A dingbat is a type of apartment building that flourished in the Sun Belt region of the United States in the 1950s and 1960s, a vernacular variation of shoebox style "stucco boxes". Dingbats are boxy, two or three-story apartment houses with overhangs sheltering street-front parking. They remain widely in use today as “bastions of affordable shelter.” Mainly found in Southern California, but also in Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Nevada and Vancouver, dingbats are known for their downmarket status and inexpensive rents. Some replaced more distinctive but less profitable building structures, such as single-family Victorian homes. Since the 1950s they have been the subject of aesthetic interest as examples of Mid-Century modern design and kitsch, since many dingbats have themed names and specialized trim. From a structural engineering perspective, the "tuck-under parking" arrangement may create a soft story if the residential levels are supported on slender columns without many shear walls in the parking level. Soft story buildings can collapse during an earthquake. (en)
Les dingbats sont des immeubles résidentiels semi-collectifs de deux ou trois étages surplombant un parking en porte-à-faux accueillant plusieurs voitures et d'apparence caractéristique. Le style dingbat s'apparente au style boîte-à-chaussures d'architecture moderne. Il est né à Los Angeles, puis a essaimé dans la région de la Sun Belt aux États-Unis dans les années 1950 et 1960. (fr)