Matot Distinctive Homes; Builders of Homes

<div>Paperback catalog with tan, textured covers. The front cover is decorated with dark brown lettering and an illustration of a house along the lower left edge. At the top of the front cover is a dark brown rectangle with the words "Matot Distinctive Homes" in tan letters. There is another small house illustration with a musical score behind it, two birds on a branch, and the words, "Builders of Homes." At the bottom lower right corner is the name and address of the company, and in the bottom lower left corner is the price, "25 cents." The back cover has words that are centered and under the title "A Complete Building Service," with the name of the company at the bottom. The catalog is in good condition, with a few discolored spots, a small tear on the back cover, and wearing around the edges. Size: 8" x 10.5"<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>From antiquehomestyle.com: "Matot Construction was formed in 1920 by Arthur J. Matot who had been
active for some years in the Portland building industry. Matot was
significant for designing a process to build quickly and efficiently,
but he was also very much in the right place at the right time with a
good idea. Always an asset when establishing a new business enterprise.

</div><p>The 1920s were defined by a robust, if somewhat reckless economy,
but for a few short years the range and creativity of home designs was
vast. Matot was a perfect example of the innovative go-getter mentality
who took advantage of a growing demand for middle-class housing by
providing the types of homes buyers demanded.</p>
<p>Matot's plans here were gathered from the company's 1928 catalog.
The Alameda Old House History blog states that the Matot plans were a
rebranded collection of house plans published by Universal Plan Service,
but I don't see much similarity between <a href="https://www.antiquehomestyle.com/plans/universal-plan/index.htm" rel="nofollow">Universal</a>
and Matot. That said, it appears that Matot was certainly adapting many
of the more popular styles of the period with samples from every
category.</p>
<p>Though, Matot was quite successful during the 1920s, due to a
shift in focus and a crashing economy, the company was reconstituted as
Northwest Home Builders in 1929. At some point, probably in the very
early 1930s, the Oakland Post Enquirer published a 32-page plan book
taken wholesale from the 1928 Matot catalog. We have also found some of
the original Matot plan book plans in a 1935 publication by Borchers
Brothers of San Jose" </p>