International Style

The International Style is a major architectural style that emerged in the 1920s and 1930s, the formative decades of Modern architecture.  The term originated from the name of a book by Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson, The International Style, ... The authors identified three principles: the expression of volume rather than mass, the emphasis on balance rather than preconceived symmetry, and the expulsion of applied ornament.

The ideals of the style are commonly summed up in three slogans: ornament is a crime, truth to materials, form follows function; and Le Corbusier's description of houses as "machines for living".

- from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_style_%28architecture%29


AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL STYLE
 [The Contemporary Style] was the favorite for architect-designed houses built during the period from about 1950 to 1970.  It occurs in two distinctive subtypes based on roof shapes:  flat or gabled.  The flat-roofed subtype is a derivation of the earlier International Style and houses of the subtype are sometimes referred to as American International.  They resemble the International in having flat roofs and no decorative detailing but lack the stark white stucco walls surfaces, which are usually replaced by various combinations of wood, brick or stone. 

-from A Field Guide to American Houses by Virginia & Lee McAlester

1741 DUFFIELD ST. - AN AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL HOUSE
 What makes 1741 Duffield St. an American International Style house?
    - flat roof, without ledge (coping) at roof line
    - unornamented wall surfaces with no decorative detailing at door or windows
    - asymmetrical facade
    - long ribbons of windows
    - large expanses of blank windowless side walls
    - cantilevered sections of roof without visible support
    - wide boxed overhangs
    - brick and redwood siding on exterior walls