by Architectural Observer | Oct 28, 2018 | Blog, Mail Order and Kit Houses
Marketed as a “model bungalow of the California type,” house plan No. 1000 was a big seller for the Harris Brothers Company of Chicago. Its popularity is evidenced by the fact that the façade graced the cover of the kit house manufacturer’s 1918...
by Architectural Observer | Jul 18, 2018 | Blog, Mail Order and Kit Houses
It’s no wonder that the Chicago House Wrecking Company changed its name to “Harris Brothers” after it started selling kit houses; the name just doesn’t conjure up a sense of permanence! Beginning as a salvage operation in 1893, Chicago House...
by Architectural Observer | Jul 6, 2018 | Blog, Mail Order and Kit Houses
Recently I ran across this example of a Sears “Maytown” on Zillow. Currently on the market at 410 D Street in Central City, Nebraska, the house is easily recognized by its signature corner turret. First marketed as Sears Modern Home No. 167, the design...
by Architectural Observer | May 28, 2018 | Blog, Mail Order and Kit Houses
Recently I discovered a plan book of houses published by C. L. Bowes of Hinsdale, Illinois, which was copyrighted in 1926. Within its pages was a dead-ringer for the “Rodessa” by Sears. Marketed with the nondescript name of Design 14155-A, this copy-cat...
by Architectural Observer | May 15, 2018 | Blog, Mail Order and Kit Houses
Design No. 1509 was a popular plan for the Radford Architectural Company of Chicago judging by the number of surviving examples I’ve seen. The most recent I’ve found is surprisingly intact and appears to be loved by its owners. While this one in Oakley,...
by Architectural Observer | May 15, 2018 | Blog, Mail Order and Kit Houses, Observations
Recently I had the pleasure of touring a vacant farmhouse which has remained in the same family since its construction in 1918. Although the house has had many of the updates one would expect over the course of a full century, it has had far fewer of them than most...
