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An A-frame house owned and restored by Nicky Panicci in the Hollywood Hills, an example of an architectural A-frame.

An A-frame house or other A-frame building is an architectural house or building style^[1] 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 era that the A-frame acquired its most defining characteristics.

Style

A-frame buildings are an ancient form known, in Europe (e.g. cruck frame construction or grubenhaus), China, and the South Pacific islands. Sometimes called a roof hut, these were simple structures used for utilitarian purposes until the 1950s.^[2] In 1934, R.M. Schindler built the first modern A-frame house, for owner Gisela Bennati, in Lake Arrowhead, California.^[3] Architects Walter Reemelin, John Campbell, George Rockrise, Henrik H Bull, and Andrew Geller helped to popularize Schindler's idea in the early 1950s, designing A-frame vacation homes.^[2] In 1955, Andrew Geller built an A-frame house on the beach in Long Island, New York, known as the Elizabeth Reese House.^[2] Geller's design won international attention when it was featured in The New York Times on May 5, 1957.^[4] Before long, thousands of A-frame homes were being built around the world.^[5]

The Abbey Resort in Fontana-on-Geneva Lake, Wisconsin claims to have the world's tallest wooden A-frame.

Rise in popularity

The post–World War II popularity of the A-frame has been attributed to a combination of factors including Americans' extra disposable income, the inexpensiveness of building an A-frame structure, and a new interest in acquiring a second home for vacationing.^[2]

Another factor contributing to the rise of the A-frame included the adaptability of the structure itself, which enabled architects 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 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.

Residential examples

Bennati House (1934), Lake Arrowhead, California, designed by Rudolph Schindler
Elizabeth Reese House, Sagoponack, New York, designed by Andrew Geller
Numerous examples in Washington state.^[6]
Numerous examples, including historic kits and (recent?) "Yosemite-adjacent" ones, in Curbed^[7]
12 A-frame houses in Northcrest Historic District, Atlanta, Georgia^[8]
Ranger cabin, Oregon, in Zig-zag Ranger District^[9]
Park City, Utah ski houses (two being demolished, but do others survive?)^[10]

Churches

Simpson Methodist Church (1957), Pullman, Washington^[6]
Saint Joseph Church (c.1960), Lynden, Washington^[6]
Yaddlethorpe Methodist Church, Yaddlethorpe? (see File:Yaddlethorpe Methodist Church - geograph.org.uk - 181813.jpg)

Commercial examples

Numerous older Wienerschnitzel stores are A-frames
Whataburger stores
IHOP restaurants
Tastee-Freez stores
Nickerson Farms stores (e.g., see File:Abandoned Nickerson Farms, Picacho, AZ.jpg)
Travelers Rest Motel, near Everett, Pennsylvania^[11]
Dick Lewis Pontiac-Cadillac (1964), Olympia, Washington^[6]
The main building of Florida's Disney's Contemporary Resort, in which the Walt Disney World monorail has a station
Lake Easton Resort (c.1963), Easton, Washington^[6]
Tiki Lodge (c.1964), Spokane, Washington^[6]

Educational examples

Wakefield Country Day School, Flint Hill, Virginia.

References

^ "A-frame" Oxford English Dictionary Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) © Oxford University Press 2009
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Randl, Chad. A-frame. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2004. Print.
^ "The (R.M.) Schindler List". Archived from the original on 2016-09-26. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
^ Fred A. Bernstein, "Andrew Geller, 87, Modernist Architect, Dies", New York Times. December 27, 2011 Archived March 20, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. accessed 1/26/2014
^ "Starting A Roofing Business". Archived from the original on 2021-04-29. Retrieved 2021-04-29. Thursday, 29 April 2021
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "A-frame / 1950 - 1990 / Washington State Examples". 8 July 2014. Archived from the original on 14 October 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
^ Alexandra Lange (September 22, 2017). "The A-frame effect: Not just another house, but a way of life". Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
^ "Northcrest Historic District Listed in National Register of Historic Places". May 5, 2017. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
^ document
^ "Agenda". Park City Municipal Corporation. October 16, 2013. Archived from the original on 2021-04-16. Retrieved 2019-10-15.
^ "Travelers Rest Motel". SAH Archipedia. 17 July 2018. Archived from the original on 17 October 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2019.

External links

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.

[1] "A-frame" Oxford English Dictionary Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) © Oxford University Press 2009

[Randl-2] Randl, Chad. A-frame. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2004. Print.

[3] "The (R.M.) Schindler List". Archived from the original on 2016-09-26. Retrieved 2017-12-19.

[4] Fred A. Bernstein, "Andrew Geller, 87, Modernist Architect, Dies", New York Times. December 27, 2011 Archived March 20, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. accessed 1/26/2014

[5] "Starting A Roofing Business". Archived from the original on 2021-04-29. Retrieved 2021-04-29. Thursday, 29 April 2021

[wash-6] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "A-frame / 1950 - 1990 / Washington State Examples". 8 July 2014. Archived from the original on 14 October 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.

[7] Alexandra Lange (September 22, 2017). "The A-frame effect: Not just another house, but a way of life". Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.

[8] "Northcrest Historic District Listed in National Register of Historic Places". May 5, 2017. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2019.

[9] ument

[10] "Agenda". Park City Municipal Corporation. October 16, 2013. Archived from the original on 2021-04-16. Retrieved 2019-10-15.

[11] "Travelers Rest Motel". SAH Archipedia. 17 July 2018. Archived from the original on 17 October 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2019.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{short description|Architectural house or building style}}
-[https://www.onyxaframe.com/ Onyx A-Frame House, Northeast United States. An example of an original double A-frame architectural design, circa 1964.][[File:The Bennati House, Lake Arrowhead, California.jpg|thumb|
+[[File:The Bennati House, Lake Arrowhead, California.jpg|thumb|
 The [[Bennati House]], in [[Lake Arrowhead, California]]. [[Rudolph Schindler (architect)|Rudolph Schindler's]] original A-frame design, 1934.]]
 [[File:A-frame house on Butler Spaeth Road in Gillette, Wyoming.jpg|thumb|An example of an A-frame house in [[Gillette, Wyoming]]]]