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Identifying feature

Horizontal emphasis

A design that stresses long horizontal lines through low roofs, deep eaves (roof overhangs), bands of windows and continuous sills (window ledges). It defines Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie houses.

a sign of these styles

Stahl House, Los Angeles: an example of Mid-Century Modern Mid-Century Modern c. 1945–1970 Post-and-beam houses with walls of glass, flat or butterfly roofs, and easy flow between indoors and out. Robie House, Chicago: an example of Prairie School Prairie School c. 1900–1920 Long horizontal lines: broad low roofs, deep overhangs, and continuous bands of windows hugging the ground. Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway, Palm Springs, California: an example of Ranch Ranch c. 1935–1975 Single-story sprawl: a low-pitched roof, attached garage, picture windows, and an open floor plan.

also seen on

International StyleStreamline ModerneTropical Modernism

often seen with

Flat roof A roof that is level or nearly level, often edged by a low wall called a parapet. Corner window A window that wraps around a building's corner with no post at the corner. Deep eave overhang Roof edges, called eaves, that extend well beyond the walls. Piloti Columns, called pilotis, that raise a building one floor above the ground and leave the ground level open. Exposed structure A building's frame, beams, trusses (triangles of linked beams), pipes or ducts left visible instead of… Hipped roof A roof that slopes down to the walls on all four sides, with no gables (triangular wall ends). Modular repetition A facade built from one identical unit, such as a window and its frame, repeated in a regular grid. Ribbon window A continuous horizontal row of windows across a facade, separated only by thin mullions (upright bars).