The Aladdin Westwood was offered only in the 1922 catalog, which is curious. It’s a beautiful house and quite massive, but apparently the Sovereign brothers decided it wasn’t a keeper. In September 2013, I gave a talk in nearby Louisa, Virginia and drove over to Charlottesville to see what was lurking in Hoo-ville.
What a sweet surprise to find an Aladdin Westwood at the end of a quiet residential street!
I was with a local historian and we knocked on the doors repeatedly but no one showed up. It’s been two years since I was there. Hope this house survives! These big Aladdin houses don’t do well in college towns. In nearby Williamsburg, Virginia, an Aladdin Colonial was torn down on the William and Mary campus (about 15 years ago).
To read about the other kit homes I found in Charlottesville, click here.
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The Aladdin Westwood was offered only in the 1922 catalog.
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One of the best parts of playing with kit homes is studying the old floor plans. I just love looking at these old images, and thinking about day-to-day life in early 20th Century America. The house was about 3,000 square feet - which isn't typical for a kit home! And there's a half-bath on the first floor (1922).
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Not only does the second floor have two full bathrooms (very unusualy for the 1920s), but the front bathroom has a shower! Now that's high living! (1922 catalog)
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Sounds fancy, too! And it mentions that shower on the "front bathroom" (1922).
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What a beautiful house!
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And check out that front door!
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I was pretty tickled to find this sweet thing in Charlottesville. To date, it's the only Westwood I've ever seen.
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And check out the detail around that front door.
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Nice match, isn't it?
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I tried desperately to get a long shot of the house and show that hipped roof, but landscaping prevented it.
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If you look down the side, you can see it's a good match, all the windows are in the right places. It's surprising to see that the columns are still in such good shape. They're almost 100 years old now.
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The Aladdin Westwood looks like the Aladdin Villa in many ways.
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But the footprint and floorplan are radically different.
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It's sad to see that the house has been turned into a duplex, but I suppose we should rejoice that - living in a college town - it still survives. College towns are notorious "bungalow eaters."
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To read about the other kit homes I found in Charlottesville, click here.
Here are some images of the kit homes in Louisa, Virginia.
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Love your site. This WAS my 1920s dream home…until…I found a better version.
It seems Aladdin’s Westwood was picked up by E. W. Stillwell (Los Angeles), so maybe that’s why it only appeared once. The Westwood was slightly enlarged and altered (new basement and attic stairs), and published in Stillwell’s “The New Colonials” (c.1925).
I like the updates to the plan…but couldn’t find any pics online. The exterior didn’t change much, except for the small middle windows, which I (again) like better. Would love to see a photo of a Stillwell “Westwood.”
More than likely Aladdin acquired the rights to reproduce the Westwood design from Stillwell.
Aladdin redesigned it catalogs in 1921, eliminating outdated Arts & Crafts and Bungalow designs for popular Colonial style homes and cottages.
At the same time Aladdin Homes lost their staff architect David S Betcone, who decided to open his own architectural plan book company and was eventually hired as Staff Architect at Sears (I still argue with Rose that Sears offered ugly houses until they hired Betcone).
Instead of hiring an architect, Aladdin turned to popular home plan designers, including Betcone, for new designs. The Aladdin Westwood was not popular and was only offered briefly, I think 1921 through 1923.
Hi Rosemary. Great stuff here! I’m interested in speaking with you about kit houses in Charlottesville for a local newspaper article.
If you could email me at the address provided or call me at 773-456-3306, it would be appreciated.
Hello! This house was on the market earlier this year, and is now back on the market, having been “renovated.”
Not sure I didn’t like it better before the renovation, but I suppose it could be worse.
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/1930-Thomson-Rd_Charlottesville_VA_22903_M61904-71696