One such model – offered by Montgomery Ward – was the Wardway “Girard.” It looked a lot like the Sears Madelia.

In fact, prior to writing this blog, I just assumed they were the same house. Now that I’ve been studying these photos for a few minutes, I see there is one obvious difference: The through-the-cornice dormer.

On the Girard, it’s a simple shed dormer with no cornice returns. On the Sears model, it’s a clipped-gable with very dramatic cornice returns.

Inside, both houses are identical (24 by 22), and even the room sizes are exactly the same in both models.

I think someone was looking over someone else’s shoulder when these houses were designed!

Montgomery Ward "Girard" as seen in the 1927 catalog.

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Dale found this Girard in Duquesne, Pennsylvania. It's a good match to the old catalog image (shown above).

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And then there's the Sears Madelia, which looks a lot like the Girard!

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If you put them side by side, you see there are many similarities. The Wardway Girard is on the left and the Sears Madelia is on the right. They are quite similar, but the dormers are where you'll find the differences.

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To learn more about Wardway Homes, click here.

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After sitting in front of that house for some time, I was unable to make an identification. I snapped a photo and sent it to my buddy Dale, and he responded soon thereafter and said, “That’s an Aladdin house, The Colonial!”

I relayed the information to my new friend, who was pretty excited to learn this little tidbit about his own house. About three days later, he decided I wasn’t his cup of tea, and that was the end of that.

However, I was gladdened to discover this beautiful kit home right here in Southeastern Virginia. And I’ve come across a couple more since then.

The Aladdin Colonial was one of Aladdin’s biggest and best houses. It was spacious, elegant and a classic Colonial.

The Aladdin Colonial, as seen in the 1920 catalog.

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The Colonial warranted a two-page spread in the 1920 catalog.

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The Colonial - unlike many early 1900s homes - had two bathrooms upstairs. Lots of closets, too.

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Look at the size of that Living Room!

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Living Room as seen in the 1920 catalog.

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Suggested furniture arrangement. Nice piano in the living room!

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The Colonial - as seen in 1920.

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Here's a beautiful "Colonial" in Roanoke Rapids, NC.

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This beauty is in Suffolk, Virginia.

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This photo was sent to me a couple years ago by a woman who lived in southern Illinois, and she told me that this house was just outside of Cairo, Illinois. I'm sorry to say I can't find her email and/or her name. Heck, I can't even find what city it was in. All I know is that it's on the corner of Scott Street and Capital Blvd - somewhere.

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To learn more about Aladdin Kit Homes, click here.

To buy Rose and Dale’s book, click here.

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I surely had not, until Dale sent me this photo (shown below).

Montgomery Ward provided the building materials for the AeTheon Literary Society Fraternity House in East Lansing, Michigan. Designed by Thomas S. Tanner (Ann Arbor, MI), it was constructed with building materials supplied by Montgomery Ward.

Montgomery Ward’s kit house program was dissolved in 1931, and it seems likely that the Fraternity House (shown below) was built near that time.

To learn more about Wardway Homes, click here.

To buy the book on Wardway Homes, click here.

In the late 1920s, Wardway expanded their services. Shown here is the cover of their 1929 catalog.

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I wonder if they offered "easy payments" on frat houses?

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This Fraternity House (AeTheon Literary Society Fraternity House) was designed by Thomas S. Tanner, with building materials supplied by Montgomery Ward.

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And Dale Wolicki found it on Woodmere Street in East Lansing, Michigan! It's in beautiful condition!

To learn more about Wardway Homes, click here.

To buy the book on Wardway Homes, click here.

In 1906, Lewis Manufacturing was primarily a millwork company, and they got their foot into the kit home business when the Sovereign brothers (who owned the Aladdin Homes company) asked Lewis to supply the lumber for their kit homes.

In 1913, housing orders overwhelmed Lewis Manufacturing and the company refused to make further improvements to their mill unless they were given ownership interest in Aladdin Homes. The Sovereign brothers refused.

Lewis Manufacturing lost the Aladdin Homes contract. Some smart cookie at Lewis Homes surveyed their situation and said, “Hey, we have everything we need to produce our own line of pre-cut kit homes. Let’s make our own company! To heck with those Sovereign brothers!”

And so, in 1913, Lewis Homes was born.

Within a few years Lewis Homes became Aladdin Homes largest competitor, shipping approximately 1500 homes annually. In 1925, a fire destroyed the Lewis Homes lumberyard, and Lewis gave their company a new name, “Liberty Homes.”

Lewis survived the Great Depression by selling millwork to prominent residences, banks and office buildings. In 1938 Liberty Homes boosted sales when it introduced a new FHA-approved mortgage program.

During World War Two, Lewis manufactured military barracks, emergency housing and shipping crates. In 1944, an advertising campaign allowed customers to use Liberty Bonds as deposits on Liberty Homes, to be shipped after the war.

During the 1950s the company shipped thousand of homes throughout the United States but sales dropped as mobile and prefabricated homes replaced pre-cut homes for affordable housing. In 1975, Lewis Manufacturing closed, having sold 75,000 houses.

Of all the Lewis Homes, the Cheltenahm is one of my favorites. That’s because I have a soft spot for the Dutch Colonial, and this is a dandy of a Dutch Colonial!

The Cheltenham, as seen in the 1924 catalog.

Close-up on the house (1924 catalog).

This sweet thing is in Washington, DC. Isn't a beauty? Oh what a fine-looking house! (Photo is copyright 2011 Catarina Bannier and can not be used or reproduced without written permission.)

And next door to the Cheltenham is a Lewis Marlboro (right side). (Photo is copyright 2011 Catarina Bannier and can not be used or reproduced without written permission.)

The Cheltenham is a happy, happy house. (Photo is copyright 2011 Catarina Bannier and can not be used or reproduced without written permission.)

Shown above is a Lewis Cheltenham in Bay City, Michigan. (Photo is copyright 2011 Dale Wolicki and can not be used or reproduced without written permission.)

The Cheltenham was featured in the front pages of the 1924 Lewis catalog. Just look at those happy children!

The floorplan shows what a spacious home this is! Look at the Living Room. You can run hurdles in here!

And, if you buy a Lewis Home, you know that the guys in suits visited The Axe Men to assure that you got the very best lumber (1924 catalog).

To learn more about Kit Homes, click here.

To visit Catarina’s website, click here.

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The Sovereign was one such house, and it is a fine-looking thing.

A couple years ago, I started a group for kit home enthusiasts at Facebook, and that’s how I met Lara Solonickne. And recently Lara found this Wardway Sovereign in Arlington Heights, IL!

Isn't this a dandy of a house? Image is from the 1929 Wardway catalog.

Their "finest home" was also quite spacious!

Close-up of the house.

And here it is, in the flesh! And yes, it's shown here in brick, but you could pick brick, clapboard, stone, shingle or pretty much any siding you wanted for your kit home! (Photo is copyright 2011 Lara Solonickne and can not be used or reproduced without written permission.)

To learn more about Wardway Homes, click here!

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Personally, I prefer to think of them as angels.

Nonetheless, it’s an interesting graphic.

The cover of the 1931 catalog shows a young couple admiring their Madison.

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An Aladdin Madison sits in the background.

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Yeah, they look happy, but do they know...?

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That just over their head is a whole bunch of ethereal beings...

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And one of them is playing two flutes at once, which is just downright spooky. Or it might be three, which is even more spooky.

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Did fairies help build this Madison in Bedford, VA?

To learn more about Aladdin, click here.

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Not one of the three bedrooms in the Stanhope had a closet. Not one. It seems they expected you to put a massive wardrobe within one of those tiny bedrooms.

And the bathroom was ten by five feet. That’s a tiny space. You’d have to step out into the hallway to change your mind.

In the kit home business, Aladdin was a competitor of Sears, but today, the name is not as well known as Sears.

Sears kit homes were sold from 1908-1940. These 12,000-piece kits were shipped by boxcar, and came with a 75-page instruction book and a promise that a “man of average abilities” could have the house built and ready for occupancy in 90 days.

Here in Southeastern Virginia, we also have many kit homes from Aladdin. They were based in Bay City, Michigan, but Aladdin had a large mill in Wilmington, NC. Aladdin started selling kit homes in 1906, and continued until 1981.

Sears sold about 70,000 kit homes during their 32 years in the kit home business. Aladdin sold more than 75,000.

Stanhope, as seen in the 1919 Aladdin catalog.

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Look at the size of those rooms! The "big" bedroom was 10 x 10.

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These were small homes, but they were well built. Aladdin promised to pay $1 for every knot found in their siding materials. Pretty strong words!

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The Aladdin Stanhope, as seen in the 1919 catalog.

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Here's a Stanhope in Scotland Neck, NC.

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And just last week, I discovered this Stanhope in Norfolk!

To learn more about kit homes, click here.

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There were six companies selling kit homes on a national level, and Harris Brothers was probably the least well known. (In addition to HB, there was Sears, Gordon Van Tine, Sterling, Aladdin and Lewis Brothers.

Harris Brothers (Chicago), started out life as a house-wrecking company. Today, we use another name to describe “house wrecking;” it’s “Architectural Salvage.”.

According Rebecca Hunter, Harris Brothers got their start when they were awarded contracts to demolish exhibitions at the 1893 World’s Fair (also known as The Chicago World’s Fair). That same year, they were first incorporated as The Chicago House Wrecking Company. In 1913, they changed their name and their image: Harris Brothers.

Rebecca‘s research shows that Harris Brothers issued their last mail-order pre-cut house catalog in 1931. From then until 1958, the company remained in business, selling millwork and building materials through mail order catalogs.

Harris Brothers had some really "homely" designs, such as this J-6. Even the names were blase.

This HB house is in Camp Hill, PA and it's been "fixed up" with substitute sidings galore. You can just hear this poor old house asking, "Does this fake half-timbering make me look old?" However, note the distinctive turret with its two gable peaks. This is an easy house to pick out in a crowd! (This photo is copyright 2011, Rebecca Hunter and can not be used or reproduced without written permission.)

Floorplan of the HB J-6.

Lots of people bought the J-6.

To learn more about Wardway Homes, click here.

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On October 10, 1871, the Great Chicago Fire wiped out four square miles of that town. In less than 24 hours, the fire destroyed much of Chicago, including Ward’s brand new business. While Ward labored to save a friend’s business from the fast-moving fires, he lost his own business, lock, stock and life savings.

According to The Story of Montgomery Ward, he was ready to begin again by the summer of 1872. His first catalog had only one page and 163 items and most of them were priced under $4. Business was slow but showed steady growth and much promise. In January 1874, “Catalog #10″ was issued, with four pages and 394 items. The first bound catalog appeared in Summer 1874, with 32 pages and one year later, it had almost doubled in size, reaching 72 pages.

Ward practiced a rigid sense of economy that would cause an uproar in modern times. According to The First 100 Years Are The Toughest, if a garment weighed “over four and under eight pounds, it was cut in two and shipped separately in halves…with a needle and thread” (p. 7).

In 1895, the United States Postmaster reported that the “largest patron of [our country's] post office is Montgomery Ward & Co” (The History and Progress of Montgomery Ward and Company, p. 19). Four years later, the Spirit of Progress, a 17′ weathervane/statue, was set atop the Tower Building on Michigan Avenue, making it Chicago’s highest point at 396 feet (ibid, p. 19). The Spirit of Progress became the company logo, appearing on Montgomery Ward’s storefronts and catalogs.

By the turn of the 20th Century, Montgomery Ward & Co. had claimed its high place in Chicago’s skyline and it was now America’s number one retailer.

The above was excerpted from Montgomery Ward’s Mail-Order Homes. To buy the book, click here.

Aaron Montgomery Ward (circa late 1800s)

Inside the Chicago-based offices of Montgomery Ward, early 1920s

Another view of the Chicago-based offices of Wards.

Montgomery Ward storefront in northern Illinois. Note the "Spirit of Progress" emblem at the top center of the building.

To learn more about Wardway Homes, click here.

To buy the book, click here.

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It’s a fun little item, and has only eight pages, and lots of fun graphics!

Your Aladdin Catalog is following on the next mail...we hope!

Love this guy on the horse. Not sure what the subliminal message is though.

Page 3 shows inside and outside shots of the Aladdin office.

Part of the joy of playing with old houses is studying this accompanying literature and ephemera. And part of the fun of studying the literature and ephemera is sharing it with others!

To learn more about kit homes, click here.

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