Tudor-Style Homes

ENGLISH ANCESTRY: Tudor houses, whatever their size, are characterized by prominent front gables, curved arches, oversized chimneys, and tall, narrow windows.

American Gothic
Tudor-style homes, whether modest or grand, take their cues from Old World architecture.

In the 1920s, much like the 1990s, a bullish stock market ruled, and one architectural style became so popular during that decade that it was often called Stockbroker’s Tudor. A favorite among newly affluent homeowners, American Tudor houses are based on a wide variety of medieval English prototypes, ranging from thatch-roofed folk cottages to grand manor houses. In Dallas, look no further than Greenland Hills and Hollywood Heights to see how this style dominated entire neighborhoods; wonderful, large examples are also scattered throughout Kessler Park, West Highland Park, Swiss Avenue, and Lakewood.

Variety is a hallmark of Tudor homes, but they’re easy to identify from a set of common features “chief among them a steeply pitched roof with a prominent front-facing gable. (In the Middle Ages, thatched and slate roofs required a high pitch to reliably shed water.) Massive chimneys, sometimes with decorative chimney pots, are often prominently featured. Tall, narrow casement windows (windows that open outward on side hinges) are usually found in at least one set of windows.

Look also for entry doors and porches featuring a rounded arch or the slightly more ornate Tudor arche”a flattened variation on the pointed Gothic arch. Though generally considered a hallmark of the style, decorative half-timbering, which displays the original English method of construction, can only be found in about half of all Tudor homes. Many in Dallas feature buff-colored brick with decorative rust-colored stone ornamentation, made from local clays and East Texas ironstone “a wonderfully picturesque combination not found in most other cities.