Took my bike onto Tri-Rail into West Palm Beach and right down the street from the train station were these little abandoned/condemned Florida cracker style/Shotgun houses. All boarded up but painted beautifully. These little shotgun houses are located at 610 Douglass Avenue in West Palm Beach.
Why are they called shotgun houses? Well, supposedly if you could shoot a gun right thru the front door and the bullet would exit out the back door, that is a shotgun house.
Shotgun houses were constructed with efficiency and affordability in mind. Developers built them with the goal of fitting as many houses as possible on smaller plots of land. Shotgun houses are usually one room, or about 12 feet wide, and three or four rooms deep. The front door leads directly into the living room, then there are one or two bedrooms, and the kitchen is in the back. There are no hallways, so it's necessary to walk through one room to get to the next.
The painting of the houses was part of the Artists Showcase Organization of the Palm Beaches. Artists Showcase provides underserved youth encouragement, education, exposure & life enrichment through arts and culture; while displaying the creative works of artists of color for the enjoyment of everyone.
Comments