The two-story American Foursquare house with a basement was most likely constructed in 1914, based on the information provided by the petitioner.
The American Foursquare style house is aptly named after its cubic shape and division of living space into quarters and is sometimes called a “Classical Box” or “Prairie Box.” The typical features of a foursquare include two-and-a-half stories with a hipped roof and large front porches with wide stairs. In the Village, many Foursquare homes were designed in the Prairie and Craftsman style, especially in the E.H. Prince’s Subdivision and along the Maple Avenue corridor.
The property at 4540 Highland Avenue includes many of these features, including the cube-shaped massing and hipped roof with wide eaves. The full width front porch on the front facade with double and triple columns is typical of the Craftsman style. The horizontal band, typical of the Prairie style, separates the bevel siding below and the shingle siding on the second story. Some of the other notable features include the wooden double hung windows with a triple-window bay off the dining room. In addition to the external original architectural features, many internal architectural features remain including, hardware, trim, and windows. A one-story rear addition was added in 1986 on the western side of the building with attention to match the original exterior. The rear addition does not impact the historic integrity of this Prairie and Craftsman Style American Foursquare home.