Last week, I was in the St. Louis area, visiting my precious daughter and her family.
During our time together, we journeyed to Edwardsville, IL. I asked Levi (husband of precious daughter) to take me to a part of Edwardsville where there’s a lake, and he took me to the area around Circle Drive.
A quick glance at the post-Vietnam War houses told me I was in the wrong area, but as we continued around the lake, I spotted a familiar 1920s bungalow.
Taking a closer look, I realized we had found the lone 1920s house in a neighborhood full of very modern houses!
And even better, it was a perfect Gordon Van Tine #612 (also known as The Wardway “Sheridan”)!
Was this the original “Farm House” for that community? Did the original owner of this bungalow sell off 250 acres to create the modern subdivision that now surrounds it? I’d love to know.
The owners have taken good care of this old house, and again, I wonder, do they know that they have something special there?
And if you have any friends in the Edwardsville area, please share the link with them!
To contact Rose, please leave a comment below.
To learn more about kit homes, click here.
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The Gordon Van Tine #612 was a spacious, classic bungalow (1926 catalog).
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The #612 had a dandy floorplan and spacious rooms.
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Close-up of the house. Love the porch!
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And here's the GVT 612 in Edwardsville, IL. The home's front door has been moved to the side. It'd be interesting to know if it was built this way, or modified in later yaers. I suspect it was built like this.
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If that side entry is not original to the house, it was certainly done with much care and forethought.
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Close up of the front porch, complete with an electric meter! Note the pattern on the chimney.
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The house has been modified on the side, too, but it's tastefully done.
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Here's a close-up of the catalog image, showing the home's side view
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To the rear of the house is a small addition that was also nicely done.
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The Living Room of the GVT #612, as seen in the 1926 catalog. Note the paired windows flanking the fireplace. Many thanks to Rachel Shoemaker for providing the scanned image!
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And here's another beautiful #612 in Northern West Virginia.
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To read more about the Sheridan, click here.
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I suspect the Gordon Van Tine #612 may have been a popular bungalow for them, it was used quite often in Gordon Van Tine advertisements.
Maybe more will surface now!
Good morning Rose,
My name is Joe Hutton and I live at the home in Edwardsville you have noted.
I’m honored to have someone such as yourself pay such close attention to my home.
I’m sure you will be sad at some of the changes we have made over the years, but as you have stated it was always with for thought and attention to detail.
I am a restoration contractor living in this area all my life.
In fact I was raised in this house and bought it from my parents in 1985.
My parents bought it in 1962 for $13,000.00, so it’s been in the Hutton name for 52 years.
Up until 1985 the house was exactly as the floor plans show.
The porch entry was on the “front” as plan shows. I moved it because of the orientation of the house on the lot. It seems to sit sideways.
What is called the side of the house in plan is actually the front of the lot. The other addition not contributing to the original plan is the turret and large open porch at right side ” back ” of home.
We attempted to be sensitive to the architecture.
There is a master bedroom and conservatory addition at the back of the home, again architecturally sensitive.
The two car garage down at the street to the far right was removed and replaced with a three car garage up the hill toward back of the lot.
You are also correct that this was the farm house East of town. We still sit on two acres which we LOVE.
It has a meadow and downward sloping hill for a back yard.
Our three kids have enjoyed the sledding.
The interior has modern amenities but ALL are period sensitive. The original oversized moldings have either been kept or replaced as existing.
A little history of the home tells it was a chicken hatchery in the 30-40s.
There were chicken coops running down the hillside.
Also a barn once resided but was lost due to poor construction and years of termites in the 1950s.
As you can see we enjoy our home and plan to stay. We have the luxury of not worrying about re-sale value.
Thanks for your interest and thanks to Cindy Reinhardt for connecting me with you.
Best regards, Joe Hutton.
Thank you for featuring this beautiful Edwardsville home.