The two double-pen houses documented in this project are rare surviving
examples of both folk/tradition-informed construction, (vernacular architecture) and
antebellum housing. As there are only thirty or so antebellum structures extant in
Noblesville, Indiana, and only three houses of the double-pen plan, the importance of
documenting these structures becomes clear.
Neither structure stands alone in a void; each must be placed within the context of
its time (1840s-1860s), and place (Noblesville, an urban environment) to be fully
understood. Transportation, the construction trade, and industry as it existed in
Noblesville during the period 1840-1860 all had a direct effect on who built the houses,
and on the materials used in the houses. The concentration of skilled labor, the presence
of industrial capacity in the form of sawmills, and the availability of such things as
hardware are all a result of an urban environment. A study of primary source documents
describing these factors is thus highly relevant in understanding the physical fabric of the
houses.Department of ArchitectureThe survey project -- Conditions in Noblesville relevant to domestic construction -- 736 South 9th Street -- 154/164 South 6th Street.Thesis (M.S.H.P.
