It is interesting to compare this American adaptation of the Swiss chalet with a modern Swiss prototype on the opposite page. The roof lines 
and the sawed-wood porch rail are almost identical. Here battens, making perpendicular lines, are used instead of the horizontal boards of 
Swiss construction. Myron Hunt and Elmer Grey, architects 
The Swiss Chalet Type for America 
by Louis J. Stellmann 
Photographs by the author and others 
[The problem of choosing an architectural style for the American country or suburban home is one of the most puzzling that confront the home¬ 
builder. In order to bring about a better understanding of the more common types and with the idea of clarifying, as far as possible, this whole matter, 
we have asked a number of prominent architects to present each the case for one particular style. In previous issues the characteristic features of the 
Colonial, Dutch Colonial, Half-timber, English Plaster and Chicago School of Architecture were developed and illustrated at length by prominent archi¬ 
tects interested in each of these types. There remain two or three of the more common styles which will be taken up in future issues . — Editor.] 
NY type of architecture which has a genuine appeal to the 
public, must appeal to the heart as well as to the mind. 
I have heard it said that the appeal of architecture is through a 
combination of memory and symbolism: that is, it either reminds 
one of something one has seen or it stands for the traditions 
which the advancement of civilization has developed. 
If one accepts this, architecture is removed from the sordidness 
of mere practicality and the commonplacery of pure expediency. 
(289) 
‘A structure must be both wholesome and attractive; it must serve 
our needs well and, at the same time, remind us of something 
pleasant. In short the ideal house must simultaneously protect 
the body and uplift the mind. 
Perhaps this may seem unnecessarily long a prologue for an 
appreciation of the Swiss chalet style in American architecture, 
but it is because this style satisfies so peculiarly my demands in 
the above connection, that I have gone to some pains in order to 
