Catalogs Online: Sears, Radford, Gordon-Van Tine

DAILY BUNGALOW

Daily Bungalow has a wonderful set of catalogs on Flickr, including Sears, Gordon-Van Tine, Lewis, Harris, C. L. Bowes, Liberty, Sterling, and many, many others . 

NOTE: August 14, 2024, the Daily Bungalow links are back!

• kit companies, labeled with year: click here

• plans-only catalogs, labeled with year: click here

I have also included some of the Daily Bungalow albums directly in the lists below, where there was not an Archive.org version of that year's catalog.

ON PINTEREST:

Click here for this Pinterest resource by Dale Haynes

Archive.org & Flickr

Good news! Internet Archive links are now working! (October 24, 2024)

Find online catalogs for Sears, Gordon-Van Tine, Radford, Wardway, Harris, Lewis with these links.

SEARS 
(mail-order, bundled homes; pre-cut and labeled 1916 through about 1940)

1908: Sears Modern Homes -- extremely slow to load, awkward format with no thumbnail view

1911-1912: Sears Modern Homes -- on Archive, better format

1911: Sears Modern Homes -- on Hathi Trust

1913/14: Sears Modern Homes -- album on Flickr

1913: Sears Modern Homes -- Dover reprint on Google books

1914: Sears Modern Homes -- Elsmore on cover -- album on Flickr

1916: Sears Modern Homes -- album on Flickr (Daily Bungalow )

1916: Sears Modern Homes (Hathi Trust)

1916: Sears Modern Homes (Archive)

1917: Sears Modern Homes - Hodgson -- album on Flickr (Daily Bungalow)

1917: (copyright date 11/26/1916) Sears Modern Homes -- album on Flickr (thanks, Dale Haynes!)

1917: Sears Modern Homes -- same issue as above, with C models/cut OR pre-cut

1918: Honor Bilt Modern Homes (has Carlin, Lebanon, Warrenton, Madelia)

1920: Honor Bilt Modern Homes (on Hathi Trust)

1921 (early): Honor Bilt Modern Homes

1921 (May): Honor Bilt Modern Homes (same cover as 1922)

1922: Sears Simplex Sectional houses, garages, cottages (pre-fab, not pre-cut Modern Homes)

1923: Honor Bilt Modern Homes (labeled as 1920)

1923: Honor Bilt Modern Homes - Daily Bungalow Flickr album

1925: Honor Bilt Modern Homes

1926: Honor Bilt Modern Homes - Hagley Digital Archives

1926: Special Supplement -- Honor Bilt Homes, "15 new models" (includes Elmwood)--Daily Bungalow

 1926: Sears Special Supplement, Honor Bilt Homes, "15 new models" (includes Sears Elmwood) on Archive.org

1927: Sears Modern Homes -- a Flickr album

1928: Sears Kit Houses: Virtual Tour (Interiors, hardware, lighting) -- Daily Bungalow Flickr

1929: Sears Brick Veneer homes (a Daily Bungalow album on Flickr)

1932 (January): Homes of Today (no Barrington)

1932: Homes of Today (edition not sure) (no Barrington)

1932: Homes of Today (edition that has no Barrington)-- Daily Bungalow Flickr album

1932: Homes of Today -- on Hathi Trust

1933: Sears Home Construction Division: America's New Low Cost Homes!

1934: Sears Modern Homes

1935: Sears Modern Homes (Homecrest on Cover-some brick veneer, too)- Daily Bungalow Flickr album

1936 (December):  Modern Homes

1938 (April): Modern Homes  (NOTE: The 1937 catalog is identical to the '38)

1940: The Book of Modern Homes

Early Lighting Fixtures-- 1900: Sears Electric, Gas, and Combination lighting 

Ceramic Tile designs: 1910 catalog from Sears

Mantels and Fireplaces: Sears Roebuck & Co., 1910 (?)

Building Material, Lighting, Millwork: Sears Roebuck & Co.  1910

Building Material and Millwork: Sears Roebuck & Co. 1912 

Concrete Machinery: Triumph, Wizard, and Knox Blox Machines -- 1912

Making the Old Home New: 1914 home renovations catalog Sears

Hardware (including door hardware): 1919 Sears catalog

Building Material (millwork, fireplaces, etc.): Sears Roebuck & Co 1929

Building Materials: Sears Honor Bilt 1930  

Building Materials, Plumbing, Heating, Paint, Lighting, etc.: Sears 1932

Building Materials: Sears 1939

Farm Buildings: Sears 1928

Sears Garages, Cottages, Log Cabins, Play houses: Sears 1935

Sears Lighting -- original catalogs from various years (Sears 1934 & 1937), on OldHouseLights.com

Sears Wallpaper -- color images from 1916 catalog -- Daily Bungalow Flickr album

GORDON – VAN TINE
(mail-order, bundled homes; pre-cut and labeled 1916 through mid 1930s)

1916—Standard Homes by GVT (not ready cut)

1916- Ready-Cut Homes

1916 – Summer Cottages, Ready-cut

1919 3e (listed incorrectly as 1918): Ready-Cut Homes

1920: Gordon-Van Tine (Daily Bungalow Flickr album)

1920 7e: Gordon-Van Tine Homes

1921 4e: Gordon-Van Tine Homes

1921 8e (listed incorrectly as 1920): Gordon-Van Tine Homes

1923 1e: Gordon-Van Tine Homes (same cover used in 1926 and 1927)

1926: Gordon-Van Tine Homes  (on Archive)

1926: Gordon-Van Tine Homes on Flickr, by Daily Bungalow  (see Wardway Homes 1926 link below, where Daily Bungalow has cross-referenced the Wardway homes with their corresponding GVT name/number.)

1927 2e: Gordon-Van Tine - Plan-cut homes

1929?: World’s Greatest Sale of Homes

1929: Plan-Cut Homes (Daily Bungalow Flickr Album)

1929- GVT interiors, in color (Daily Bungalow Flickr Album)

1931—Plan-Cut Homes

1936 (December): Book of Homes

1936 – Economy Homes

1938 – Building Materials

Ready-cut Garages (no date)

1941 (1-2-41): Book of Homes Gordon-Van Tine

1918—Barn testimonials and photos

How to Build Easily, Safely, and At Least Cost (includes testimonials)

Farm Buildings: 1923

Building Material- 1918

Building Material- 1923

Building Material- 1931

RADFORD

Radford Architectural Company and Wm. A. Radford 
(NOT mail-order bundles -- only blueprints)

1903 – The Radford American Homes, 100 House Plans (By the Radford Architectural Company)

1903 – The Radford American Homes, 100 Houses Illustrated(yellow, black, green cover)

(By the Radford Architectural Company)

1903 – The Radford Ideal Homes, 100 Houses Illustrated (through Montgomery Ward)

yellow and red cover – 7^th edition, March 1903, order from Montgomery Ward

1904-- Radford Brothers of Oshkosh, WI & Chicago, IL -- millwork, windows, etc.

1907—Lumberman’s House Plan Book (Fravel Sash & Door Co., Inc., Harrisonburg, VA

1908 – Radford’s Artistic Homes, 250 designs  (Radford Architectural Company)

1908- Radford’s Bungalows (208 designs)

1908—Radford’s Bungalows (different cover – plain red) 208 designs

1908 – Radford’s House and Barn Plans

1909—Radford’s Modern Homes, 200 Designs (Radford Architectural Company)

1909- Radford’s Portfolio of Plans (over 300 designs, homes +)

1909 – Radford’s Cement Houses and how to build them

1909-- Radford's Stores and Flat Buildings

1909 -- Radford Cement Houses and How to Build Them

1910 (mistakenly listed as 1902) – really 12^th edition, 1910 (inside cover)

1915 – Guaranteed Building Plans with Interior Views andDetails (150 house plans, 50 farm building plans, etc.)

1915 -- Radford Farm & Building Book (a Daily Bungalow album)

1921—Home Plan Suggestions

1924—Plainfield (NJ) Ice & Supply Company (plan book)

1925- Home and Garden   Hartwick Lumber Company, Detroit

1926 – Home, Fireside and Garden (various lumber companies)

1927- Colorkeed Home Plans (Wm. A. Radford)

Lundy Home News and Plan Service, Lund Lumber Company, Williamsport, PA

1927 – ColorKeed Homes Fireside and Garden

Speer Lumber & Supply Co., Easton, PA

1927 – Colorkeed Homes Fireside and Garden – lumber company in Hot Springs, ARK

1928 – Summer Bungalows

1930 (date nowhere in book – Radford name nowhere in book)

Artistic Homes: Build a Home First

1949-- Radford-Morgan-Andersen: Woodwork, windows, doors, fireplace surrounds

MONTGOMERY WARD / WARDWAY (mail-order, bundled homes; pre-cut and labeled 1915 through about 1935)

1914 -- Building Plans of Modern Homes -- Hathi Trust

1915 -- Book of Homes
1916 -- Book of Homes 

1917 -- Book of Homes
1918 -- Coverall PAINT, Montgomery Ward

1924 -- Wardway Homes

1926 -- Wardway Homes on Daily Bungalow -- cross referenced with the GVT name of the same house model (!). Click on the thumbnail of the house, and you'll find the GVT name/number in the notes in the white section below the catalog image.

1928 -- Wardway Homes (Montgomery Ward) -- on Daily Bungalow's Flickr page
1929 -- Wardway Homes (Montgomery Ward) -- on Daily Bungalow's Flickr page
1930-- Wardway Homes
1930 -- How to erect your Wardway Ready-Cut Home

1930 -- Building Materials (Montgomery Ward)
1935 -- Building Materials (Montgomery Ward)

HARRIS HOMES
(mail-order, bundled homes; pre-cut and labeled option)
1913 -- Chicago House Wrecking Company
1918 -- Harris Brothers, a plan book of Harris Homes (kits)
1920 -- Harris Brothers, a plan book of Harris Homes (kits)-- on Archive
1920 -- Harris Homes album by Daily Bungalow, on Flickr 
1923 -- Harris Homes Beautiful -- on Archive, one of the pages says ©1923
1923 -- Harris Homes Beautiful, Price list says February, 1923 -- slightly different
1928 -- Harris Homes album on Archive
BUILDING MATERIALS:
1924 -- Harris Homes Building Materials (has a homes catalog in the same scan)
1928 -- Harris Homes Building Materials AND "Plan Cut Homes"

LEWIS HOMES
(mail-order, bundled homes; pre-cut and labeled 1916 +)
1916 -- Lewis Built Homes
1917 -- Lewis Built Homes
1922 -- Lewis Homes (Homes of Character)
1924 -- Lewis Homes (Homes of Character)
1925 -- Lewis Homes - Portfolio of New Designs
1917-1925 -- Lewis Homes (Daily Bungalow Flickr album -- Friends only content)

1926 -- Liberty Homes

1927-- New! Liberty Homes 
1930 -- Liberty Homes
1931 -- Liberty Homes

1935 -- Liberty Homes

1939 -- Liberty Homes

1940 -- Liberty Homes

1941-- Liberty Homes

1947 -- Liberty Homes

1949 -- Liberty Homes

1950s & 1960s: Liberty Homes

BENNETT HOMES
Ray. H. Bennett Lumber Company • Kit homes from northern NY State
1920 -- Bennett Homes (Gutenberg EBook)

1925 -- Bennett Homes (a Daily Bungalow Flickr album, thumbnails)
1936 -- Bennett Homes Dura-bilt Ready-Cut homes

1938 -- Bennett Homes  (a Daily Bungalow Flickr album)
1932-- Bennett Homes
Various Years -- Bennett Homes

STERLING (International Mill & Timber)
1915-1916 -- Sterling System-Built Homes (The Famous Fifty)
1916 -- Sterling Homes (The Famous Fifty and other homes --a Daily Bungalow Flickr album)
1920 -- Sterling catalog No. 17
1920-25 -- Sterling catalog (a Daily Bungalow Flickr album)
1927 -- Sterling catalog No. 27 (circa 1925-1927)
1928 -- Sterling catalog No. 28 
1930 -- Sterling catalog
1939 -- Sterling catalog
1944 -- Sterling catalog
1945 -- Sterling catalog (a Daily Bungalow Flickr album)
1946 -- Sterling catalog
1956 -- Sterling catalog
1971 -- Sterling catalog (the final catalog, a Daily Bungalow Flickr album)

ALADDIN HOMES
(mail-order, bundled homes; pre-cut and labeled 1906 +)
1908-1954 -- Aladdin Homes catalogs *(NOTE: June 2022, that link takes you to their new catalog links page, and all catalogs are now available. Also, try THIS LINK to some of the catalogs, on Archive.org.) THIS LINK takes you to a list, rather than icons.
(*This is the collection at the Clarke Historical Library at Central Michigan University, which has all of these catalogs online.)

• Aladdinette Homes -- 1920 (on Archive)

• Aladdinette Homes -- 1921 (on Archive)

• Aladdin Manual of Construction (...every step... David S. Betcone) -- 1918 (on Archive)

• Aladdin - 1917 Pre-catalog advance mailing about the methods and background of Aladdin

• Aladdin - c1917 Low Cost HOMES designed especially for INDUSTRIAL PURPOSES

• Aladdin-1918  Industrial Housing catalog 

• Aladdin-1920  Industrial Housing catalog on Hathi Trust
 
Artcraft Ready-Cut Homes

Berkshire Lumber Company, Pittsfield, MA

1918 catalog,  on Archive

Fenner Kit Houses, Portland Oregon (West Coast)

Factory Cut Catalog (not sure of year), on Daily Bungalow

Ready Built House Company, Portland OR (West Coast)

1915 Catalog, on Archive

Pacific Ready-Cut Homes (West Coast)

1918 Catalog, on Archive

1925 Catalog, on Archive • on Daily Bungalow 

1925 Catalog, on Archive, with notes about the company

1923 Catalog, on Archive

Crain Ready-Cut House Company
This is a Houston, TX pre-cut company, operating in the 1920s
Catalogue No 3  (Ready Cut and Sectional houses)
Catalogue No 6 (Ready Cut only, no portable houses -- labeled as Brace, but Crain is the name)

T. Eaton Company -- Company in Western Canada
(plans and standard length lumber, not pre-cut kits)
Plan Book of Ideal Homes (year unknown)

Homebuilder (plans only)
1923 -- A plan book by the National Homebuilder's Society (Possibly the original source for a number of Sears kit designs)

ASHSB  (Architect's Small House Service Bureau -- plans only)
1922   --  How to Plan, Finance, and Build Your Home
1925    -- Fifty Ways to Lower Home Building Costs
1927    -- 100 Bungalows of Frame and Masonry Construction
1929    -- July edition, Small Homes
1920s? -- Homes by the Larcomb Construction Company
1920s?  -- Better Homes in America (some time during Calvin Coolidge's presidency)
1920s?  -- Help for the Man Who Wants to Build
1930     -- Colonial Homes
1930     -- Correctly Designed Modern American Homes


Southern California Bungalow Plans (not kits)

Sears Homart PRE-FAB houses (These are not kits, and these were not part of the Sears Modern Homes catalogs. These were pre-fabricated houses, that would be shipped in sections of wall, etc., that were already pieced together, and had to be attached to each other. These were small and extremely modest, post-WWII homes.)
• This blog post shows good catalog images 

• This blog post shows the full 1949 Homart catalog (SearsHomes.org)
• This blog post explains the difference between a Sears kit house, and a pre-fabricated house (Sears Homes of Chicagoland)
• This blog post has one Homart home, and good explanations (Sears Homes of Chicagoland)
• This blog post shows a 1950s Homart home (Sears Homes of Chicagoland)

Hodgson PRE-FAB houses These are not pre-cut framing lumber kits, either. These were pre-fabricated houses, that would be shipped in sections of wall, etc., that were already pieced together, and had to be attached to each other. Hodgson houses were always white Cape Cods with black shutters, with painted cedar siding. Hodgson's factory was in Dover, Massachusetts. Here is their 1937 catalog.

ShariD57's Favorites

jauncourt Favorites

And:
My own "Favorites" on Archive.org.
My favorites are listed by catalog company, so, if you click on the white box with the catalog or lumber company name, you'll get the page with the list of their uploaded catalogs.
For Example:

Once in Archive.org, clicking on this icon on my FAVORITES list,
will bring you the list of Aladdin catalogs on Archive.org.
(Click here to actually go to the Aladdin list!)

1913 catalog, available here

1912 catalog, available here

1926 catalog, available here.

1932 catalog, available here

Sears Barns, available here

Aladdin Homes catalog for 1917, available here

Gordon-Van Tine Company catalog for 1923, available here

Look for it among the offerings on ebay of one of the authors: ikcilow

Radford Homes 
These were house plans only, not kit homes
available here

Radford Homes
These were house plans only, not kit homes
available here

Wardway Homes
Dover reproduction of the 1925 catalog,
available here

DVD with pdfs of many years of the Sears Modern Homes catalogs

(NOTE: This DVD does not actually contain the 1929 catalog, though it is listed as one of the catalogs included)

Available here

Our Go-To Book!
This is hands-down the best reference resource on Sears houses.
Published by the National Trust for Historic Preservation
Available here

This is a small book,
but is packed with all of the basic information about numerous mail-order home companies.
Rebecca L. Hunter is a highly respected authority on mail-order homes.
Available here

A thorough discussion of mail-order homes and other early 20th-century American home styles.
Available here

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SearsHouses.com: Visit our website for more information