Greene and Greene

Greene and Greene architectural firm working in the American arts and crafts style, formed by the brothers Charles Sumner Greene, 1868-1957, and Henry Mather Greene, 1870-1954, both b. Brighton (now part of Cincinnati), Ohio. Both attended Washington Univ.'s Manual Training High School and the Massachussets Institute of Technology's school of architecture (1886-88). After an apprenticeship in Boston, they joined their parents (1893), who had moved to Pasadena, Calif., and soon established (1894) their own firm. The bungalow , the building style for which they became famous, was particularly well suited to the landscape, lifestyle, and climate of S California. Rather informal in feeling, these residences exhibit the handmade detailing and respect for materials characteristic of arts and crafts works. The brothers typically used wood members, overhanging roofs and eaves, sleeping porches, and spacious interiors. Their masterpiece is the David B. Gamble house (1908), Pasadena, in which landscaping, exterior features, and interior decoration are fully integrated. Other important buildings include the Pratt House in Ojai and the Thorsen House in Berkeley. Greene and Greene's work was influential in the design of American domestic architecture.

Bibliography: See studies by K. Current (1974), R. L. Makinson (2 vol., 1977-79; 1998), and B. Smith (1998).

Greene & Greene. Charles Sumner (1868–1957) and Henry Matthew (1870–1954) Greene were important American Arts-and-Crafts architects who established their practice in Pasadena, CA, exciting attention with their Kinney-Kendall Building (1896): it had simplified façades of mullions, wide friezes, and a crowning entablature. Thereafter, however, their work was almost entirely in the field of domestic architecture, with low-pitched roofs reminiscent of Swiss chalet architecture, the Italianate style of Schinkel and Thomson, and the Prairie houses of F. L. Wright. Good examples of their work were the Robert C. Blacker House (1907), the David B. Gamble House (1908), and the S. S. Crow House (1909), all in Pasadena. In all three, massive over-sized timbers, over-hanging roofs, and a careful relationship with the landscape were hallmarks of their style.

Bibliography

Bosley (2000);
Current (1974);
Greene & and Greene (1977);
Jordy (1976);
McCoy (1975);
Makinson (1974, 1977–9, 1998);
B. Smith (1998;
R. Winter (ed.) (1997;