The Ranch style began in the United States in the 1930s as contractors in the western states began building houses characteristic of the rambling adobe houses of ranchos and pueblos built by the Spanish and Mexicans in early California. Sometimes called the California Ranch, Western Ranch, or Rambler, the form was immensely popular in the United States during the 1940s to 1970s as baby boomer families began to buy lots on the outskirts of the city. The Ranch house coordinated with the rise of the car culture, making garages a prominent and often integrated feature. Ranch houses are found in three subtypes: tract (presented at the right), minimal, and massed.
The traditional Ranch house is one-story, rectilinear in plan, and features a broad, low-pitched shingled roof, most often side-gabled or hipped. The façade is asymmetrical and includes an integrated garage that projects to the front or side of the house. Windows have wood or metal frames and are often grouped in pairs or sets of three. The interior features an open plan with the focus on the family room. The rear of the house typically features a patio, courtyard, or garden. Exterior walls are covered in wood siding, shingles, brick, stone, or a combination. Ranches typically lack much ornament, although non-functional shutters, porches, and other elements are often reflective of colonial houses.
Identifying Features:
- Linear, Asymmetrical, One story façade
- Low-pitched roof, typically side-gabled, cross-gabled or hipped
- Usually wood, brick or a combination
- Moderate to wide eaves
- Decorative iron or wooden porch supports and decorative, non-functional shutters
- Banded and/or picture windows
- Small front porch or entry stoop
- Partially enclosed courtyard or patio at rear
- Attached/built-in garage
Sources:
- Higgins, Alan. “Architectural Movements of the Recent Past,” http://alan-higgins.com/ (accessed March 3, 2010).
Images:
- Higgins, Alan. “Architectural Movements of the Recent Past,” http://alan-higgins.com/ (accessed March 3, 2010).
- Higgins, Alan. “Architectural Movements of the Recent Past,” http://alan-higgins.com/ (accessed March 1, 2010).
- Higgins, Alan. “Architectural Movements of the Recent Past,” http://alan-higgins.com/ (accessed March 3, 2010).
- Higgins, Alan. “Architectural Movements of the Recent Past,” http://alan-higgins.com/ (accessed March 3, 2010).