History and Features
The Craftsman style was popular at the same time as the American Foursquare (1910-1930), but it was rather different in aesthetic and effect. As in the Queen Anne style, Craftsman houses were consciously intended to be picturesque, but in quite different ways than the Queen Anne. Often, but not always, asymmetrical and using a large variety of building materials (brick, stone, stucco, clapboards and half-timbering), fancy exposed carpentry of some type and a large variety of roofs and roofing materials (ceramic tiles, concrete tiles, asphalt shingles, imitation thatching, hipped, gabled and composite), Craftsman effects were employed in a wide variety of houses in many different ways.
Use of the Craftsman Style
Many Craftsman houses are one-and-a-half story cottages that attempt to convey coziness and quaintness. On the other hand, sometimes Craftsman elements will be found on large, two-story residences or on residences that are basically another style – Renaissance Villa, Neo-Tudor or Neo-Colonial. Craftsman houses are to be found in any area of Normal developed between 1910 and 1930, but the largest concentration of Craftsman houses is in south-central Normal, in and around the Cedar Crest Historic District.