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Craftsman Bungalow

BUNGALOW OR BANGALA?

In the period from 1900 to 1930, suburban housing developers used the word "bungalow" to describe the homes in many new subdivisions. Obviously, they thought this was a word which would stimulate sales. I've always wondered why. I've heard the word "bungalow" all my life, but I was surprised to learn the word is an Anglicized version of "Bangala," the name of an old Hindu kingdom in India. When India was part of the British Empire, the English civil servants came to use the term "bungalow" to describe their housing, which was built in the provincial manner: one story thatched huts surrounded by wide porches.

As the nineteenth century passed, the word bungalow took on a broader meaning, referring to all forms of housing used by British colonial settlers, administrators, and visitors throughout India. These buildings varied from small, self-contained single family homes to compounds that became rest houses or inns built by the British government. The basic elements of the "bungalow" remained constant: a simple single-story building with prominent roofline, verandah, and centrally located living area (to help in air circulation).

1865 Photo Of A "Bungalow" In India.

The British developed very warm feelings about their bungalows. The word came to have all kinds of positive ideas associated with it. These warm and fuzzy feelings crossed the Atlantic when the word bungalow came to America. The word evoked notions of rustic peace and serenity in a world filled with vague, menacing forces.

In the period from 1900 to 1930, suburban housing developers capitalized on these popular feelings by using the word bungalow to describe just about every small one story or one-and-one-half story suburban home they built. It was particularly appropriate for cottages built in the Arts & Crafts vernacular style (the Craftsman Bungalows) which emphasized simple construction with modest materials and none of the elaborate gingerbread trim which had characterized the Victorian era.