1960 houses in Wichita

While visiting a friend in Wichita, Kansas, I ran across these two houses, about a block apart. A realtor says the one below was built in 1960 and area residents tell me the whole neighborhood was built about then. I haven't had time to do any real detective work on this.

There seem to be no unusual exterior touches that aren't visible in these photos. So, what do you all think? Polynesian, Asian, or just houses with funky roofs?

On 2007-09-03 05:15, tikijackalope wrote:
So, what do you all think? Polynesian, Asian, or just houses with funky roofs?

The house in the first photo definitely looks Polynesian-influenced. Check out the little post that extends upwards from the gable.

Also, it's hard to tell from the picture, but it looks like that roof has no soffits. Bat paradise!

It seriously looks like someone wanted to impart a polynesian-style to the homes without making them too edgy for middle America. Of course, who is to say how much of the original design remains? Some people may have purged "that icky Polynesian" look to make the houses more "modern" looking. It's like HGTV's Design Star where the "designers" got to remodel Wayne Newton's totally mid-century modern guest house and purged all vestiges of that era to replace it with something bland, done-before, and prosaic that people whose taste is in their mouth can appreciate. :)

Too Cool! Reminds me of one in Lawrence, KS I shot for grins a few years ago.

Now, back to your post . . There may have been a Japanese influence there. I've seen a few houses around here that have had their roofs remodeled with a bell-cast flair to deflect evil spirits. The houses you have seem more elaborately done than most, though, so who knows.

Classic Silver Line Boats

[ Edited by: SilverLine 2007-09-04 20:29 ]