Woman Holding a Bouquet of Flowers, circa 1930

Porches were once a pervasive feature of American homes, commercial buildings, and summer resorts. They evolved from many antecedents in different nations and cultures. A transitional space between outdoors and indoors, the porch could be a place to cool off, watch others, relax, show off, and socialize. Porches experienced a decline in the mid-20th century, with automobiles and air conditioning.