810 Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway (Cottage), Des Moines, Polk County, IA
Constructed between 1901 and 1908 and located near the Sherman Hill Historic District, the architecture of this cottage is significant because it calls attention to a vernacular design influenced by Queen Anne taste. The employment of an asymmetrical ground plan, somewhat complex roof configuration, and bay window on the south elevation point to these influences, while the basic el-shape of this building hearkens to older building traditions. Modest in size and architectural detailing, this building also illustrates one type of affordable housing being constructed in Des Moines during the boom years of the early Twentieth Century. The expectations of middle-class homeowners had risen by this time in the city, and the mopboards and windows and door surrounds in the interior of this cottage call attention to one amenity not found in comparable housing of the preceding generation. By the same token, the modest architecture of this cottage also shows how land use affected the quality of town lot improvements. In this instance, the presence of a nearby cemetery depressed the improvement of lots on its fringes, while lots located in neighboring Sherman Hill were more extensively upbuilt.
810 Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway (Cottage), Des Moines, Polk County, IA
Constructed between 1901 and 1908 and located near the Sherman Hill Historic District, the architecture of this cottage is significant because it calls attention to a vernacular design influenced by Queen Anne taste. The employment of an asymmetrical ground plan, somewhat complex roof configuration, and bay window on the south elevation point to these influences, while the basic el-shape of this building hearkens to older building traditions. Modest in size and architectural detailing, this building also illustrates one type of affordable housing being constructed in Des Moines during the boom years of the early Twentieth Century. The expectations of middle-class homeowners had risen by this time in the city, and the mopboards and windows and door surrounds in the interior of this cottage call attention to one amenity not found in comparable housing of the preceding generation. By the same token, the modest architecture of this cottage also shows how land use affected the quality of town lot improvements. In this instance, the presence of a nearby cemetery depressed the improvement of lots on its fringes, while lots located in neighboring Sherman Hill were more extensively upbuilt.
Posted Date
Sep 28, 2021
Source Name
Library of Congress
