Eau Claire: Wall Materials

Walls of houses have two functions: supporting the roof and screening the interior from the weather.  Because Eau Claire was settled in the last half of the 19th century, house construction used the balloon-frame system, first used in Chicago during the 1830s.  The principle supports are closely spaced two-by-four studs in both the exterior and interior walls.  This method of construction was cheaper because it used standardized and smaller pieces of wood and was faster to construct.  Balloon frame construction was modified during the early 20th century by platform framing.  Instead of studs going continuously from the foundation to the roof, floors are built on top of shorter studs.  Platform framing is both simpler and more rigid than balloon framing.  

     The Eau Claire housing data consists of both primary and secondary wall materials.

Created by Karen Furo-Bonnstetter and Kenneth Kolarik on June 27, 1996.