by Architectural Observer | Apr 30, 2019 | Blog, Observations
In Part One we looked at some types of door hardware which were common prior to the mid-nineteenth century — latches and rim locks made of iron. While mortise locks were in use, they were not common. Surface-mounted rim locks remained popular in the latter half...
by Architectural Observer | Apr 22, 2019 | Blog, Mail Order and Kit Houses
After a century of use, many old houses have been updated, remodeled or otherwise altered to the extent that they are scarcely recognizable. Others, like this Sears Maytown in Struthers, Ohio, are able to transcend time with only slight changes. Owner Dawn Hartzell...
by Architectural Observer | Apr 8, 2019 | Blog, Observations
When a vernacular farmhouse on the High Plains of western Kansas was abandoned in favor of a sleek new ranch-style house in the mid 1950’s, it was emptied and forgotten about. It had received minimal (if any) maintenance in the following sixty-odd years and is...
by Architectural Observer | Apr 3, 2019 | Blog, Observations
This past weekend I attended an annual consignment auction hosted by the Lions Clubs. As usual, there were a few things of architectural or design interest. I didn’t buy anything this year because the few things I wanted to bid on were not going to be offered...
by Architectural Observer | Mar 24, 2019 | Blog, Observations
The exterior of this c. 1880 twin house in Philadelphia’s Germantown neighborhood does little to suggest the surprisingly intact mid-century makeover found inside. Late 1960’s aesthetic preferences popular with the masses abound: Fake masonry, fake...
by Architectural Observer | Mar 2, 2019 | Blog, Mail Order and Kit Houses
Offered between 1913 and 1918, the Sears Hawthorne was a somewhat ungainly-looking Craftsman style bungalow which was not a huge seller. It was essentially the one-and-a-half story version of the Sears Avondale which was far more popular with kit house buyers and...
