I ran across this house yesterday… it appears to be a Gordon-Van Tine product, but I’m not exactly sure which of the many variations of this design it is. I think it is the Cabot “A” model. There is one clue above the door that makes me confident that this is a GVT house and not a knock-off. This design was also marketed as the Stratford. Montgomery Ward’s Wardway homes, manufactured by GVT, marketed this same design as the Mayflower and Mount Vernon. Maybe you can help me determine precisely which house this is:
The Cabot was available in two different floor plans. This page is from the 1936 “Book of Homes” by Gordon-Van Tine. Note the sidelights flanking the door and the oval decoration above the door. Image courtesy of archive.org.
This house has not evaded alterations. Replacement siding has covered over the original sidelights; notice how far away the flanking wall-mounted porch lamps seem to be from the door. If the door’s sidelights were intact, the lamp locations would make sense. The ramp and railing are obviously recent alterations. The original porch columns appear to have been replaced. There is no fireplace chimney, one of the many ways this house differs from catalog depictions. Changes to the wall above the door will be seen in greater detail below.
The left side showing window spacing which varies slightly from the catalog plan.
The right side shows a double window in the living room in lieu of the fireplace chimney.
A “ghost” of the original oval design can be seen in paint build-up. The ornament was likely removed when the siding was installed and new trim was placed above the door. The dentil-like molding in the gable matches that of other Cabots.
An aerial view (courtesy of Google). Note the short extension at the back of the house.
The aerial view above mirrors the Cabot “A” plan. Any insight or confirmation would be appreciated! Image courtesy of archive.org.
The illustrated house is so cute! I love the two trellises, window boxes, narrow windows on either sides of the front door and oval window above. Such a shame to see what it was intended to be compared to what it became. I’ll bet the new owners don’t even know how sweet it once was. Where do people find these drawings today? I’d like to see how my house was originally conceived and modified over the years before I bought it.
Thank you for your blog, I’m learning so much!
Fortunately there are lots of resources online to assist people interested in researching kit houses and plan book houses. There are blogs entirely devoted to the subject such as Sears Homes of Chicagoland and many others. Sites like archive.org have many house plan catalogs available to view for free. Plan books and catalogs routinely are available from eBay and antiquarian book stores. Whether your house was or was not a kit or plan book house, you can begin researching the history of your house at your local courthouse – the Register of Deeds office will be able to get you started with key bits of information such as past owners. However, I must warn you: Researching the history of an old house is fun, time-consuming, and highly addictive. It really is worth all the effort and will help you to understand and love your house even more!
Really helpful information, thank you so much! And thanks in advance for opening the floodgates to my impending future addiction!
No problem! I’m here to spread my
illnessenthusiasm. It’s what I do.I want to call it a Cabot A too, but it looks soooo wide.
I vaguely recall that some plan book had a house like the Cabot, and I wonder if this house could be that plan. Or the owner just wanted a bigger Cabot and requested it from GVT.
????
Good catch on that medallion outline above the door!
The apparent extra width bothers me, too. If it weren’t for the ghost of the former medallion over the door I would assume this to be a competitor’s knock-off, but this seems to be a GVT-specific detail. There’s got to be a story here somewhere! Thanks for your input.