Cape Cod-style homes originated in America in the 1700s. The name “Cape Cod House” was coined by Reverend Timothy Dwight IV who was president of Yale University in the early 1800s when he visited the Cape in 1800 and noticed the distinctive style.
Cape Cod homes were built by puritans who modified English “Hall and Parlor” style homes. The colonial settlers had to create homes with brutal New England winters in mind. Low ceilings, a simple rectangular shape, exposed shingles, and large fireplaces were hallmarks of the Cape Cod home type.
The resurgence of colonial architecture termed Colonial Revival which roughly spanned the 1930s-1950s, brought the Cape Cod style back into popularity with variations and expansions upon the traditional simple one-story rectangular design. These variations include second stories and expanded wings.