Thanks to reader Cat, who spotted this terrific 1957 catalog of Swift Homes. This catalog is typical of others we see from many home manufacturers from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Yes, an old house catalog may help you identify your home — that’s how Cat found it, she owns a Swift. But most catalogs have something for every homeowner: The beautiful illustrations are chock full of ideas to help add curb appeal if your home needs some era-appropriate exterior design or landscaping TLC. These illustrations were impeccably crafted to make these homes look as appealing as possible — scrutinize them for details you can bring to your ranch, Cape Cod, or split level.
If newspaper ads of the time are any indication, there was some fierce competition between (Gordon, Murphy) Swift and Lincoln Homes in PA. You will note that Swift insists that their were homes are pre-CUT, not pre-fab… Hm.
Readers who are now wondering whether their home might be one of these may consider looking inside their attic. The “asphalt insulation boards” exposed inside my gable ends proudly display the Swift Homes logo. One Westbrooke, confirmed. What might the Lincoln telltale signs be?
It is wonderful that Cat was able to identify both the make and model of her home and learn some of the history of the company along the way.
Precautionary Pam cautions: “Seeing the words ‘asphalt insulation boards’ makes my antenna go up: “Old materials can contains vintage nastiness such as asbestos and lead. Please consult with a properly licensed professional to test what’s in the materials in your home, so you know what you are dealing with and can make informed decisions.”
Swift Homes looks like it was based in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania. As Cat mentions, the company’s value proposition seems to be that it’s homes were no “pre fab” — they we “pre-cut.” We are not quite sure that that means.
Looking through the catalog, though, it’s cool to see that the houses were designed so that partition walls were non-bearing. This meant that homeowners could easily reconfigure room sizes to their specific needs.
And, when you ordered one of these Swift Homes, it was like ordering a car. You could mix-and-match roof style, windows, and more, to customize your house. Pretty cool. Plans could be modified over time to add garages, enclose a carport, or add a second level.
Read through the catalog, and you can get a good sense of the housing styles that were being promoted to American homeowners in 1957. That said, we tend to believe that the mass of houses were still quite small. Pam hunted around to try and find primary research on this topic. The best she could find, she ways, without spending hours was this article from the Ventura County, California, public website, which says average house size in “the 1950s” was 1,000 s.f. Footnotes on the story indicate papers or books published by MIT Press have the primary research; we will put this on our reporting list to check at some point.
Check out the “underground” garage in this model. We would worry about water running down that driveway into the garage. Moreoever, where is the railing on the retaining wall to the lawn? Yikes!above: Maybe it is the coloring of this house, or possibly the flat roof — but I’m in love. What an adorable mid century modest ranch. The giant picture window in the front of the house helps to get that “inside-outside” feeling listed in the home’s description.
The illustrations in this book are just gorgeous. This company was aiming to SELL you a house. So, every detail has been thought of from the colors in the landscaping coordinating with the house to the window treatments that you can see from the street.
Lots of great curb appeal ideas in these houses, go to our slide show of enlarged images to scrutize for details to bring to your mid century house.
Thanks to the MBJ Collection and archive.org for featuring this catalog and making it available via creative commons license.
Tips to view slide show: Click on first image… it will enlarge and you can also read my captions… move forward or back via arrows below the photo… you can start or stop at any image:?
Rebecca Prichard says
I love this! 🙂
sharon jenks says
In the 1960’s I worked at a company in Portland OR called Precut Lockwood.. Our houses were all precut-meaning the lumber was all cut and notched to size in a shop then the whole house of wood, nails roofing etc was trucked to the job site and constructed.This was cheaper because the men in the shop were paid less for the labor than carpenters would have been paid to do all the measuring cutting ,etc on the job.I don’t know if this is the same way Swift did their houses, but that is what we did.
Jason says
So great – who knew they had tilt in windows back then. I love the lampost on the fence idea – this would work well at my house to even the light out front – currently garage on the left, porch in the middle and I could add to fence on the right.
It’s “his” purchase – lol oh you silly 50s people:)
lisa says
In Seattle where we have lots of hills the basement garage is very common. Some houses are on very steep lots and have a garage that is actually in a subbasement, or under the house but not connected to it at all — these types are at street level and not cut under the lot. The kind where the driveway slopes down has a drain right in front of the garage door. You don’t get water in the garage unless you let the drain get clogged with leaf litter.
Jamie D says
Just in time for my landscaping estimate! This gives me a lot of great ideas, thanks!
The mention of Lincoln homes in PA makes me wonder if that’s the developer of the homes in Lincoln Park in Berks County. Hmmmm.
Robin, NV says
I’d go with the Glencairn all the way. I’ve always dreamed of having a garage under the house. I think houses with subgrade garages tend to be built in hilly areas though. I’m in a big valley that is flat as a pancake. I also like the Gordanaire with the carport. And the Kirkwood is too cute.
I think Just Another Pam is right. Pre cut probably just means the individual pieces are shipped ready to assemble – like the Sears houses were. Pre fab probably means everything is already wired, piped, and assembled before it gets to the house site.
I’ve always wondered where my house came from. All of the houses in my neighborhood are unique, so they’re not “tract” houses. According to my neighbor (who’s lived in his house since 1963), a local builder built most of them. You just gave him the plans and he’d build whatever you wanted. My house is very function over form, so I tend to think a man designed it. But a woman must have stepped in at some point because the house is full of closets and drawers.
Nancy B says
I LOVE this!! So full of large & small ideas!!
Sara says
This is fabulous! I just used the Aladdin house catalogs posted a few months ago to decide on the design for my replacement front porch which is hopefully being built today. This catalog gives me even more ideas! I’d die for a brick planter next to the steps, but alas, can’t afford that. Actually I’d also die to be able to use the original concrete steps, but they are sunken and sitting at about a 10 degree angle! Anyway, LOVE looking at pics like these. I was totally born in the wrong era!
Kate says
That’s awesome Sara — good luck with your porch project.
Sara says
Thank you! If it turns out as good as I’m hoping, maybe I’ll send you some before and after pics!
Doug says
We have a lot of houses with the underground garage laid out just like that in our area. (Binghamton, NY.) Depending on the property layout you don’t have issues with water intrusion.
Just another Pam says
My guess would be pre-cut would be built on site, more like a doll house, where pre-fab, at least around here, is pre-built, wired and plumbed in the factory and then sections are bolted together on site with the final hook-ups done then as well. .