Storybook Architecture: A Review of Fairytale-Inspired American Homes

Storybook architecture--a whimsical, fairytale-inspired style characterized by playful, exaggerated elements--emerged in Southern California in the 1920s. The lecture will look at examples there and across the country.

About The Lecture Series and Presenter:

This virtual lecture is part of the Donald Courtemanche Winter Lecture Series, co-presented by the Springfield Preservation Trust, Springfield Museums, and Springfield City Library, and generously underwritten by Bob McCarroll. The lecture will be streamed on the Springfield Preservation Trust Facebook Page.

This lecture will be presented by Bob McCarroll. Bob has been a significant force for the preservation of Springfield's historic properties since the mid-1970s, when he was part of the reactivation of the Springfield Preservation Trust into an advocacy organization. Between 1972 and 2002, he worked in the Springfield Planning Department, where he helped create five of the early local historic districts. Now retired, Bob served for 11 years on the Springfield Historical Commission and has served on the Springfield Community Preservation Committee since its formation in 2017.

Bob has served for more than 45 years on the board of the Springfield Preservation Trust, where he has organized house tours, worked on self-guided walking tour brochures, and applied for and coordinated grant work at 77 Maple Street. Bob is a long-time resident of the Mattoon Street Historic District and coordinates the annual Mattoon Street Arts Festival, the region’s oldest arts and crafts show. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of William and Mary and a Master of City and Regional Planning degree from Rutgers University.Bob is a recipient of the 2016 Massachusetts Historical Commission Preservation Awards Local Preservationist Award, the 2018 Preservation Massachusetts K. Julie McCarthy Community Spirit Award, the 2018 Order of William Pynchon Award, and the 2024 Mass History Alliance Bay State Legacy Award.