We are building a new bungalow/cottage on the Oregon coast, and the architectural committee is balking at the use of board-and-batten siding
on the upper half of both side ends of the house. They say it's derivative of the '50s, as opposed to the '10s or '20s. We are required to build something derivative of turn-of-the-century Oregon coast bungalows/cottages.

Are they right?

Any wisdom welcome!

John

Oh heavens yes. board and batten siding is a very "Fifties" feature. EIGHTEEN-fifties!
The popularity of this practical form of siding was principally due to the publication in 1842 of A.J. Downing's "Cottage Residences"
which spread the popularity of the Gothic style, and its ubiquitous bargeboards and battens.

Board and batten siding was used in some "Craftsman Homes", generally those designed as summer camps. It was common
in the American South up until the 'Twenties for inexpensive buildings, and was very commonly used in your part of the country
for utility structures such as lumber camps, fisherman's cottages, canneries and barns of the meaner sort. Board and batten
was not particularly popular in the 1950's, save ON THE WEST COAST, and then generally only as an accent. In the 1960's,
however, this eminently practical siding was adopted by a number of prominent designers of Contemporary homes, and so
many ignorant souls view vertical siding as a purely modern phenomenon, more's the pity.