Tower House
Location: Philadelphia, Seattle Time period: 1600s-1800s and 21st century While the 5-story version is new, tower houses are one of the oldest types of homes in the United States. The early version of it exists in Philadelphia, where they are known as trinities, so named because there are three floors, each with one room. The first floor would be the living room and kitchen, and the upper floors would be bedrooms. Trinities are also known as "Father, Son & Holy Ghost houses". When the US declared independence, Philadelphia was the largest city, and its metropolitan area population remained similar in size to New York until NYC overtook it following the completion of the Erie Canal in 1821. Tiny houses went hand in hand with tiny streets. Among the most famous example is Elfreth's Alley in Philadelphia, the oldest continuously inhabited residential street in the USA.When William Penn founded the city of Philadelphia in 1682, he laid out the street grid wit...