Lessons from Architect and Architectural Historian Thomas Hubka

Learn about the advancement of early 20th century domestic architecture and improvements in quality of life for the “middle majority” by reading Thomas Hubka's recent book, How the Working-Class Home became Modern, 1900-1940 (University of Minnesota Press, 2020). Our recent 60-minute illustrated webinar, available here, offers both a substantial overview and thoughts on how to apply his theories and practices to your home. Hubka is also the popular presenter and author of an analysis of connected farm building architecture Big House, Little House, Back House, Barn.

Here's an overview of How the Working-Class Home became Modern from the Vernacular Architecture Forum & Society for Architectural Historians News (July, 2021):

(The book) delineates the critically important, yet often overlooked, steady and dramatic improvements in the basic amenities of working-class homes, a process long missed by scholars who examined housing by reading prescriptive and marketing literature and paying primary attention to new houses designed for wealthier Americans. In 1900, a surprising number of the residences of those Hubka calls the “middle majority” still lacked amenities such as three-fixture bathrooms, electricity, and bedroom privacy. But by 1940, a remarkably short period of transformation including the Great Depression, huge gains had been made, pushing this middle majority towards a common material life of middle-class comfort. The working class often obtained this convenience and status through the remodeling of existing housing and in multiple family dwellings.

In the Preservation Alliance program, Hubka shared these strategies when hunting down information about the evolution of homes from this era:

• Use contractors and other experts familiar with your type of house

• Visit other houses like yours to compare features

• Check your municipality for records on building permits related to construction or improvements

• When considering dating new innovations like gas or electricity, consider when they were distributed, not just when invented

• Rural properties likely lagged substantially behind urban domestic architectural design evolutions

And have patience when doing your research, he said.

Hubka emphasizes that these homes offer a record of aspiration. Check out our webinar or the book for much, much more.