This bungalow is one of a pair apparently built in 1910, the other being the brick house immediately to the north. A newspaper article of 1910 mentions the brick bungalow being built for Fred Crossly by William A. Schuyler (1858 -1933) a builder-developer who erected houses on Clarendon, Euclid, Fellows, and other streets in the neighborhood. At the time of his death in 1933 his daughter Mrs. Chester B. Bahn was still a resident of the neighborhood – living on Phelps Place (now Harvard Pl.). The date is also suggested by one of the kitchen ceiling beams in 245 Cambridge inscribed with the builder’s name and 1910 (this is no longer visible).
The house is in many ways a typical bungalow, a house type that grew in popularity across American at the time this house was built, as exemplified in a magazine call The Bungalow (published from 1909 – 1918). Bungalows provided houses less expensive to build and maintain for many in the growing middle class that desired homes in the new “trolley suburbs.” They were particularly popular as “starter houses” for young married couples and in many cases plans were available from magazines. The designer of 245 Cambridge is not yet known. While many bungalows are recognizable by their front porches with squat tapering pier supports, 245 Cambridge does not have this element. It does, however, have front and back enclosed sun porches to take advantage of morning and afternoon sunlight (an important design element for Syracuse).
The exterior is articulated with a series of related grid designs in the half timbered gable and the varied window and pane sizes of the front porch. This patterning transforms the simple shape and construction of the facade into an inviting and intriguing decorative design.
(original research about this house for the Westcott Neighborhood Historic House Tour was by Pat Hoffman, Bill Cuddy, and Lara Doyle)