One of Buffalo's most charming neighborhoods is centered on a cluster of streets running off Abbott between Lakewood and Hubbell on the South Side. The streets stand out from their surroundings as they are lined with distinctive bungalow style houses. The bungalow, sometimes referred to as craftsman style, was popular in the early 20th century. It is a derivation of an Indian house type with rustic detailing and broad porches. Common features include low rooflines on a gabled or hipped roof, deeply overhanging eaves, exposed rafters, and decorative brackets. The front porch is often formed by extending the main roof out past the front wall.
The craftsman style of design became popular as people started yearning for a simpler time. The 20th century was a period of major change. Rapidly developing technology and a shift to urban living brought new wealth and convenience along with a sometimes stressful and unfamiliar way of life to many people. Design, with an emphasis on hand craft and natural materials, was a way to capture the nostalgia of a simpler America. The Roycrofters in nearby East Aurora, led by Elbert Hubbard, were leaders in this movement. Even the work of Frank Lloyd Wright could be included as a part of this movement (if peripherally so). His Connection to Darwin Martin and subsequent commissions in Buffalo came through Hubbard.
The most extravagant forms the bungalow can be found in California with perhaps the best known examples being by architects Greene and Greene. Chicago is well known for its vast swath of middle class bungalow houses in a ring surrounding the city core locally referred to as the Bungalow Belt. Buffalo does not have so much a belt of bungalows as it has a button or so here and there. Buffalo's bungalows include several varieties throughout the city with some very high quality examples on Tilinghast in North Buffalo. The biggest and most unified collection of the type is in probably in South Buffalo.
The South Buffalo bungalow houses (shown here) are very interesting for their bold roofs. The gable is turned to the side (a very unusual architectural feature in Buffalo) with the long low sloped roof pushing out over a large porch. Most of the houses have a massive dormer of various styles pushing up from the center. These houses are substantially built but are not houses of wealth. They were built for a newly developed middle class looking for comfort and an expression of their new status. They are mostly identical in basic form with subtle variations in detail and dormer shape used to set them apart. They create an interesting urban profile as their bold roofs all line up down the street. Check out this site for some more images of this great hidden treasure trove in South Buffalo.