All the designs were based on standardized wood framing packages. 

Model B1 - Plan

A business dispute between Wright and his partner in the venture, Arthur Richards, led to the closing of the business. The expansion of the war also meant that building materials were not available. In the end around 25 homes are believed to have been built, with 15 known to be surviving today.

After restoration and the removal of the terrace enclosure

Model B1 was one of those designs that actually got built. The Historic American Building Survey (HABS) recorded this example at 2714 West Burnham Street, Milwaukie, WI. The original design had an open terrace at the front. But at the time of the HABS survey this terrace had been enclosed and the survey drawings show that enclosure. Later the house was restored to its original condition and these photos show the restoration. 

Before restoration, with terrace enclosure

 

The open terrace dramatically changes how the house relates to its surroundings, providing a more subtle and gradual transition from the public life of the street to the private life of the home, while also providing architectural elements, that bring the foliage of the landscape right into the fabric of the building.

The prints below are available for purchase at my eBay store.

Historic American Building Survey (HABS) drawings

HABS plans and typical wall section

The Living Room, seen from the Dining Nook. Entry at right behind fireplace.

The Dining Nook

The home centers around a central masonry fireplace, with a hall behind it that has a high ceiling. In winter the central fireplace is well placed to heat the entire home, while in summer the high windows in the hall can be opened to vent hot air out of the home.

Elevations

Sections

 

Kitchen, Dining Nook behind screen at left

Central Hall

Fireplace with Entry at left and Central Hall behind

Central Hall, looking toward Entry

 

All the images shown are from the Historic American Building Survey. I have printed copies of the drawings, but not the photos, available at my eBay store. Please drop by and feel free to browse. In addition to Wright System-Built Homes B1 I have prints of many other historic American homes.