What Is a Cape Cod House?

History

• Cape Cod homes first appeared on the New England coast in the early 18th century. Early settlers to America patterned their dwellings after the half-timbered English houses of their native land. They adapted the design to New England's stormy coast and the natural resources that were available.

Name

• The homes were named by Timothy Dwight, president of Yale University, in 1800. Dwight wrote about the cottage style he encountered for the first time in his book, ''Travels in New England and New York.'' He noted that the houses shared characteristics inside and out, including pine shingles and two basic rooms.

Exterior

• The exterior of a Cape Cod is traditionally clad in wood shakes or clapboard shingles. A central front door often is flanked by pilasters. Shutters are traditional and were first used as protection from New England storms, though today's Cape Cod shutters are purely decorative. Double-hung, multi-paned windows are standard, with charming touches such as picket fences and window boxes often added.

Interior

• Cape Cods are typically one- to one-and-a-half-story homes. In the original Cape Cods, the first floor featured a center-hall floor plan with a parlor and dining room and a central fireplace to provide heat. In later Cape Cods, the chimneys were moved to one side of the house. Upstairs, modest bedrooms were tucked beneath the dormers under slanting roofs. The floors are typically hardwood.

Renewed Popularity

• Though its popularity never waned in New England, the Cape Cod style spread across America in the 1930s. By the 1940s, the post-World War II housing boom made the Cape Cod a staple in new suburban neighborhoods.The style was inexpensive, easy to build, and appealed to Americans' sense of tradition. The new Cape Cods maintained many of the architectural features of the originals, including a steep roof and dormers, but the interiors were updated and attached garages were added.