Historic Arcata    

Craftsman Architecture c. 1910-1930

Moving into mainstream California in the teens and twenties, Arcata built bungalow houses noted for their simplicity, economy and informality. Low, spreading rooflines, exposed structural elements and inset verandas characterized the Craftsman's period.

The Bungalow, described as the "first indigenous domestic architecture in California," is usually a one-story, gabled house with extended eaves and exposed rafter ends. Beam brackets, single siding, open verandas with large, tapered square columns on piers, small upper window sases with multiple panes, and exterior brick or cobblestone chimneys, are common. In California this style was further developed into what is called the Western Stick, which empasizes the horizontal plane with low-pitched rooflines, wide eaves, exposed beams, wrap-around verandas and trellised porches or pergolas.

Stucco housing enjoyed only a brief popularity in Arcata. The Northcoast's rainy, foggy climate was not conducive to this material, but both bungalow-type houses and those with Spanish-style influences were built here during the 1920's.