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An A-frame house or other A-frame building is an architectural house or building style featuring steeply-angled sides (roofline) that usually begin at or near the foundation line, and meet at the top in the shape of the letter A. An A-frame ceiling can be open to the top rafters. Although the triangle shape of the A-frame has been present throughout history, it surged in popularity around the world from roughly the mid-1950s through the 1970s. It was during the post–
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
era that the A-frame acquired its most defining characteristics.


Style

A-frame buildings are an ancient form known, in Europe (e.g.
cruck A cruck or crook frame is a curved timber, one of a pair, which support the roof of a building, historically used in England and Wales. This type of timber framing consists of long, generally naturally curved, timber members that lean inwards and ...
frame construction or
grubenhaus A pit-house (or ''pit house'', ''pithouse'') is a house built in the ground and used for shelter. Besides providing shelter from the most extreme of weather conditions, these structures may also be used to store food (just like a pantry, a larder ...
), China, and the South Pacific islands. Sometimes called a ''roof hut'', these were simple structures used for utilitarian purposes until the 1950s.Randl, Chad. ''A-frame''. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2004. Print. In 1934, R.M. Schindler built the first modern A-frame house, for owner Gisela Bennati, in Lake Arrowhead, California. Architects Walter Reemelin, John Campbell, George Rockrise,
Henrik H Bull Henrik Helkand Bull (July 13, 1929 – December 3, 2013) was a founder of Bull Stockwell Allen / BSA Architects in San Francisco in 1967. Personal life Henrik Helkand Bull was the only child of Johan Bull (1893–1945) and Sonja Geelmuyden Bull ...
, and
Andrew Geller Andrew Michael Geller (April 17, 1924 – December 25, 2011) was an American architect, painter, and graphic designer. He is widely known for his uninhibited, sculptural beach houses in the coastal regions of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticu ...
helped to popularize Schindler's idea in the early 1950s, designing A-frame vacation homes. In 1955, Andrew Geller built an A-frame house on the beach in
Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18th ...
, known as the Elizabeth Reese House. Geller's design won international attention when it was featured in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' on May 5, 1957. Before long, thousands of A-frame homes were being built around the world. The Abbey Resort in
Fontana-on-Geneva Lake, Wisconsin Fontana-on-Geneva Lake (locally known as "Fontana") is a village located on Geneva Lake in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,672 at the 2010 census. Geography Fontana-on-Geneva Lake is located at (42.544288, -88 ...
claims to have the world's tallest wooden A-frame.


Rise in popularity

The post–
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
popularity of the A-frame has been attributed to a combination of factors including Americans' extra
disposable income Disposable income is total personal income minus current income taxes. In national accounts definitions, personal income minus personal current taxes equals disposable personal income. Subtracting personal outlays (which includes the major c ...
, the inexpensiveness of building an A-frame structure, and a new interest in acquiring a second home for vacationing. Another factor contributing to the rise of the A-frame included the adaptability of the structure itself, which enabled
architects An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
to experiment with more modern designs. A-frames were a useful medium in which architects could explore their creative side since they were relatively cheap to build. Additionally, many people preferred the idea of a "modern-style" vacation home to that of a "modern-style" primary home. A-frames became available as prefabricated kits, lowering the cost even more, and were sold by
Macy's Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...
department stores. After the rise of the archetypal A-frame, architects soon began experimenting with new designs, which led to what became known as the modified A-frame style.


Example


Residential examples

* Bennati House (1934),
Lake Arrowhead, California Lake Arrowhead is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) in the San Bernardino Mountains of San Bernardino County, California, surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest, and surrounding the eponymous Lake Arrowhead ...
, designed by Rudolph Schindler *
Elizabeth Reese House Andrew Michael Geller (April 17, 1924 – December 25, 2011) was an American architect, painter, and graphic designer. He is widely known for his uninhibited, sculptural beach houses in the coastal regions of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticu ...
, Sagoponack, New York, designed by
Andrew Geller Andrew Michael Geller (April 17, 1924 – December 25, 2011) was an American architect, painter, and graphic designer. He is widely known for his uninhibited, sculptural beach houses in the coastal regions of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticu ...
*Numerous examples in Washington state. *Numerous examples, including historic kits and (recent?) "Yosemite-adjacent" ones, in Curbed *12 A-frame houses in
Northcrest Historic District Northcrest was a city in north central McLennan County, Texas (USA). The city's name came from its location (six miles) north of Waco Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River a ...
,
Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
*Ranger cabin, Oregon, in
Zig-zag Ranger District A zigzag is a pattern made up of small corners at variable angles, though constant within the zigzag, tracing a path between two parallel lines; it can be described as both jagged and fairly regular. In geometry, this pattern is described as a ...
*Park City, Utah ski houses (two being demolished, but do others survive?)


Religious examples

A-frame buildings which had been made popular since 1955 by Andrew Geller were built for churches across the world. The modern shape was reinterpreted spiritually as representing "hands at prayer" since 1961 and the design of the Holy Cross Anglican Church in Tokyo by the Czech-born American architect
Antonin Raymond Antonin Raymond (or cs, Antonín Raymond), born as Antonín Reimann (10 May 1888 – 25 October 1976)"Deaths Elsewhere", ''Miami Herald'', 30 October 1976, p. 10 was a Czech American architect. Raymond was born and studied in Bohemia (now part ...
. His use of interlaced pillars was inspired by the traditional Japanese traditional country ''
minka are vernacular houses constructed in any one of several traditional Japanese building styles. In the context of the four divisions of society, were the dwellings of farmers, artisans, and merchants (i.e., the three non-samurai castes). This c ...
'' houses known as ''gasshō-zukuri'' (合掌造り), literally "clasped-hands style". The first A-shape church seems to be the
Simpson Methodist Church Simpson most often refers to: * Simpson (name), a British surname *''The Simpsons'', an animated American sitcom **The Simpson family, central characters of the series ''The Simpsons'' Simpson may also refer to: Organizations Schools *Simpso ...
in 1957 in
Pullman, Washington Pullman () is the largest city in Whitman County, located in southeastern Washington within the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. The population was 29,799 at the 2010 census, and estimated to be 34,506 in 2019. Originally founded as Thr ...
. The style was in 1960 adopted by the
Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
to build Saint Joseph Church,
Lynden, Washington Lynden is a city in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. It is located north of Bellingham and approximately south of the Canada–US border. The city is located along the Nooksack River and State Route 539. The population of Lynden ...
just before the
Our Lady of Fatima Roman Catholic Church Our Lady of Fatima Roman Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic church located in the East Elmhurst neighborhood of Queens, New York City. The church property occupies a city block bounded by 80th Street, 79th Street, 30th Avenue, and 25th Avenue, and ...
in 1961. It was used most impressively for the
United States Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel The United States Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel, completed in 1962, is the distinguishing feature of the Cadet Area at the United States Air Force Academy north of Colorado Springs. It was designed by Walter Netsch of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill ...
inaugurated in 1962. At the same time, the A-frame used was in Europe as early 1959 for
Bakkehaugen Church Bakkehaugen Church is a church, located in the neighborhood of Tåsen in Oslo, Norway.Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
by architect
Ove Bang Ove Bang (13 September 1895 – 21 May 1942) was a Norway, Norwegian architect. He was an advocate of Functionalism (architecture), functionalism in architecture. Biography Ove Bang was born at Røyken in Buskerud County, Norway. He was the ...
who was an advocate of functionalism. When the
Arctic Cathedral Tromsdalen Church or the Arctic Cathedral ( no, Tromsdalen kirke, Ishavskatedralen) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Tromsø Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located in the Tromsdalen valley on the east side ...
in 1965, the A-frame church had become a new identity of religious architecture in
Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
. It spread to Europe and was used in 1967 to build the Yaddlethorpe Methodist Church in
Yaddlethorpe Yaddlethorpe is a district in the south of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England. It is close to the M180 and next to Bottesford, divided by the A159 road. Yaddlethorpe is in the DN17 postcode area. Community The local secondary school is Fr ...
. The A-shape religious building made it across the Pacific Ocean to
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
with the Whiteley Memorial Methodist Church dedicated on 19 October 1963 considered as "
Taranaki Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth Dist ...
's most beautiful building". Christian religious buildings have also adopted the A-style architecture mainly in South East Asia. The first example after Japan might be the
Luce Memorial Chapel The Luce Memorial Chapel () is a Christian chapel on the campus of Tunghai University in Xitun District, Taichung, Taiwan. It was designed by architects I. M. Pei and Chi-kuan Chen. Name The chapel was named in honor of the Rev. Henry W. Luc ...
in Taiwan in 1963, followed by Saint Michael's Church in Sihanoukville in 1965, Xavier Hall Catholic Church in
Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...
in 1972, or the Church of the Pastoral Center in
Da Lat Da Lat (also written as Dalat, vi, Đà Lạt; ), is the capital of Lâm Đồng Province and the largest city of the Central Highlands region in Vietnam. The city is located above sea level on the Langbian Plateau. Da Lat is one of the mos ...
in 2010 are some examples of a similar architectural style. This style is still popular in Europe also, as in Henry's Ecumenical Art Chapel in
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
in 2005.


Commercial examples

250px, A-frame roof Wienerschnitzel restaurant in Whittier, California *Numerous older
Wienerschnitzel Wienerschnitzel is an American fast food chain founded in 1961 (as "Der Wienerschnitzel") that specializes in hot dogs. Despite the name, the company does not sell Wiener schnitzel, only selling it once as a promotional item. Wienerschnitzel l ...
stores are A-frames *
Whataburger Whataburger is an American regional fast food restaurant chain, headquartered and based in San Antonio, Texas, that specializes in hamburgers. The company, founded by Harmon Dobson and Paul Burton, opened its first restaurant in Corpus Christ ...
stores * IHOP restaurants *
Tastee-Freez Tastee-Freez is an American franchised fast-food restaurant specializing in soft serve ice cream. Its corporate headquarters is in Newport Beach, California, and it has stores in seven states, with two stores located in Illinois. The first Tast ...
stores *
Nickerson Farms Nickerson Farms was an American roadside restaurant franchise that existed between the mid-1960s and the early 1980s. It was started by I. J. Nickerson, a former Stuckey's franchisee who did not agree with that chain's rules and regulations. Nick ...
stores (e.g., see :File:Abandoned Nickerson Farms, Picacho, AZ.jpg) * Travelers Rest Motel, near
Everett, Pennsylvania Everett is a borough in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, Bedford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,775 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Everett's original name was Bloody Run, after a creek that was the site of ...
* Dick Lewis Pontiac-Cadillac (1964),
Olympia, Washington Olympia is the capital of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat and largest city of Thurston County. It is southwest of the state's most populous city, Seattle, and is a cultural center of the southern Puget Sound region. European ...
* The main building of Florida's
Disney's Contemporary Resort Disney's Contemporary Resort, originally to be named Tempo Bay Hotel and previously the Contemporary Resort Hotel, is a resort located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. Opened on October 1, 1971, the hotel is one of two or ...
, in which the
Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, th ...
monorail A monorail (from "mono", meaning "one", and "rail") is a railway in which the track consists of a single rail or a beam. Colloquially, the term "monorail" is often used to describe any form of elevated rail or people mover. More accurately, ...
has a station * Lake Easton Resort (c.1963),
Easton, Washington Easton is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Kittitas County, Washington, United States. The population was 478 at the 2010 census. History Easton was platted in 1902. It was given its name by the Northern Pacific R ...
*
Tiki Lodge In Māori mythology, Tiki is the List of protoplasts, first man created by either Tūmatauenga or Tāne. He found the first woman, Marikoriko, in a pond; she seduced him and he became the father of Hine-kau-ataata. By extension, a tiki is a lar ...
(c.1964),
Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Canada ...


Educational examples

*
Wakefield Country Day School Wakefield Country Day School is a co-educational, independent, non-sectarian elementary, middle, and high school situated in Rappahannock County, United States and serving grades preschool (age 3) through grade 12. The school's campus is located n ...
, Flint Hill, Virginia.


See also

*
Minka are vernacular houses constructed in any one of several traditional Japanese building styles. In the context of the four divisions of society, were the dwellings of farmers, artisans, and merchants (i.e., the three non-samurai castes). This c ...
*
Vernacular architecture Vernacular architecture is building done outside any academic tradition, and without professional guidance. This category encompasses a wide range and variety of building types, with differing methods of construction, from around the world, bo ...
*


References


Bibliography

*


External links

{{Commons category, A-frame buildings
A-frame Style
from ''Picture Dictionary of House Styles in North America and Beyond'' on About.com, by Jackie Craven
A-frame Home
- An A-frame home in the Hollywood Hills owned and restored by Nicky Panicci
A-frame House
Website (archive) about an a-frame house located in Phoenix, AZ. Vernacular architecture