Little Pink Houses for You and Me

Ah, the good old American dream: capitalize on the freedom you are guaranteed by this nations to work hard so you can buy a nice house for yourself and your family. Yet for many, the American dream transformed into the American nightmare, as the widespread sharing of this dream led to mass conformity. Criticism of this mass conformity began almost as soon as the dream started to be realized, as Malvina Reynolds wrote "Little Boxes" in 1962. Walking down Stevenson and Rosedale Blvds. off Millersport Highway (Grover Cleveland), the similarities between houses that show conformity were clearly evident. Most often, homes that were right next door to each other looked the most similar; apparently keeping up with the Joneses was a serious matter in this neighborhood.

These two homes, which are right next door to each other, have exactly the same frame, with the peak over the top right window and the semi-centered entrance. However, a few differences can be seen, such as paint color, addition/removal of shutters, and the option of a side entrance.

These homes, just across the street from the ones described above, offer the same little box shape with awning and porch options. We can possibly interpret this as a backlash against conformity; because the original owners may have had similar jobs, social activities, and family lives, an attempt at making their house their own and trying to add individual touches was possibly their only escape. However, it is clearly evident that the houses "all look just the same."

Still on Stevenson, you can see another type of house that wasn't exactly the same as the first style, but still has clones on the block. Once again, the side entrance and front step railings were an option to give homeowners a chance to "look different" from their neighbor, even though it was just a small change.

To continue with the discussion of house ornamentation, these homes on Stevenson in Amherst had the decorative bird which dominates Cheektowaga/Depew. Clearly the eagle has landed in another town, leaving the "Polish" theory open for debate.

Speaking of the Depew area, I know the neighborhood I grew up in definitely fit the "Little Boxes" conformity style. The following pictures are from Fairview Drive, Beverly Drive, and Alys Drive West, all off of George Urban Blvd. near Transit Road. Each picture is a different house, although you may not believe it.

Clearly each of these houses has the same floor plan and layout. They are all one story homes with no basement. While differences have been made with siding choices, brick patterns, or awnings, it is evident that each home came from the same cookie cutter and simply put on their own choice of frosting. This last red house was probably the most famous home in my entire grammar school. I took a close-up of the front window because if you look closely, it appears there are people looking back at me through it. However, these are not people, but mannequins. For as long as I and any OLBS alum can remember, the owners of this home have had full-size mannequins in the window, occasionally they change their outfits according to the season or holiday. In a neighborhood of conformity, this is sure one way to stick out! It has obviously worked, because discussions before the first bell would always include a mannequin update at every grade level. No other homes in the area got so much recognition.