Kansas City Architecture - Houses III - A Modern Twist

The humble foursquare house is ubiquitous in the Midwest. From farm houses to suburban architecture, the early 20th Century builders loved this simple and humble style.

There is little ornamentation, a lot of symmetry, and with most painted a boring white, a lot to be bored about most foursquare houses.

But not this one. It is a contemporary infill house that was built in the Westwood Hills neighborhood.

There is a lot to love about this house. It fits in the upscale neighborhood in aesthetic heft and architectural weight. The owners told me that they wanted a foursquare and asked the architect make it fit, but be contemporary.

The landscape is beautiful, but appropriate. The use of stone signals that this house is of a certain period in Kansas City.

The first clue that this is not a traditional foursquare is the lack of symmetry of the windows and doors. Yet, the slightly unsymmetrical placement pleases the eye.

Although I love über-modern architecture, I have a soft spot for this type of modern aesthetic that blends into its neighborhood and subtly whispers, "I'm more than you first suspect."