The Cape Cod Style Home

Watertown, being established in 1630, has a rich history when considering its housing stock.  From Colonial Era homes such as the Edmund Fowle House built in 1772 to Revolutionary Era homes including the Miles Pratt House, to the modern contemporary town homes sprinkled throughout the community, we are fortunate to have such a varied selection of housing styles and architecture. 

The Cape Cod-style home is a popular style and many of them were constructed in Watertown, especially in the West End from the mid 1940’s through the 1950’s. The "Cape Cod House" got its name in 1800 from Timothy Dwight, president of Yale University. In his book, Travels in New England and New York, Dwight describes his visit to Cape Cod, where he saw houses which he felt were a "class."

But what made the Cape Cod style so popular here in Watertown? Consider this time in history when there was available land for new housing. Germany’s unconditional surrender at General Eisenhower’s Headquarters took place on May 7, 1945 and Japan followed on September 2, 1945. With the end of the war, there was an influx of returning GI’s and a need for affordable housing and education assistance. With the GI Bill, officially titled The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 and a burgeoning economy, there was a desire for home ownership and also a means to finance home purchases unseen until that time. 

The Cape Cod style home fit this need perfectly. This style, first built in New England in the late 17^th century, offers an efficient, flexible floor plan that was frequently built with a stairway to an unfinished second floor. Many times, the configuration on the first floor allowed one of the rooms to be used as either a bedroom or dining room. 

If the family grew, expanding into the second floor space was easily accomplished and affordable.  The second level could generally accommodate two bedrooms but with the construction of a dormer, adding three bedrooms and an additional bathroom was also possible. 

As time marched on, larger homes became more of the norm and the Cape Cod style home lost some of its appeal. But, as our population ages and the desire for a first floor bedroom increases, expect these homes to once again become an attractive choice for home ownership in Watertown.