Wee Homes; Third Edition

<div>Paperback catalog with light green covers, held together with two staples along the left edge. The front cover is decorated with a tree in the foreground going from top to bottom along the left margin. There is a smaller tree in the upper right corner. In the center of the front cover is a house with a red roof, drawn small to infer distance. Above the house, in a large red circle, are the words, "Wee Homes." At the bottom of the front cover is the business name and address in black lettering. The back cover is blank. There is significant discoloration/staining on the front cover that leaked through to the other side. The back cover also has some staining along the bottom. The pages inside show the pictures of houses in black and white, with their blueprints in dark blue. 24 pages. Size: 7.75" x 10.5"<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>From www.kshs.org/kansapedia/garlinghouse-company/20196 : <br /></div><div>"Lewis F. Garlinghouse was a realtor and entrepreneur who wanted a way to promote his construction business. He co-founded the Garlinghouse company with his brother in Topeka. The real estate sales company expanded to handle house construction and home design publishing. His company is credited with being the first to sell home plans to the world, which eventually grew to be among the largest house plan book companies in the country. <br />
<p>Lewis Garlinghouse and his brother, George Lovette Garlinghouse, were
born to Lucien Bonaparte and Matilda Ruth (Hanawalt) Garlinghouse on a
farm near Berryton. The Garlinghouses had moved from Ohio to Kansas
around 1870 and Lucien became known for his farm and stock operation.</p>
<p>
The Garlinghouse sons started a real estate speculation business at 608
SW Kansas Avenue in Topeka on July 30, 1906. They offered farm and city
real estate property sales and financial business services. In 1910 the
L. F. Garlinghouse Company, Inc., was established. George Garlinghouse
left Topeka and moved his family to Leavenworth, where he established a
separate real estate development firm.</p>
<p>
In Topeka and around the nation there was a growing need for small city
and suburban dwellings. The Craftsman-style bungalow was a popular
choice, which could be constructed as one or one-and-a-half stories,
used a simple affordable design, natural materials, and welcoming front
porches. The Garlinghouse company found that the popular bungalow, with
its low-pitched roof and deep overhanging eaves, worked well in the
Topeka subdivisions where lots were small.</p>
<p>
To build customer interest in the construction business, Garlinghouse
displayed photographs and floor plans and placed them in the window of a
Topeka bank. Other businesses placed the photographs and floor plans in
their lobbies as well and the public began requesting blueprints.</p>
<p>
Garlinghouse built an eight-room bungalow that “will be different” at
224 The Drive, according to the Topeka State Journal in 1913. Then the
company published its first plan book in 1916, featuring 25 bungalow
designs—including a photograph, floor plan, description of the house,
and approximate cost. Customers could purchase blueprints for $5 to $10.
Garlinghouse is credited with being the first home plans company in the
world.</p>
<p>
An experienced builder, Lewis Garlinghouse and his firm handled
construction, financing, and milling, all with an eye toward the
greatest value. The company’s blueprints included an exact list of
material quantities. Iva Gay Lieurance, the principal designer, was
among few women designers for mail-order houses. Her layouts addressed
“the needs of the housewife.” Features included a large living room,
breakfast nook in the kitchen, and brick fireplace with built-in
bookcases spanning the full width of the room. The company popularized
what became known as the “airplane bungalow” with a glassed-in upper
level sleeping porch, sun parlor, or playroom that extended from the
front to rear of the house, similar to a cockpit.</p>
<p>
“There is great demand throughout the entire country for house plans,”
Garlinghouse was quoted in the Topeka Daily Capital, October 5, 1921.
“Building in the East also shows a substantial increase. Marked
improvement in local building conditions is visible.” At that time
Garlinghouse had 24 residents under construction in Topeka, 22 of them
were bungalows.</p>
<p>
The following year the company published the 144-page “World’s Most
Popular Plan Book,” which included a number of architectural styles
borrowed from other companies and was used by lumber dealers and
builders across the nation. As demand grew Garlinghouse sold the
publications directly to individuals. The expanding designs included
Southern homes, cottages, vacation homes, duplexes, garage apartment
homes, Cape Cod-style homes, and the single-story ranch home, which
became the most popular in new home construction. “Style and beauty, as
well as convenience and quality, should be considered in your new home.
We have the plans at a very nominal cost.”</p>
<p>
Known as “America’s Pioneer Home Planning Service,” Garlinghouse added
the popular ranch houses, cabins, and even concrete shelters to its
plans, “No matter where you live, a fallout shelter is necessary
insurance.” By 1945 Garlinghouse had sold more than 600,000 house plans
across the nation; becoming one of the largest house plan book companies
in the country.</p>
<p>
Lieruance died in 1956; founder Lewis Garlinghouse died in 1965. In
1986 the Topeka-based company was selling plans to 10,000 buyers each
year. The company eventually moved its business to South Carolina where
it continues to operate today. Garlinghouse homes can be found across
the nation and around the world."</p></div>