Let the Buyer Beware
This item was listed on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2080515103
This seller claims that the bungalow he lives in was designed by architect, John Van Bergen in 1910. He is selling the windows as "Architecturally Significant". He says that these windows are being removed as a result of "major renovation".
In my view, these windows are clearly not Van Bergen designs, and here's why:
There is no documentation whatsoever provided.
John Van Bergen was not yet a licensed and practicing architect in 1910.
The building is a bungalow, not Prairie School - Van Bergen didn't design bungalows.
The window rails, stiles and muntins are moulded (they look like Roman ogees) - this is not typical Prairie School construction.
If you look at the exterior photo, notice that the diagonals of the muntin bars (45 degrees) don't relate to the pitch of the roof. The angles don't compliment each other. Any good architect or designer would have related the two. This is simply bad design. I suspect that this building was not, in fact, architect designed at all.
My question to the owner/seller is: If the building and windows are architecturally significant, why are you removing them and remodeling?
Copyright © 2002 Martin Hackl