I’ve heard these early tiny homes called carpenter houses. “The houses the carpenter’s lived in while they built the rest of the neighborhood.” But can’t verify that.
They seem to fit the definition of shotgun houses. More common in New Orleans, these houses are less than 12′ across, designed for good airflow, and arranged so you can shoot a shotgun straight through from the front door to the back door.
This first one has fabulous and abundant yard art (that’s why I’m not giving addresses).
The second has fabulous and abundant vultures (in the pines each summer).
I suspect shotgun houses may be common in many urban areas across the country – not just in New Orleans. I’ve seen loads of them in St. Louis and Chicago. And they do provide great ventilation, like you mentioned. 10 – 12 foot ceilings and tall double hung windows that you can open at both top and bottom for best air flow also make the nasty summers bearable. Sort of.
[...] lives in a 1900 shotgun house whose once generous lot was carved up in the 1920s, leaving her only a 10-foot-wide panhandle [...]