1920 by Elizabeth Grace Peebles a Thesis Submitted to The
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THE MODERATE AND THE MODERN ALADDIN BUILDINGS IN DELAWARE 1914 – 1920 by Elizabeth Grace Peebles A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the University of Delaware in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Urban Affairs and Public Policy Spring 2010 Copyright 2010 Elizabeth Grace Peebles All Rights Reserved THE MODERATE AND THE MODERN ALADDIN BUILDINGS IN DELAWARE 1914 – 1920 by Elizabeth Grace Peebles Approved: __________________________________________________________ Rebecca J. Sheppard, Ph.D. Professor in charge of thesis on behalf of the Advisory Committee Approved: __________________________________________________________ Maria P. Aristigueta, D.P.A. Director of the School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy Approved: __________________________________________________________ Suzanne Austin, Ph.D. Interim Dean of the College of Education and Public Policy Approved: __________________________________________________________ Deborah Hess Norris, M.S. Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many thanks to everyone who assisted me throughout the process of researching, writing, and editing my thesis. Special thanks to my advisor, Rebecca J. Sheppard, who devoted many hours supporting and guiding me through this concentrated process of researching and writing a thesis. Additional thanks to my thesis readers, David Ames and Cynthia Liccese-Torres, for their feedback and encouragement. My research would not have been possible without the remarkable Aladdin archive collection and helpful staff at the Clarke Historical Library. More researchers should study these collections. And thanks to Carrie James for welcoming me into her beautiful Aladdin home, which gave me a tangible sense of the buildings I have studied and loved for the last year. I am forever indebted to my family for going above and beyond the call of duty to help me retain my sanity, finish on time, and remember that life is more than words on a page. They acted as research assistants, copy editors, and technical advisors. My mother, in particular, was my partner during this process. She began by accompanying me to Michigan, where we spent our days digging through files from the Aladdin Company and our nights sitting on the porch of our cabin by the lake looking at hundreds of photographs of catalogues and order forms. She continued her support by keeping me company during late nights of writing, providing me with cups of tea and coffee, walks around the commons, and phone consultations about commas, apostrophes, and life after thesis. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES.................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................. vii ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................xiv CHAPTERS 1 INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................1 Methodology...........................................................................................8 Organization of Thesis..........................................................................15 2 THE RISE OF READI-CUT HOUSES..........................................................17 An Atmosphere for Houses in a Box.....................................................18 Mail-Order Pre-Cut House Companies..................................................31 The Aladdin Company..........................................................................34 The Aladdin System...................................................................39 Communicating the Aladdin Lifestyle ........................................44 Conclusion............................................................................................54 3 ALADDIN IN DELAWARE.........................................................................55 Distribution and Location......................................................................55 Distribution Within Delaware....................................................58 Aladdin Buildings.................................................................................65 Type and Style ..........................................................................67 Cost...........................................................................................87 Scale .........................................................................................90 Conclusion............................................................................................95 iv 4 READI-CUT HOME OWNERS....................................................................96 Data Collection.....................................................................................97 Analysis of Motivation........................................................................101 Purchase for Personal Use .......................................................103 Individual Purchases Related to a Company ............................107 Real Estate Profit ....................................................................111 Analysis of Demographics ..................................................................121 Nativity...................................................................................121 Family Make-Up.....................................................................123 Occupation..............................................................................124 Conclusion..........................................................................................125 5 CONCLUSION ...........................................................................................127 APPENDICES A ALADDIN CATALOG PAGES ILLUSTRATING DELAWARE PURCHASES .............................................................................................131 B ALADDIN ORDERS IN DELAWARE 1914 - 1920 ...................................172 C EXTANT ALADDIN BUILDINGS IN DELAWARE.................................185 BIBLIOGRAPHY...................................................................................................200 v LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1 Delaware Population Changes 1910 to 1920 .........................................56 Table 3.2 Distribution of Delaware Aladdin Orders..............................................58 Table 3.3 Train Station and Style Distribution of Delaware Aladdin Orders..........61 Table 3.4 National and Delaware Sales by Type...................................................68 Table 3.5 Aladdin Sales Figures Delaware 1915-1920..........................................89 Table 3.6 Aladdin Cottages ..................................................................................92 Table 3.7 Aladdin Bungalows...............................................................................93 Table 3.8 Aladdin Four-squares............................................................................93 Table B.1 Purchase Orders..................................................................................173 Table B.2 Purchasers...........................................................................................180 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1 North American Construction Company (later known as the Aladdin Company) 1914 Sales Index...................................................10 Figure 1.2 Aladdin Order Form 3814, Lane Vanderwende, Harrington ..................12 Figure 1.3 Delaware City, Aug. 1923, Sheet 2, Sanborn fire insurance map. ..........14 Figure 2.1 Industrial Housing and Its Effect on Satisfied and Dissatisfied Labor, Bulletin No. 1, Aladdin Company, Bay City, Michigan, 1920 ....................................................................................................21 Figure 2.2 A Little Journey to the Home of Aladdin, Aladdin Company, Bay City, Michigan, 1920(?).......................................................................26 Figure 2.3 Unidentified Aladdin Advertisement, May 1912 ...................................28 Figure 2.4 Aladdin Homes, Aladdin Company, 1919(?), 3 .....................................38 Figure 2.5 Aladdin’s Famous Board of Seven. Aladdin Company, Aladdin Homes: Built in a Day: Catalog no. 28, 1916, 4...................................40 Figure 2.6 From the Pyramids to the Woolworth Building. Aladdin Company, Aladdin Homes: Built in a Day: Catalog no. 30, 1918, 6......................42 Figure 2.7 Twenty Feet of Lumber. Aladdin Company, Aladdin Homes: Built in a Day: Catalog no. 30, 1918, 4 ........................................................43 Figure 2.8 “How Three Chicago School Teachers Built Their Own House” Aladdin Company, 1911, direct mail material......................................45 Figure 2.9 The Rodney. Aladdin Company, Aladdin Houses: “Built in a Day”: Catalog no. 25, 1914, 12...........................................................46 Figure 2.10 The Sunshine. Aladdin Company, Aladdin Homes: Built in a Day: Catalog no. 31, 1919, 71......................................................................48 Figure 2.11 The Winthrop. Aladdin Company, Aladdin Homes: Built in a Day: Catalog no. 30, 1918, 77-78........................................................49 vii Figure 2.12 “Efficiency for the Housewife.” The Wedge, North American Construction Company, Bay City MI, Vol. V No. 5-6 August- September 1915, 8 ...............................................................................50