Back to the future

hen Town Commons is completed, one of the things you will notice is that the houses don't all look alike. That will be by design and through careful planning. Our vision is to create a modern community of homes that borrows the best from our past - both in architecture and the look and feel of the streetscapes through the way homes are massed.

The overall plan provides for a diversity of traditional styles, while maintaining a harmonious and complete look through the implementation of strict architectural standards, regulating everything from dwelling setbacks to use of exterior colors to outside lighting to the material used on chimneys. A minimum of 60 percent of the houses on a block will have covered front porches. And the same front elevation (architectural style, floor plan, massing and materials) shall not be repeated more often than once per block. (A booklet detailing architectural and design standards is available at the Town Commons Marketing Center).

We've picked the best builders in Southwest Michigan (compared to the usual one or two in a development) who will be building single-family dwellings in a variety of traditional architectural designs, including these three principal styles: Colonial Revival, Italianate and Craftsman Bungalow. Houses must have a minimum of 1,400 square feet of livable space and we expect that floor plans will range up to 4,000 square feet. Brick, horizontal siding or stone will be used in exterior construction (vinyl siding is excluded).

Here's a look at the three principal architectural styles:

Colonial Revival
Popularized in the late 19th century, Colonial Revival architecture was inspired by the earlier Federalist period and marked the beginning of the end for the Victorian age of architecture. Simpler lines and sparse use of gingerbread contrasted with the ornate architecture of the High Victorian period. These traditional houses consisted of a simple one or two-story box, two rooms deep, with doors and windows in strict symmetry. The Federal, Georgian and Greek Revival styles, from which the Colonial Revival drew its architectural lines, are often grouped in the same category, The Colonial Revival style remained popular through the 1950s and many historical examples of it can still be found in Howell and the surrounding community.

Italianate
Part of the Victorian era, Italianate architecture was very popular in the mid 19th century, especially in Midwest cities. Borrowing from the country villas of northern Italy for inspiration, Italianates were typically rectangular in shape and featured low-pitched (sometimes flat) roofs. Their exterior details typically included thick supporting brackets under the eaves and the elaborate surrounds around the windows. One of the more popular styles of Italianate is the Tuscan style, characterized by the square tower or cupola on top.

Craftsman Bungalow
Many examples of this style of popular architecture can be found in Howell and Livingston County. The Craftsman Bungalow was the dominant style for smaller houses built throughout the country during the period from approximately 1905 until the early 1930s. The Craftsman style was popularized by Gustau Stickley as part of the arts and crafts movement. Built in small towns all over America, these homes were warm and inviting, with lots of stained wood trim on the inside and stone, slate and stucco used on the exteriors. The Craftsman style homes were known to have lots of built-in amenities, such as benches, window seats and bookcases. The idea was that people could walk into an unfurnished house and feel as if it were ready to be lived in.