Gothichome wrote:I wasn’t aware of that Colonial, a regional thing? Here basements we simply for storing coal, wood ect and canning.
It was an early 20th Century fad that started right around the turn of the century, was at its peak in the mid to late 1910s, and was virtually gone by the onset of the Great Depression. I've seen several houses in Maryland, Virginia, and DC that had them, though it wouldn't surprise me if there are examples in other locales. Most of the examples I've seen have been in early suburban neighborhoods, roughly 1900-1925 vintage. Keep in mind, suburban neighborhoods from this era are usually literally at the city line, sometimes even just inside the city limits.
The house across the street from me has a small bedroom and bath on one end of its finished attic (would have been for a maid). The remainder of the attic space is a billiard room. The house was built in 1916 or 1917 and there is a Brunswick pool table up there that is as old as the house. I don't envy whoever had to carry that up three stories. The far end of the attic space has a small quarter sawn fumed oak bar that is original to the house.
The other house with the stone fireplace in the basement is of similar vintage. The room has a "lodge" feel to it with original tongue and groove juniper boards on the walls. Unfortunately, the pool table from this room is long gone. The remaining areas of the basement in this house are the usual service areas - boiler room, laundry (complete with three original vitreous china sinks), storage, home canning area, etc.
So these people who claim the "Man Cave" is an invention of the last 20 years owe their inspiration to the days of the Teddy Roosevelt administration.
Unfortunately, my house never had a billiard room, though it has a couple of unusual items for the era - a full bath in the basement and a wine cellar.
