by Hänsel Hernández-Navarro (photo of San Francisco’s 1922 Castro Theatre by WindingRoad)   If there’s one thing we love about CIRCA, it’s the chance to “tour” the great vernacular architecture that makes America wonderful. Love art deco & moderne? You’re most certainly not alone! Join Hänsel as he teaches us all about the Art Deco & Art Moderne styles.   The earlier style, Art Deco, was more common in public and commercial buildings in the 1920s and early 1930s. The style is extremely rare in domestic architecture in America, but many Deco interiors were designed and built in American houses and apartments. However, it was more frequently used in the design of apartment buildings: the Miami Beach Art Deco District, and New York City’s Grand Concourse feature large concentrations of the style. Later in the

by Hänsel Hernández-Navarro (photo by WindingRoad) If there’s one thing we love about CIRCA, it’s the chance to “tour” the great vernacular architecture that makes America wonderful. Love shingles? You’re most certainly not alone! Join Hänsel as he teaches us all about the Shingle style.   The Shingle Style 1880 – 1900   The Shingle Style originated in New England in the 1880s and and became popular across the whole of the United States by the beginning of the next decade, the 1890s. Like the Richardsonian Romanesque and the Queen Anne, it is a genuine American vernacular style of the late 19th-century. It was historian Vincent Scully who in the 1950s identified and named this style, which appears to be a reaction to the excesses of the Victorian and the Queen Anne Styles. The Shingle Style avoided fussy effects

by Hänsel Hernández-Navarro (photo by WindingRoad) If there’s one thing we love about CIRCA, it’s the chance to “tour” the great vernacular architecture that makes America wonderful. Love Victorians? You’re most certainly not alone! Join Hänsel as he teaches us all about the Queen Anne style.   When one thinks of Victorian houses, the variety of architecture styles in America in the period 1840s -1900 runs the gamut. From the Gothic Revival, to the Romanesque, and even our own Shingle Style, the Queen Anne also forms part of this group of eclectic architectural

by Hänsel Hernández-Navarro (photo of Cupples House by Matthew Black) If there’s one thing we love about CIRCA, it’s the chance to “tour” the great vernacular architecture that makes America wonderful. Today Hänsel is teaching all about the Romanesque Revival style!   From the 1820s through the 1840s there was a vital new influence in American life coming from Germany. This interest in Germany began when Americans began going there to study, and this exposure led to new currents in thought and culture: transcendentalism, innovations in educational methods, and developments in science and music. Rundbogenstil, or “round arch style”, was at its height in Germany. This style came be known as Romanesque Revival in the US.   American architects began experimenting with the Romanesque in the 1840s and 1850s in churches and public building design using round arches,

by Hänsel Hernández-Navarro If there’s one thing we love about CIRCA, it’s the chance to “tour” the great vernacular architecture that makes America wonderful. We’re fascinated with the sweeping Southern porches, the Pueblo Revival homes of the Southwest, and the Craftsman bungalows dotting the Pacific Northwest. The midwest offers classic American Foursquares and majestic Queen Anne beauties, and New England satisfies our cravings for snow-covered colonials. America’s got style, that’s for sure! To help us decipher which style is which, we’ve enlisted the help of architectural conservator Hänsel Hernández-Navarro, who will be teaching us about styles on a bi-weekly basis. Today we’re talking about the Greek Revival style!   “I am not an Athenian, nor a Greek, but a citizen of the world”, Socrates said. And if you look at the “Greek beauties” in CIRCA’s roster

by Hänsel Hernández-Navarro If there’s one thing we love about CIRCA, it’s the chance to “tour” the great vernacular architecture that makes America wonderful. We’re fascinated with the sweeping Southern porches, the Pueblo Revival homes of the Southwest, and the Craftsman bungalows dotting the Pacific Northwest. The midwest offers classic American Foursquares and majestic Queen Anne beauties, and New England satisfies our cravings for snow-covered colonials. America’s got style, that’s for sure! To help us decipher which style is which, we’ve enlisted the help of architectural conservator Hänsel Hernández-Navarro, who will be teaching us about styles on a bi-weekly basis. First up is the great Prairie Style!   Some years back I decided to visit my friend Bob in the Twin Cities. Bob had lived briefly in NYC, and had moved back to his home state after