Cape Cod Cottage, The
William Morgan

The Cape Cod cottage has been one of America's most popular home styles for almost four hundred years. While a perennial domestic favorite, historians have long ignored the modest Cape Cod, relegating it to a vernacular footnote along with barns and mills. In The Cape Cod Cottage architectural historian and photographer William Morgan places this uniquely American house—a remarkable combination of necessity and tradition—in its historical context and makes a compelling argument for the reassessment of its place in the history of American architecture.

The Cape Cod Cottage follows the uniquely American house type from its earliest beginnings in the colonial period, through its spread across New England, to its embrace as a suburban ideal in the twentieth century, and its reinterpretation by contemporary architects. Historical images of lost Capes augment beautiful new photographs taken specifically for the book. As a tribute to a special house, The Cape Cod Cottage is an appeal to preserve the Cape's legacy and an essential document of this unique architectural icon.


William Morgan is an architectural historian and a photographer based in Providence, Rhode Island.
add to cart

Editorial Reviews

Maine Sunday Telegram:
"Rather than an oversized volume with oft-published color photographs and a negligible text, The Cape Cod Cottage is a trim book with a text that is unique in its contribution to the subject and, miraculously, is in black and white. Less arbitrary than color, black and white implies objectivity, seriousness of purpose and simplicity, factors that are in accord with both the nature of the book and its subject matter. . . . Morgan's text is compact and accomodating, but it deserves to be read as though construing a statute. There are no surplus words and there is a concept or significant consideration embedded in almost every sentence. In telling the story of the Cape, Morgan does not avoid a connoisseur's passion--Capes are, after all, immensely likable--but he does it with a grace that is consistent with the Cape itself. He achieves a balance between a preservationist's sense of mission and a writer's obligation to give a factual account and make observations. . . . It's a great story, an American story that is particularly resonant in Maine, and its telling is authoritatively done in this cordial, handsomely produced book." (Oct 15, 2006)

Architecture Boston:
"This survey of Cape Cod cottages is a sweet book; much like its subject, its restraint makes it more profound than its more elaborate peers. The story it tells is New England's storythe story of creating a sense of place and a sense of home . . . (Morgan)'s artful black-and-white images follow the text, forming the bulk of the book and giving the reader a fine visual survey of this enduring form." (Nov-Dec 2006)

Cape Cod Magazine:
"For nearly 400 years, the Cape Cod cottage has not only endured as a structure for modest living (in its simplest form it's a starter home for the modern era), but as a nostalgic icon all throughout New England. William Morgan writes about the history of the design and the classes that made it popular in his book The Cape Cod Cottage." (August 2006)

Period Homes:
"Morgan packs a detailed chronology and aesthetic insights into a 15-page introductory essay, then devotes the rest of the study to crisply reproduced recent photographs, which convey the surprising versatility of a seemingly limited architectural form. . . . Architects and builders should hand this book to clients who are seeking creative ways to build modestly." (July/August 2006)

New Urban News:
"More often than not, the makers of new traditional neighborhoods construct houses that closely resemble those from long ago. Yet one of the most common early American designs, the Cape Cod house, is often missing from the lineup. Perhaps William Morgan's captivating new paperback will help to change that. . . . One thing is certain: In anyone who lingers over its pages, Morgan's little paperback will stimulate new affection for the Cape Cod cottage and its subtle variations." (November 2006)

Reader Comments

Be the first to add your comments about this book!