The Bungalow Craze: Gender, Reform, and American Home Design

Introduction: The Bungalow as a Social Force

The bungalow style was a major influence in the dramatic transformation of American society and how people lived. It influenced a significant shift in the gender roles of women, creating easier housekeeping techniques and greater employment and career opportunities by confronting economic and social issues through domestic architecture. The simpler home design expressed many tensions of Progressivism in attempting to solve the social problems of the time. The transformation brought about new ideas as well as fears that had to be confronted.

The Arts and Crafts Movement and Middle-Class Anxieties

The spread of factories during the industrial age generated widespread anxiety about the loss of independence and masculinity. The middle-class population was becoming composed of salaried workers, losing both economic and moral independence. The Progressive Era created a deep desire to reshape institutions and values, as well as a faith in the power of reform to improve people's lives.

At the same time, the Arts and Crafts Movement grew in response to the spread of factories. It drew inspiration from John Ruskin, an Oxford writer and critic, who believed that machines were robbing people of the creativity and pleasure inherent in work. Arts and Crafts promoters associated the bungalow design with creative manual work, independence, and a return to the manhood of common work practices. The bungalow style promoted craftsmanship using hand tools instead of machines and was aimed at solving social problems of the middle class — from the decline of domestic servants to the reduction of divorce rates, crime, and civil disorder.

Domestic Architecture and Women's Roles

Housing design was linked to social issues and was promoted as a way to bring society together for meaningful change. Middle-class magazines popularized the bungalow by focusing on the ease of cleaning and simplicity of style and decoration. Influential reformers embraced the bungalow in promoting labor reform, new architecture, and naturalism.

The Progressive Era viewed the bungalow as an answer to women's problems by using domestic architecture to design homes that were easier to keep clean. Technological innovations were changing the way household chores were done, and public discussions centered on work, family, and the role of women in society. Promoters of women's rights saw greater opportunities for women in the ease of household duties, which freed up time for career and employment opportunities. Other groups campaigned for a progressive approach to house design and sought to keep pace with social goals rooted in conflicting values.

As a result of these greater opportunities, women gained access to jobs and careers, higher education, and greater independence. Women who did not hold paid jobs volunteered for charities and clubs and were often involved in promoting various reforms. The bungalow design, coupled with technological innovations, contributed to smaller families and labor-saving devices that gave women more time for activities outside the home.