The Cape Cod House

The small story-and-a-half Cape Cod house is America's most popular house style. From its origins on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in the seventeenth century, this charming and practical style of house has been transplanted and modified to accommodate varying life styles as far away as Hawaii. The Cape Cod House traces the history and explains why this house style turned out as it did and how it has changed over its 300-year life span.

This exploration features 143 pictures (16 pages in color) and drawn plans showing the house style in its various stages: from the tiny half Cape of long ago to the modern house with wings that may stretch to a total length of 100 feet and more. Author Stanley Schuler, the former architectural and building editor of House Beautiful magazine, has brought together the architectural history of the Cape Cod house to be studied and enjoyed by all who live-in, restore, or want to build their own Cape Cod house.