> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ruth Barton
> Sent: Friday, October 26, 2001 1:19 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Finding Out the History of Your NYC Building 10/18
>
>
> So Christopher,  do you have a chrystal ball?  Can you please look and see
> who lived here and most importantly, what catalog the houses on
> this street
> came from.  All the houses are different on the outside but they are all
> laid out the same inside and have the same interior detail.  We believe
> they were kit houses from Sears.  Ruth

Ruth, the field of kit house manufacturers is much greater than just Sears.
You also need to consider othere national manufacturers such as Montgomery
Ward, Aladdin, Gordon Van-Tine, and the manufacturer of my house plans,
Harris Brothers, among others.  Then after you get done with the national
mfrs, you need to also look at the regional folks...there were many many
local mills and lumber yards that were producing their own plans, usually
just one or two basic designs which were then varied through the use of
different exterior materials, addition or deletion of porches or pergolas,
mirror imaging the plan, etc.  And finally, there were a boatload of
architects that were producing their own plan books from which you could
select a plan for your new house and for $2 they would send you blueprints
sufficient for you to use to construct the house locally.

Sears house lumber was branded with the Sears name and the model number of
the house in which it was being used.  You can go into the attic and inspect
the rafters and find it.  Same with the early Montgomery Ward houses,
although they stopped the practice after a while.

My guess from your description though is that you have a basic floor plan
(origin unknown) that was repeated by the local builder using the local
lumber yard's standard trim (hence the same interior detail) with different
treatments on the exterior for variety.
_____________________________________________________
Dan Becker,  Exec. Dir.           "Have nothing in your house that
Raleigh Historic                        you do not know to be useful
Districts Commission                or believe to be beautiful."
[log in to unmask]                                       -- William Morris
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