Cape Cod cottage

Isaac Kremer/ January 14, 2018/ / 0 comments

A rectangular one or two-story house with loft above in a half story, reached by a staircase set between central chimney columns. Derived from the hall and parlor cottage. Developed in New England mainly on Cape Cod in Massachusetts by English settlers in the mid-1600s, though prevailed well into the 1800s. This compact dwelling usually contains two rooms in front with three smaller rooms across the rear. Characteristics include wood-frame with white clapboard or shingle walls, gable roof with low eaves and usually no dormer, a large central chimney, and a front door located on one of the long sides. May have a lean-to at the rear. Built low and broad to withstand prevailing winds. Often sat directly on timber sills without a foundation. If the sandy soil underneath eroded or blew away, the house could be dragged or floated to a new location. Twentieth-century revival versions (commercial builders’ Cape Cod cottages) retain the traditional exterior form with a small end-gabled house in lower-cost housing developments, although interior floor plans are much changed, and the exterior barely resembles the original. (Kremer, 2023)

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About Isaac Kremer

Isaac is a nationally acclaimed downtown revitalization leader, speaker, and author. Districts Isaac managed have achieved over $850 million of investment, more than1,645 jobs created, and were 2X Great American Main Street Award Semifinalists and a 1X GAMSA winner in 2023. His work has been featured in Newsday, NJBIZ, ROI-NJ, Patch, TapInto, and USA Today. Isaac is a Main Street America Revitalization Professional (MSARP), with additional certifications from the National Parks Service, Project for Public Spaces, Grow America (formerly the National Development Council), and the Strategic Doing Institute. He currently serves as Executive Director for Experience Princeton in Princeton, New Jersey.

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