The Art Of The Bungalow Eight Spokane Homes Among Those Featured In New Book

The phrase “Craftsman bungalow” meant nothing to David Blomgren 10 years ago when he first crossed the threshold of the South Hill home that would consume so much of his and wife Carol’s time, energy and money.

But he liked what he saw.

Despite the pet-soiled carpets, filthy walls and heavy red velvet drapes that kept sunlight at bay, “This living room immediately appealed to me,” David recalls, scanning the stained-glass and acid-etched windows, the wide fir trim, the hammered-copper and tile fireplace details.

“It sort of reminded me of Clinkerdagger’s (restaurant), so I thought it was English,” says Carol.

But interior designer Joan Hollowell immediately recognized the home’s American Arts and Crafts pedigree, and pointed the couple toward local resources, including Cheney Cowles Museum’s annual Old House Workshop, the latest installment of which begins next month.

It was there, two years ago, that the Blomgrens heard a presentation by San Francisco interior designer Paul Duchscherer, author of “The Bungalow: America’s Arts & Crafts Home” (Penguin Studio, $29.95).

Afterward, Duchscherer toured a handful of local homes, including the Blomgrens’.

“He said then that he wanted to come back and shoot pictures for his next book,” David recounts. “We figured, ‘Oh, sure.’ But that September he came back.”

Predicting he’d need only 30 minutes, Duchscherer and photographer Douglas Keister stayed more than four hours. After that, the Blomgrens heard nothing until last November, when they read that Duchscherer would be in Seattle to sign his new book.

“Our daughter goes to school in Seattle,” says David, “so we asked her to stop by and pick up a copy.”

“She went to the book-signing,” continues Carol, “and said, ‘I think my parents’ home may be somewhere in that book.’

“Paul asked what the name was, and when she told him, he turned the book over and she goes, ‘That’s it!”’

Not only is the Blomgrens’ living room alcove featured on the back of “Inside the Bungalow: America’s Arts & Crafts Interior” (Penguin Studio, $32.50), but their tile-and-copper fireplace covers the two-page title plate, and six more detail shots appear elsewhere in the book.

And they’re not alone. Seven other Spokane homes, including a new residence created in the Arts and Crafts spirit, made it into the 184-page volume.

That’s quite a shift from Duchscherer’s first book, which he devoted exclusively to California bungalows.

“Spokane has a particularly rich supply of houses from the early 20th century,” explains Duchscherer, “because a lot of development was going on, creating demand for middle-class houses.”

America’s bungalows were the product of the Arts and Crafts Movement that began in England around the middle of the 19th century.

Championed by Englishmen John Ruskin and William Morris, among others, the movement responded to the dehumanizing impact of the Industrial Revolution by encouraging the preservation of traditional crafts.

At its core, the movement preached that architecture, along with art, had the capacity to redeem and improve society.

The Arts and Crafts residence of choice - the modest bungalow, which first gained notoriety in this country in the 1880s - represented a comfortable alternative to the clutter of typical Victorian homes.

The style quickly caught on. By the early 1900s, the popularity of bungalows was fueled less by any high-minded Arts and Crafts philosophy than by the homes’ reputation for integrity, affordability and convenience - simple, flexible floor plans that emphasized public spaces over bedrooms.

The most popular American bungalow style was the Craftsman, which usually included low-pitched, gabled roofs with wide eaves, tapered square porch columns, and decorative beams and braces. Other bungalows displayed hints of Tudor, Mission Revival, Prairie, Swiss chalet and even Oriental influences.

The bungalow’s popularity here and elsewhere peaked around World War I, just as Spokane’s economy was entering a decades-long hibernation.

Many local bungalows - including the Blomgrens’ - eventually became rentals, suffering abuse, neglect and occasionally the greed of scavengers.

Duchscherer traces the current bungalow revival to the early 1970s publicity surrounding museum exhibits in Princeton and Pasadena.

Kathy Bixler, one of Spokane’s most successful residential Realtors in recent years, says today those small, early 1900s bungalows offer first-time buyers more quality than they can find in many newer homes, particularly those built in the 1970s.

“Spokane bungalows are always easy to sell,” she says. “They have charming details - hardwood floors and leaded-glass windows - and they tend to be in well-maintained neighborhoods.”

Bixler says two-bedroom, one-bath bungalows start at $100,000 to $150,000.

“You pay a little premium,” she says, “because most of the bungalows are close to downtown.”

Though appreciated locally, Spokane’s wealth of turn-of-the-century houses has been overlooked by outsiders until now, Duchscherer says, “largely due to logistics. You’re off the beaten path.”

That’s unlikely to change, even with publication of his new book. None of the Spokane homes is identified by address, and some - such as the Blomgrens’ - have deceptively unassuming exteriors.

But almost everyone entering the Blomgren residence for the first time responds with the same two words: Oh, wow!

Built in 1907 by the secretary-treasurer of Spokane Ironworks, the two-story home displays the same attention to detail that characterized the work of the city’s best-known architect of the day, Kirtland Cutter.

The main floor includes the living room, two bedrooms and a sleeping porch, plus the alcove pictured on the back of Duchscherer’s book.

A handsome stairway leads down to the daylight lower level, which includes the kitchen, dining area and several other rooms.

Many of the original fixtures and wallpapers were intact when the Blomgrens bought the home, and none of the dark, knot-free wood trim had been painted, as so often happened in bungalows.

But, curiously, the posts and benches that formed an inglenook around the main-floor fireplace had been removed. And haphazard additions to the wiring needed rectifying.

“The biggest challenge has been undoing what was done in the ‘70s,” says Carol. “We also had to replace the roof, and the stucco still needs repair.”

“This has definitely been a learning experience for us,” says David, who shares credit for the renovation with Carol’s brother and parents.

“When we first bought this house,” says Carol, “almost everyone told us we’d made a mistake. They said it needed too much work and that we’d never have the time.

“Well, it did take longer than we anticipated, and we still have a long way to go,” she acknowledges.

“But we both really love this house. And seeing the result of all our labor in Paul’s book helps make it all worthwhile.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 3 Color Photos

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Workshop Celebrated turn-of-the-century Spokane architect Kirtland K. Cutter- whose legacy includes the Spokane Club, the Chronicle Building, Patsy Clark mansion, Grace Campbell House and the Davenport Hotel will be the focus of this year’s Old House Workshop, sponsored by Cheney Cowles Museum. The three sessions will include: Feb. 10: Cutter biographer Henry Matthews will present his lecture, “Exploring Kirkland Cutter’s Artistic Imagination.” Feb. 17: Case studies examine the restoration of three Cutter-designed homes. Feb. 24: The museum’s history curator, Marsha Rooney, will narrate a slide presentation titled “Old House Journal: Campbell House Restoration,” then lead a tour of Campbell House. The workshops are scheduled for 7-9 p.m. at the museum, 2316 W. First. The cost is $8 per session, or $21 for all three. Early registration is recommended. For more information, visit the museum or call 456-3931.