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708 S. Busey St.

Project Overview

Architect: Unknown          Year Built: c. 1920       Architectural Style: Prairie

 

Architectural Description

This 1920’s Prairie Style house is symmetrical, constructed of red brick and characteristic of the Prairie Style. The house has features such as a low-pitched hip roof with wide, overhanging eaves, decorative urns, and subtle detailing. 708 S. Busey has a large two-story central portion with a rectangular plan and two small one-story wings protruding from the north and south facades which are also covered with a low-pitched hip roof. Two mirrored brick chimneys protrude out from the roof. The main entrance is located on the central axis of the house. The entrance is flanked by two massive brick columns topped with two squat square urns. Two smaller urns sit near the base of the columns. A small overhang sits between the brick columns flanking the entrance. The ornamentation on the house is very subtle, and consists mostly of simple brick detailing. For example, the corners of the house are accented by brick pilasters. Also, several protruding horizontal bands of brick emphasize the top half of the second story and run around the house. These bands attempt to emphasize the horizontality of the house, a common feature used in Prairie Style architecture. A small detail of two bricks placed perpendicularly to one another, resembling a plus sign, sits near the top of the brick columns and pilasters. The house has very simple rectangular windows that are accented with white window frames. A horizontal band of ribbon windows turns the corner of the rear of the house. The subtle brick detailing is also used to accent the outline of the windows. The upper story windows have brick window sills. The lower story windows are surrounded by a differentiating brick course. All of the subtle details make 708 S. Busey a simple, beautiful, Prairie Style house.
 
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708 S. Busey St.
Urbana , IL
- Last Modified -November 6, 2014 - 11:00am
- Author - SashaC