"...What time did it become more common..."

Before the advent of air conditioning, it was always common in the south and southwest of the U.S....the hot and humid zones of the country. Still so, it many homes in these areas...

Not really sure however in 1997 when we built our previous home in NJ, we opted for 9' ceilings on the first floor, two storey foyer and two storey family/living room. 9' ceilings was a great selling point at that time and now it seems 9' or higher ceilings are becoming the norm. Having said that, before deciding on ceilings height/s, one should take several factors into consideration like location, direction, roof type, windows, room type and that's just for starters.

My 1927 bungalow in NY and my 1898 victorian in NY both had 9’ ceilings

My parents built a house in 1960 with 9' ceilings throughout the first floor but 8' for the 1-1/2 story cubby bedrooms off the back. The 9' was specifically to accommodate a grandfather clock that is 8'-3". When my parents passed away my 1936 colonial had nominal 8' ceiling height but the living room came in at 8'-4", I guess due to non standardized lumber the way we know it now. I got the clock.

I think 8ft ceilings are a relatively new developmeent. I read a book from over 100 years ago that said you could do as low as 8'6" ceilings in some of the less visible rooms but up to 11 ft ceilings in the public rooms

My first home, a modest semi in downtown Toronto built in the 1870-'80s, had nine foot ceilings on the first floor, 8ft on the second. Also manmade gas lighting and an indoor w.c.

My first venture into new home building featured nine-foot ceilings on the first floor, which was a big negative for prospects who spurned no less than 10 ft. Now going to a 12' first and 10' second to keep up with the competition at the entry luxe level--C$5m.

My 1937 house in St Louis had lathe and plaster walls, and 9 ft ceilings. Our house here in KY, built in 1948, also has lathe and plaster walls but has 8 ft ceilings on the first floor. I hate them! All my rooms always look like a man with a hat that is too big for his head!

When we did our full-dormer remodel of the 2nd floor in 1985, I insisted on 9 ft ceilings. Oh, the screams of outrage from the builder - SO much work to add to the 8 ft drywall. Well, do it anyway! I have no regrets.

I lived in an early 80s custom development (at least reasonably custom for the time) - we had 8ft but at least one neighbor had 9. When I built in 1999, it was an option for a tract house.

In Buffalo, most of the city houses had 9 or higher - mostly built 1900-1929.

LIke someone mentioned - drywall timing.. Wiki says 1910-1930 is when it developed. So perhaps, post depression building? Makes a lot of sense from a financial/economic point in history.

In NC, it fell out of favor by the late 90s. Our relatively low construction costs and lower heating needs probably helped the change. I suspect custom homes from the late 80s onward were 9 feet (although I had a 93 with 8 - but lots of vaults).

In about 1981 I bought a condo, two stories on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the building. My main floor had 9' ceilings, my upstairs (bedrooms) had 8' ceilings. I liked that th bedrooms felt a little more intimate than the downstairs. But now that I think about it, I never asked or noticed what my downstairs neighbors had, with just one level on the first floor.

Also my parents' custom-designed house, built in 1970, has 9' ceilings throughout, except the living room which is down two steps and has, I think, 10' ceiling. (And no, no one has ever twisted an ankle on the steps.)