A-frame building

An A-frame house or other A-frame building is an architectural house or building style[1] featuring steeply-angled sides (roofline) that usually begin at or near the foundation line, and meet at the top in the shape of the letter A. An A-frame ceiling can be open to the top rafters.

The Bennati House, in Lake Arrowhead, California. Rudolph Schindler's original A-frame design, 1934.
An example of an A-frame house in Gillette, Wyoming
Traditional A-frame thatched house (palheiro), Santana, Madeira, Portugal
An A-frame house owned and restored by Nicky Panicci in the Hollywood Hills, an example of an architectural A-frame.
A historic photograph of an A-frame sod roof house in the Netherlands. Image: Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands 20309407 - RCE

Although the triangle shape of the A-frame has been present throughout history, it surged in popularity around the world from roughly the mid-1950s through the 1970s. It was during the post–World War II era that the A-frame acquired its most defining characteristics.

Style

A-frame buildings are an ancient form known in Europe (e.g. cruck frame construction or grubenhaus) China, and the South Pacific islands sometimes called a roof hut and were simple structures used for utilitarian purposes until the 1950s.[2] In 1934, R.M. Schindler built the first modern A-frame house, for owner Gisela Bennati, in Lake Arrowhead, California.[3] Architects Walter Reemelin, John Campbell, George Rockrise, Henrik H Bull, and Andrew Geller helped to popularize Schindler's idea in the early 1950s, designing A-frame vacation homes.[2] In 1955, Andrew Geller built an A-frame house on the beach in Long Island, New York, known as the Elizabeth Reese House.[2] Geller's design won international attention when it was featured in The New York Times on May 5, 1957.[4] Before long, thousands of A-frame homes were being built around the world.[5]

The Abbey Resort in Fontana-on-Geneva Lake, Wisconsin claims to have the world's tallest wooden A-frame.

Rise in popularity

The post–World War II popularity of the A-frame has been attributed to a combination of factors including Americans' extra disposable income, the inexpensiveness of building an A-frame structure, and a new interest in acquiring a second home for vacationing.[2]

Another factor contributing to the rise of the A-frame included the adaptability of the structure itself, which enabled architects to experiment with more modern designs. A-frames were a useful medium in which architects could explore their creative side since they were relatively cheap to build.

Additionally, many people preferred the idea of a "modern-style" vacation home to that of a "modern-style" primary home. A-frames became available as prefabricated kits, lowering the cost even more, and were sold by Macy's department stores.

After the rise of the archetypal A-frame, architects soon began experimenting with new designs, which led to what became known as the modified A-frame style.

Residential examples

Churches

Commercial examples
A-frame roof Wienerschnitzel restaurant in Whittier, California

Educational Examples

See also

References
  1. "A-frame" Oxford English Dictionary Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) © Oxford University Press 2009
  2. Randl, Chad. A-frame. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2004. Print.
  3. "The (R.M.) Schindler List". Archived from the original on 2016-09-26. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
  4. Fred A. Bernstein, "Andrew Geller, 87, Modernist Architect, Dies", New York Times. December 27, 2011 Archived March 20, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. accessed 1/26/2014
  5. "Starting A Roofing Business". Archived from the original on 2021-04-29. Retrieved 2021-04-29. Thursday, 29 April 2021
  6. "A-frame / 1950 - 1990 / Washington State Examples". 8 July 2014. Archived from the original on 14 October 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  7. Alexandra Lange (September 22, 2017). "The A-frame effect: Not just another house, but a way of life". Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  8. "Northcrest Historic District Listed in National Register of Historic Places". May 5, 2017. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  9. document
  10. "Agenda". Park City Municipal Corporation. October 16, 2013. Archived from the original on 2021-04-16. Retrieved 2019-10-15.
  11. "Travelers Rest Motel". SAH Archipedia. 17 July 2018. Archived from the original on 17 October 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  • A-frame Style from Picture Dictionary of House Styles in North America and Beyond on About.com, by Jackie Craven
  • A-frame Home - An A-frame home in the Hollywood Hills owned and restored by Nicky Panicci
  • A-frame House Website (archive) about an a-frame house located in Phoenix, AZ.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.