Spanish Mission style adapted to the bungalow is a tempting form for architects, and in California it has been adapted successfully, as in this 
instance. Every possible means of letting the sun into the house has been provided—wide windows and generous patio 
BEING A HOUSE BUILT OF MONOLITHIC REINFORCED CONCRETE, FIREPROOF AND TIME PROOF— 
THE CONCRETE INTERIOR FINISH—DEMOCRACY AND THE PATIO—A CENTRAL FIREPLACE AND 
ITS ADVANTAGES—THE POSSIBILITIES OF ADAPTING THIS STYLE OF BUILDING TO ANY LOCALITY 
Albert Marple 
I T is not always that one sees incorporated in a home features penditure is a little more, but when it is considered that when the 
that are suitable for either the country or the city dwelling, concrete home is erected it is there to stay, necessitating no con¬ 
tinual repairing, that far less fuel is 
necessary in winter to keep the rooms 
at an even temperature, and a great 
deal less ice is used in summer for 
cooling purposes ; that there is no need 
of an excessive paint bill every two or 
three years, etc., it will be clearly seen 
that in the long run a home made of 
concrete is far cheaper than is the 
frame dwelling. 
The word “monolithic" is synony¬ 
mous with “one piece," so it will seem 
that this home is a one-piece struc¬ 
ture. To all intents and purposes it is, 
although naturally it will not be ex¬ 
pected that this entire house was 
placed at the one time; that is, the 
walls, floor and roof made by the same 
set or forms. That would have been 
as nearly impossible as anything could 
be. This house was, however, erected 
so that now that it is completed it is 
practically as strong as one piece of 
concrete. 
The initial work of construction 
was to build the forms up to the floor 
level. During the process of placing 
the concrete in these the horizontal 
reinforcing rods were installed, and 
just as soon as there was sufficient 
True, a city type of home might be 
built in the country, but there would 
be something about it that would give 
it the appearance of being “placed” 
there and of not having “grown into 
its surroundings." The same would 
be true if the country residence were 
placed in the city. It would seem a 
little out of place. The home, then, 
which might, with equal propriety, be 
placed in either the city or the coun¬ 
try, would be of a somewhat unusual 
character. Such a home is the subject 
of this sketch. It is owned by Ridley 
F. Taylor, of Long Beach, California, 
and is located in a semi-city district 
known as a suburb, and even in that 
locality it is right “at home.” 
I his house is a one-story structure, 
built along the lines of the Spanish 
type of architecture. It contains 
fifteen rooms, sun parlor and two 
cement porches, and cost $20,000. It 
is built of monolithic reinforced con¬ 
crete, which is, possibly, the most sub¬ 
stantial form of building material 
known. 
In many minds the mistaken idea 
that a concrete home is an expensive 
luxury still exists. The initial ex- 
Two advantages of such a plan are the ease of access to the 
rooms and yet the maintenance of their privacy. Every room 
opens on the patio — through a French door 
263 
