Letter From the Editor : Summer 2002


Twin Cities bungalows seem to get a lot of attention. They've been written up in both local newspapers. They've been featured on the cover of the internationally-distributed American Bungalow magazine and have been well represented in its pages, too. Twin Cities bungalows have been discussed in Old House Journal and Renovation Style and were researched for
Minnesota History and Midwest Home and Garden.

And there's more attention on the way. This fall our houses will be on an Arts and Crafts tour that's part of a national symposium called "Tiles in the Twin Cities." And in October, a number of area bungalows will be photographed for inclusion in a new book, Bungalow Nation. Finally, the author of Bungalow Kitchens and Bungalow Bathrooms has expressed interest in making us a part of her next book.

It is enough to make our heads swell in a very un-Minnesotan way. What gives? Is it possible that the world has determined that we have the best and brightest bungalows in the country?

You want the truth? Then the answer is "no." We don't have the best bungalows. Admit it--you've realized this, too. I can't count the number of Bungalow Club members who've said, "Well, my bungalow is pretty plain...no fancy woodwork or anything..."

During travels I've seen bungalows that made my jaw drop. In California, for example, there are large numbers of bungalows that seem to have been designed to house that state's legendary "Beautiful People." Yes, California is the land of the Beautiful Bungalow, too. I was in Milwaukee recently, and they've got street after street of generous brick bungalows that are chock full of intricate art glass, elaborate plasterwork and, most enviable of all, large kitchens.

Oh, we've got our share of outstanding specimen bungalows here, but for the most part, the words used to describe our bungalows are the same used to describe us Minnesotans: Sturdy. Forthright. Serviceable. Modest. Hardly terms that quicken the pulse.

So why all the attention being lavished upon our homes? Part of it is self-promotion, to be sure. A lot of people, including your trusty Bungalow Club board members, have spent a good amount of time tooting our housing horn.

But the biggest advertising budget in the world won't sell a product that doesn't deliver. And at the end of the day, our homes deliver. We embrace them because they're sturdy, forthright and modest, and it shows. Our homes shine because we care for them, repair them, restore them, furnish them and finally, live well in them. We even find ways to make those danged tiny kitchens work. Whenever Minnesota makes the top ten of one of those "best places to live" lists, I always think they ought to list bungalows as a reason along with good schools, clean air and healthy lifestyles.

So, the next time you read about Twin Cities bungalows in some splashy publication, hold your head high. Not too high, though. That would be prideful.
-- Tim Counts, editor