Welcome to my Cape Cod house portrait gallery.
Cape Cod homes are an American classic. Although the house type is regarded as distinctly American, its actual origin is European. The structure and layout were derived from the compact, one story homes with steep gables and tiny windows that were first built in England and the Netherlands. Eventually, Pilgrim colonists erected similar homes when they came to the New World in the 1600s. However, they weren’t known as “Cape Cods” until Reverend Timothy Dwight, President of Yale University, made a visit to Cape Cod and saw that the majority of houses were built in this style. Although they went out of vogue in the mid-1800s, they came back into style in the 1920s as a result of the Depression — builders could affordably copy the building design without the benefit of an architect. Eventually, this architectural type became synonymous with the United States and was symbolic of the country’s architecture.
Click a thumbnail below to enlarge the image.
Do you know of any Cape Cod houses that have special meaning for you or someone you care about? If so, visit my contact page to get in touch with me. Find out how to get a personalized pen and watercolor house portrait of that special Cape Cod style house.
