Encyclopedia Dubuque
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
WORKINGMAN'S ARCHITECTURE
WORKINGMAN'S ARCHITECTURE. A type of architecture popular among the working class in the United States, workingman's architecture resulted in plain homes that provided shelter but little in decoration. The cheapest style of single house was the "story-and-a-half."
A two-story house with square level ceilings was more expensive. The roof was generally raised with finished rooms made available in the attic. This style had an advantage for two families. Two front doors were customary. One led directly to the second floor. Under usual building laws, two staircases were required for fire-protection. This gave front and back stairs so the occupant on the first floor had access to one room in the attic, and the second story resident had a separate cellar and heater as well as a room in the attic. Builders and sellers of these houses often suggested that a person might own the whole house and control it paying the operating expenses of the entire house with the rent obtained from the second occupant.
See: KELLY HOUSE
Source:
Bourne, Frank A. The Workingman's Home and Its Architectural Problems. Online: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1012244?seq=1