Dreamlike

Abstract

This thesis examines the “Cinderella Home” in Southern California which was known for bringing the fairytale into the everyday. In the 1950s, the home was sold through a catalog and built in hundreds in Anaheim. These homes were built for white middle-class families, reinforcing ideas of homogeneity and traditional gender roles, serving as a framework for assimilation. Anaheim’s demographics have shifted, now consisting of large Mexican, Filipino, and Vietnamese communities. How might the fairytale home be reconstructed for these communities? This thesis proposes an additional catalog home which meets the needs of these communities and embraces their cultural heritage. The reconstruction will retain fairytale characteristics such as scalloped trim, diamond pane windows, and brick veneer aligning with images of the American Dream and adhering to Anaheim’s Historic Preservation Guidelines. The characteristics will be designed to emphasize aspects of immigrant lifestyles, maintaining the home’s enchantment while becoming more familiar.