The Prairie style was made popular by early projects of Frank Lloyd
Wright in the Chicago area. The new type spread throughout the nation
in the first decade of the 20th century and remained popular until the
beginning of the Depression. Most Prairie style houses have the form of
an American Foursquare. For this project, those American Foursquare
houses that feature few Prairie elements are classified separately. The
house at 246 West 6th Street is an example of the more common type of
Prairie Style house. It has a hipped roof with a decorative dormer. The
widely overhanging eaves do not feature brackets or sprockets as was
common in earlier decades. Other key Erie examples of these Prairie
style houses with a foursquare massing include 456-458 West 10th Street
and 447 East 8th Street.
The house at 329 West 10th Street is one of the most stylish of all
Prairie Style houses in the County of Erie. The house has a hipped roof
with widely overhanging eaves. Its centered dormer has a similar roof
and narrow windows with a horizontal design. The lower two floors have
corners that are expressed as tower-like features; bands run along the
wall surface to help emphasize the horizontal nature of the house.
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