If you could have any house in town which one would you choose? While the professor would most likely choose a 1950's modern home, if the decision were left to me I suppose that we would be rattling around in simple southern raised cottage.
This style of vernacular architecture is popular in the Gulf Coast states. Southern raised cottages are indeed charming with their steep, hipped roofs, raised main level living, high ceilings, tall windows, and often deep, long porches.Vernacular architecture simply refers to a style of building that emerged out of construction that was customized to meet the local needs. High ceilings and tall windows helped to keep the house cool in the scorching summers, a deep shady porch did the same, a raised main level offered more protection from flooding -- thus the southern raised cottage was born.
Dating back to the pre-Civil War era there is nothing modern about this style of home, but I do love the simplicity, the purity of form that it possesses. We have several fine examples around town; some are treasured and well maintained while others are sadly neglected. All are beautiful.
In a way, I suppose the southern raised cottage represents the colorful history of the deep south. Not the history of huge plantations but a history of ordinary hardworking families living modest lives. This style of home has transcended time. Today you can find them in towns and in the country; there are large, grand ones and small, lowly ones; old, antebellum ones and new constructions, but at the root of them all is the same basic design.
So, I'll take a southern raised cottage... and a bowl of grits to go with it!
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