In the 1940s, people were so conservative with their money that they wanted to build houses smaller than banks wanted to finance. As a result, the government came up with FHA “minimum standards” for the square footage required to obtain home financing. Yes, you are reading that correctly: The government had to incentive Americans to build bigger houses. Above: This 1940 builders model is one example of the “Tom Thumb” houses that our great grandparents wanted to build. Built full size, it would encompass just 720 s.f. — I need to find my historical records, I am guessing this was the minimum square footage required at that time. Made by Small Homes Demonstration Inc. and used by the West Coast Lumberman’s Association as a model for the use of wood products, this 1940 miniature was for sale from ebay seller mydoghasabighead. A terrific artifact.
Rare find from a private collection. This is a true to scale miniature model home — an advertising display sample from the 1940s. Provenance found with this item states it was made by Small Homes Demonstration Inc. and used by the West Coast Lumberman’s Association as a model for the use of wood products.
Original label included with it reads:
National Small Homes Demonstration, Inc. An “Engineered” Small Home, 1940 Model – Lumber Edition No. 40-2, 4 to 6 rooms and bath — 24′ x 30′
Most likely this was used at a tradeshow but it could have been used for display to the public as well.
The green base of this model is labeled American Model Makers Inc., Chicago Ill., USA, Product and Process Patents Pending.
Base measures 23 1/2″ x 23 1/2″.
House measures 15 1/2″ long x 12 1/2″ wide x 10″ tall to the peak of the roof (not including chimney).The entire diorama, including the base, weighs more than 15 lbs.
The roof lifts off on one side to reveal the interior architectural floor plan.
A modest home, it is highly reflective of an era gone by, representative of a typical middle class American family home of the 1940s. All miniature furniture, people, rugs and accessories shown inside are included. Some of the furniture is out of scale and and has obviously been added just for fun, but most is original to this demo I believe; the rugs are made of paper, the furniture (except for kitchen table and chairs) is made of wood.
All pieces are removable, including the rugs; the doorways and walls are stationary.
There are few bumps and bruises on the roof and to the house here and there, as shown in closeup photos, including some warping/wear to the front door, but no drastic damage and all the fencing is included (this is not secured to the base and can also be moved around).
A fabulous item for any collector, but especially if you collect vintage salesman’s samples, dollhouses, models and dioramas, miniatures or even trains. All the materials used in the construction of this model are actual wood and wood products.
Mega thanks to ebay seller mydoghasabighead for allowing us to feature photos of this amazing vintage model.
I have more examples of Tom Thumb house designs. I will dig them out and also look for more background on the factors that led to the FHA minimum standards requirement for square footage. It’s all so very interesting.
See our other stories on vintage miniature houses here:
- Midcentury-miniature design for Barbie, from Maryann Roy
- Midcentury modern dollhouse: Decay as Art, dead body included.
- Rare 1962 Marx metal dollhouse — with a fallout bomb shelter.
- A vintage Cape Cod dollhouse — saved from a dire fate: Julie D’s entry.
- Vintage Putz Houses — A history and online guide.
- Vintage style putz house Holiday Crafting DIY.
lisa says
I doubt the furniture is original, or even the interior “walls.” Among the furniture, I can spot too many different styles of construction. If any came with the house I’d guess perhaps the bathroom and kitchen sinks and the bathtub, which all go together. The toilet looks like it came from another set.
I had that kitchen table and chair set! It was “The Three Bears,” and part of this line: http://www.dollreference.com/hasbro_storykins.html I’m pretty sure my daughter has the Goldilocks dress among her dollhouse items, although everything else has disappeared.
AD says
The exterior of the house across the street from me is identical. The interior layout from the front door is: LR left, kitchen right, BR straight ahead with a bedroom on each side of the BR. Those windows looking into the attic aren’t there.
AD says
To clarify, by BR I meant bath. Clear as mud.
Mary Elizabeth says
It is very interesting to hear this discussion (and others on this site) on the theme of what people in the mid-20th century considered necessary in a house (size, storage, newness, etc.) and what the Boomer and post-boomer generations consider necessary.
My parents (WWII generation) had an expression about families who had built or bought houses that were beyond their means–“house poor.” They and their parents considered it scandalous for people to build or buy houses they couldn’t afford, just so they could “keep up with the Joneses,” another expression I heard all the time. They would, my parents told me, only end up losing the houses or else keeping them at the expense of their children’s nutrition, education, etc.
I have letters from my father to my mother during the war that describe what kind of house and what kind of family he envisioned them having when he got home. He even used the term “our post-war home” in describing it. So people were envisioning even during the war how they would like to live when it was over. It wasn’t about great rooms and granite countertops; for my parents, it was about a place they could fix up as their own and raise a family in.
Dad would cut out articles from magazines, such as “Build Your Own Storage Wall,” and he would send them to my mother for her comments and approval.
As far as privacy is concerned, it wasn’t something that depended on how much space you had in the house but how well you respected one another in that space. There were six people and one bathroom in our house, there was one radio (and later one television), and it was rarely a problem.
I agree with everything that has been said about small houses being easier to clean, cheaper to maintain, and good for preventing over-collecting and clutter. I’ve come to understand that people commenting on this web site share with me the ideas that less is more, that old and sturdy is better than new and flimsy, that restoring is better than reinventing the wheel, and that we shouldn’t fix what ain’t broke. I think you all understand that “lifestyle” isn’t about what you have but about what you do with what you have.
Robin, NV says
What a great personal story! The sentiments expressed in the final paragraph are perfect and fit the attitude of the RR brood perfectly. Years ago I looked at renting a 2000 sq. ft house. My husband and I immediately started talking about how we would need another couch, coffee table, TV etc. because the house had a living room and a family room. And then we stopped and looked at each other for a few significant seconds and then walked out and returned the keys to the realtor.
Chad says
My grandfather sent similar letters – though his included floor plans for a center hall colonial house. Unlike most of her generation, my grandmother has always been dissatisfied with what she had.
In other news, Mary Elizabeth, you’ve had positive things to say about my project but I’m on the fast track to being house poor!
Chris says
Love it!! Makes me appreciate my modest home even more!!
Scott says
An interesting comparison, the 1940s mentality of buying just what you need or even less, as opposed today’s strategy of building something frighteningly beyond your means.
Happy to be avoiding all that madness is my little 1954 Very Modest.
I can see alot of the design mentality of this 1940 model in play on my house. Every bit of the non-essential ornamentation was applied to the front leaving the sides and back as completely stark as the rear view shown above. And that’s pretty much a dead ringer for my back door too. Fun to see.
Kim says
Darling! I live dead-center in a block-long row of wartime Cape Cod cottages very much like this–mine’s a 1942, single-story, 860 sq ft, 2 bed 1 bath. One builder did the whole block (and many others in my neighborhood of Seattle), so there are three or four floor patterns that alternate, and then things like the original moldings, hardware, and fireplaces match. There have been some remodels and remuddles up and down the street, with varying degrees of effectiveness…but most of mine was preserved, and I think my particular layout is the best. 🙂 So spacious and full of storage, for such a wee place! I love it to bits!
Lauryn says
Are you in Crown Hill by any chance?
Kim says
Hi Lauren–good guess! Yes, I’m between Crown Hill and Whittier Heights. I’ve heard the builder of these houses referred to as “Mench” or “Mensch,” but haven’t had much luck finding any other details…I need to explore the links Pam and everyone has shared.
The other oddball detail is that all the houses on this block have tiny detached garages, but two of said garages have a second story! The yards back onto a slope, so I think the upper-floor garages are accessible from lawn level as well as below, like a shed. Not sure if those were original!
lisa says
Kim, did you know you can go to the public library website and see the Seattle Times archive back to 1900? I put in my house’s address and found all sorts of info. Before 1960 if someone was in the paper usually their address was published. Put it in several ways “123 5th Ave” and “123 Fifth Ave” for example.
http://www.spl.org/library-collection/articles-and-research/magazines-and-newspapers
lisa says
I used to live on one of those blocks, in Seattle’s Fremont area. It was a 1947 Cape Cod with the attic finished. It looked small on the outside, but lived pretty large. There was also a 1980s addition on the back that remedied the one main problem of the house, lack of dining space.
I always thought it was odd that all the houses looked the same — they were slightly different in floor plan and size, but you couldn’t tell from a glance at the exteriors. Then a developer came to our neighborhood around 2000-2002 and did the same thing. They had one floor plan, a large, two-story neo-Craftsman, and they started putting up that same house with minor variations all over the place. They mostly knocked down smaller houses but sometimes filled long-vacant lots or large side yards. If possible, they put up two houses together, usually mirror images. You can drive all around the area and find a couple of these every few blocks. I guess the operation that made sense to developers in the 40s still works today! I’m sure the only reason we don’t have whole streets filled with this house plan is that there are no whole streets vacant anymore.
Robin, NV says
For anyone that wants to learn more about these 1940s small homes, here are some good sources of information:
http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/Portal/Communities/BHP/Suburbs/Georgia_American_Small_House.pdf
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/publications/bulletins/01workshop/sub_landsc.htm
http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/005389716
I did some research into 1940s small homes when I did a presentation at our county museum. We have a nice little neighborhood of 1940s small homes that were built during the war for officer’s housing. I’ll have to do a post on my blog about them.
Robin, NV says
Be sure to check out this link:
http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924014506707#view=1up;seq=1
It’s for the “Expansible House.” Designing modest homes so that they could be added to in the future if necessary. Pretty cool to see how small, rectangular homes could be transformed into mid century beauties.
Allen says
WOW this is great!! This could be used today for those on a shoestring budget!
Matthew - The Lents Farmer says
This is almost exactly my home – From what I know, it was built in 1935 and then moved in the 1970’s, when it was in the way of a freeway being built. 1100 sq ft on the first floor and then 300 sq ft in the finished attic, which is floor to ceiling knotty pine.
Roundhouse Sarah says
Also… My boyfriend grew up in a 900 ft2 house like this as a family of 4 and it pretty much scarred him for life. The issue of having no privacy and being able to hear EVERYTHING that went on in the house was a real problem. He really likes his private space now.
Roundhouse Sarah says
I think the future trend will be to go back to living in small homes like this. My aunt is getting into small kit homes to sell to ‘back to the landers’ and ‘doomsday prepers’. They are all fully sustainable, off the grid type dwellings. She is a real estate broker in the hill country of Texas and more and more people want homes like this.
When she came over last, we looked through my old home plan books since most of the houses from the 40s and 50s were 1300ft2 or less. She really wants me to come up with a round house plan too that she can offer to ‘out of the box’ type people.