It’s a well-known secret among friends and family, that in addition to my fascination with contemporary modernist residential design, and present applications of prefabricated housing; I also am absolutely amazed by past offerings and early forays into the Utopian universe of prefab.
Knowledge is mastery — the modern homebuilder knows his wants, sees his home before it is built, both exterior and interior and controls costs by A L A D D I N efficiency. (from Facts about the Aladdin Company and Aladdin Houses.)
One such catalog found its way into my hands as a Christmas present from my parents. Discovered among stacks of comics and magazines at an antique market in my father’s childhood hometown of Richmond, Virginia. This magical little nugget of history is the 1929 edition of the Aladdin Company Readi-Cut house catalog. The twenty-third such catalog, from a company founded in 1906, and remaining in operation for a full 75 years.
Aladdin 1929 House Catalog - Cover
Naturally, my interest was piqued by this most recent find, and I did some digging. A little bit of internet searching found this Retro Renovation article from 2009 with a quick overview of a 46 year archive of the catalogs, courtesy of the Central Michigan University Library. As I dig further and further into this most recent catalog, I will no doubt share more tidbits here and there. The catalog is chock-full of great one-liners like:
The pyramids aren’t portable, the Woolworth Building is not portable, nor are Aladdin Houses portable.
Facts about the Aladdin Company and Aladdin Houses
I’ll be sure to share more images and thoughts as I dig into these. As well as a long overdue post on the Stanmar catalog that has been on my shelf for years… Here’s a little taste of the awesomeness of that 1966 gem:
Abercrombie and Fitch House - Stanmar Leisure Homes
Not everything in the Stanmar is so deliciously modern, but some of them are quite delightful. Also coming soon, a little about the Arts & Architecture Case Study House Program.
Cheers, and Happy Holidays to all.