Drive along the streets of Belmont Heights and you will see California Craftsman bungalows almost everywhere. The same holds true in teh nearby Carroll Park and Rose Park neighborhoods. Most of the bungalows were built during the 1920s, the peak of bungalow popularity in the United States. Some have been well maintained or beautifully restored in the decades since then. Others, considered to be "fun beach houses" by their owners, have been modified with no thought for architectural preservation. The architectural characteristics of the California Craftsman home come from the Arts and Crafts Movement which valued simplicity of design and natural finishes. While they may not look truly simple to contemporary eyes, the Craftsman home was and is a striking contrast to the highly ornate and decorated Victorian architectural aesthetic which preceded it.
On Ocean Boulevard, facing the beach, are a few large Craftsman homes. Much more common, however, are the smaller bungalows that extend back away from the beach for about 2 miles. They range in size from about 700 sq. ft. to 1500 sq. ft. -- just the right sizes for solid working class families of the 1920s. The Craftsman bungalow was so popular nationwide that companies began to sell house kits through mail order catalogs, among them Sears & Roebuck. A number of homes in Long Beach have been attributed to Sears, but, in actuality, these "kit bungalows" are more likely from Pacific Ready Cut Homes which was located on Boyle St. in downtown Los Angeles. The homes were delivered in about 10,000 clearly marked pieces with instructions on how to build the home. And many of the homes were, in fact, built by the homeowners on small lots.
The interiors of the Long Beach bungalows are more modest than, for example, the grand bungalows found in Pasadena, designed by Greene and Greene. Almost all are single story. Few have tile work. Few have fireplaces. Few have built-in seating or impressive staircases. Many, however, have built-in drawers and cupboards in the dining rooms and bedrooms. In many of the smaller homes, the interior woodwork has been painted white, probably after World War II when the architectural preference was for ranch houses or mid-century modern homes with their stark white interiors and open, light design. |
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