Print media, while not as influential as it was in decades past, remains a popular platform for the sale of house plans. When readers of Better Homes and Gardens magazine selected House Plan No. 3709-A as their favorite of those presented by the magazine in 1972, the national visibility the plan received no doubt prompted a few sales.

Recently I saw the house among selected images of “the vintage home” which were posted on flashbak.com. I recognized it immediately as I drive by an example quite regularly. The one near me has been fastidiously maintained since it was built with only a few changes. The most notable change from the following plan has been an enlargement of the garage, but the original quasi-Wrightian window detailing was carefully re-created when the garage was expanded. It’s a nice and late example of mid-century modernism… and still looks like new!

An example of Plan No. 3709-A as built in the 1970’s.. Image courtesy of Google Street View.


The relatively austere exterior does not prepare one for the spacious interior. Image source: BH&G, November 1972.


The sunken living room, while perhaps a trip hazard, is a really cool feature that adds a lot of character (as does the vaulted ceiling). House design really seemed to lose its direction after the early 70’s… or is that just me? Image source: BH&G, November 1972.



And another example! Nick lives in this brick-clad beauty in South Barrington, Illinois, and shares this photo with us. This design has truly stood the test of time!


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