Is there any beauty as satisfying as that of a small home skillfully
conceived and executed? — Small Homes of Architectural Distinction,
1929
“Cottage” may be the most abused word in the language of real estate.
I’ve seen cinderblock shoe boxes, tract homes whose two-car garages jut out
prominently like bad teeth, and sagging structures held up by nothing but their
crummy vinyl siding, all called “cottages” by straight-faced realtors and ad
copywriters. But I was never fooled; I spent a good decade of my life staring
at the elaborate illustrations in my books of fairy tales. The images of the
pigs’ brick cottage with wooden shutters and beds of hollyhocks or the three
bears’ forest cottage, timber-framed with a thatched roof, are burned on my
brain.
So when we made the trek from downtown Toronto, Ontario, to the man-made
islands just off-shore to see the cottage community of Ward’s Island, I was
skeptical. But there they were, a cluster of small houses, with flower-filled
gardens and picket fences, and more character than Goldilocks could shake a
porridge spoon at: arched doorways, eyebrows over the dormer windows and a wall
of mullioned wooden windows, never aluminum, across the front porch. As we road
our rented bicycles down the narrow lanes (cars are prohibited), I kept an eye
peeled for the bear family.
There couldn’t have been more than a hundred of the cottages left on Ward’s
Island. The hundreds of others who had stood the storms for years were
purchased by the city of Toronto in the 1950s and torn down to make way for a
park. A very nice park, but a park without cottages.
I think it’s time to revive the cottage. Fortunately, a source of inspiration
for the task at hand can be had for a mere $14.95. Authentic Small Houses of
the Twenties, from Dover Publications, is the unabridged and unaltered
republication of Small Houses of Architectural Distinction: A Book of
Suggested Plans Designed by The Architects’ Small House Service Bureau,
first published in 1929. In addition to the 254 floor plans and photographs of
these cottages, there’s a wealth of cottage maxims hidden in the text:
About the stories cottages tell:
“In studying the old English cottages, you can tell from the form of each
particular dwelling the fortunes of the families who have occupied it. When an
extra room was needed a new wing was put on… When the owner became prosperous
enough, a bay window or an oriel was added.”
Or building materials:
“With what materials should the modern cottage be built? Any materials so long
as they are the most easily obtainable, the least expensive, and in keeping
with the nature of the place where the house is to be built.”
Or resounding praise:
“A cottage is a castle on a small scale, and in many ways more desirable.”
The bears and the pigs would agree.
Labor Day, 1996: We mourn the death of our friend, Michael Ciasullo, a man who
appreciated the charm of cottages and fairy tale bears. He was responsible for
much of the magic of the Zilker Trail of Lights and he will be missed greatly.
Our thoughts are with his family, Philip and other friends, and Lucy.
This article appears in September 6 • 1996 and September 6 • 1996 (Cover).