On Saturday (May 19th), I’ll be at the Rialto Theater giving a talk on the Kit Homes of Raleigh.
On Thursday (May 17th), Katherine Jordan drove me through Durham (next door to Raleigh) to look for kit homes. And we found a few!
As is typical in this part of the country, we found more Aladdin Kit Homes than anything else. Aladdin (like Sears) sold kit homes through a mail-order catalog, and Aladdin (unlike Sears) had a major mill located in Wilmington, NC., so it’s not surprising that there are so many Aladdins in Durham and surrounding areas.
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To see what we found in Raleigh, click here.
To listen to Rose’s interview on WUNC, click here.
To see the photos of kit homes in Durham, scroll on down!
First, my favorite Sears House in Durham - The Sears Alhambra!
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Hidden in the Pines is one of the prettiest Alhambras I have ever seen.
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And from Aladdin, one of my favorites! The Aladdin Pomona.
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Due to the remodeling (substitute siding), it's hard to see but this is definitely an Aladdin Pomona!
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And even though it's got replacement siding, it did retain its original windows, with their distinctive diamond muntins.
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This is a Sears Lynnhaven (from the 1938 catalog).
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And the Lynnhaven in Durham had something I've never seen before: A gabled dormer!
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And I also saw a house from Gordon Van Tine (yet another kit home company).
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This "Colonial Cottage" was a good match to its original catalog image.
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The Aladdin Plaza was a classic early 20th Century bungalow.
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This Aladdin Plaza in Durham is in perfect condition.
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And literally next door to the Plaza was a perfect little Aladdin Pasadena. Notice the classic "Arts and Crafts" porch roof.
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It's somewhat obscured by landscaping, but there's no doubt that this is an Aladdin Pasadena.
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Close up of the door.
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Through the years, several people contacted me to tell me about this "Sears House" in Durham. THIS IS NOT A SEARS HOUSE! In fact, it is NOT a kit home at all!! It's from a plan book titled, "Standard Home Plans for 1926," and Rachel Shoemaker is the one who figured this out. Again - this is *not* a Sears House, but it came from a plan book!
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To learn more about plan book houses, click here.
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And we spotted a couple Lustons on the same street!
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To learn more about Lustron Homes, click here.
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And this is NOT a kit home, but it is a DAZZLING architectural treasure. It's known as "Art Moderne" and one of my all time favorite housing styles - and it's right there in Durham!
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The details of Rose's appearances in Raleigh.
To learn more about how to identify kit homes, click here.
To learn more about Rose’s upcoming lecture, click here.
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I lived in Durham for many years and am interested in architecture – I enjoy the blog Preservation Durham, which is about abandoned or decrepit buildings in Durham. I’d be interested to know addresses of houses you saw in Durham. Have you been in Burlington or Hillsborough at all?
Thanks!
I live in Bedford, Ohio in a 1926 sears or Montgomery Ward kit home, either the Mayflower or the Cabot, depending who made it. I’m trying to restore outside but only get to see the ads for it from 1926. I need better pics. Where should i look?