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Show I . . . TTTT-rTTrrrtfHtT- C have oniIa(cdl the pioneers who huilt them f d i four-roo- house was sim- ply a matter of two basic plans, one atop the other. THE most common stone house pattern in the Rocky Mountains was the hat and brim type: a four-roohouse enlarged by the addition of smaller rectangles to the rear of the house giving a two-stor- y I ! I I 1 :4 ? 1 i ? I t lean-t- o appearance total of six rooms. and a Regardless of the size of the house, explained the the USU professor, same symmetr ical principles were adhered to. The homes followed two basic ideas: economy and symmetry. Pioneers had to get the mostest with the leastest. Theres nothing that isnt essential in these homes. With their geometrical order, they speak to intellectual positivism rather than to the emotions. As more people and money flowed into Utah, houses became more ornate. By the late 19th Century, mills in Salt Lake City and Ogden sold precut lumber for friezes. If the builder had enough money, a Greek or Gothic portico added a more sophisticated look to the house. They were the same houses hut a little capital added pizzaz. said Dr. Fife. EVERYTHING except the stone is European, said Dr. Fife of the houses' One theory architecture. hohlS that British and other colonizers put their impact on houses on the seacoast and from there west, they became American traditions. But, Dr. Fife believes that there is more to stone house history than that: After checking the cenin Davis, sus for Weber, Box Elder and Cache counties, he discovered that of 80 stonemasons only one was a native Utahn; two hailed from New England; and the were from Europe. From this, the professor decided that in Utah the influx of settlers directly from Europe played a large part in the design and construction of Utah's stone houses. 1874-188- 4 Dr. Austin Fife, Utah State University professor, has studied stone houses in Utah. y Below a Mendon home has an front door two-stor- off-cent- er which displaced the usually central stairway thus giving one large and one small room on each floor. i 'j J l i V i i i i |
