Venturi Scott Brown

A Brief Departure
Word came to me this week of the retirement of two of Philadelphia's most storied architects:  Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown.  While they are not known for prefabricated housing as such, I would like to devote a post to their work because of one simple fact:  they were the one of the first (if not THE first) to critically examine the state of American vernacular architecture and undertake it as a scholarly pursuit.  Their own architecture has been categorized as "The Ugly and the Ordinary"....a term they themselves invented!

Learning from Las Vegas  
Their most famous publication is entitled Learning from Las Vegas, and examines what can be learned from the commercial success of Las Vegas though spatial relationships, a language or architectural symbols, and two broad categories:  the "Duck" and the "Decorated Shed".  The first section in the book is subtitled "A Significance for A&P Parking Lots".....you can imagine the kind of response this garnished from the academic architectural community.  My favorite section in the book, however, is entitled "Towards and Old Architecture" (a direct take-off of Le Corbusier's collection of essays entitled Towards a New Architecture...some would say a direct poke in the eye....) and makes connections between the cathedrals of old and the casinos of new.  As a theory, it's easy to embrace or reject, but it raises interesting questions.  I am first and foremost a teacher, so proposing a theory and examining it is important to me.  ....Plus I find the "Duck" kind of funny.

The Duck vs. the Decorated Shed

Learning from Levittown
Less known than Learning from Las Vegas is Venturi and Scott Brown's work on the study of suburbia--specifically (our favorite here at Instant House) Levittown.  In the book Second Suburb, a section is devoted to their work on their critical study of suburbia and Levittown.  Having grown up in a post WWII suburb full of fake columns and neo-colonial coach lights and then rejecting it (I unabashedly live in a Victorian neighborhood in Philadelphia), I often wondered what the appeal is for these types of neighborhoods.  After looking at Venturi and Scott Brown's findings, it all clicked--the SYMBOLS of these things call to mind the IDEALS of other things--see the diagram below.

If you would to read more about this, follow this link to an essay by Denise Scott Brown:  Some paradoxes of colonial cultural landscapes.  It's sensational.  Below are some examples of their famous works.  Thank you, Bob & Denise!

WORKS

Guild House:  Philadelphia, PA.  One of Robert Venturi's first significant works.

Lieb House:  Long Beach Island, NJ.  Recently moved to Long Island, NY.  One of my favorites--a clearer example of "Decorated Shed" I have not found.

Mother's House:  Chestnut Hill, PA.  Designed for Robert Venturi's mother.  The over-exaggerated symbols and ornaments became a hallmark of their architectural style.

Stony Creek House:  Stony Creek, CT.  Exaggerated columns and symbols, anyone?

Trubek and Wislocki Houses, Nantucket, MA.  At some point the phrase "Ugly and Ordinary" was changed to "Everyday and Ordinary"...and here it is.  There is no ugliness in the beauty of simplicity, in my opinion....and hey, it's my blog!

Instant House Library

The Instant House Library
While trolling eBay for Instant House finds, it occurred to me that I don't have a central listing of all the source material for Instant House.  I toyed around with some database ideas and then I thought.....wait....why not post my holdings?  So here they are--alphabetized by manufacturer, with a section at the end for "general reference".   Please inquire if you would like to see more of something.

A-Frame (General Reference)
Randl, C. (2004).  A-frame.  New York, NY:  Princeton Architectural Press.

Airstream

Burkhart, B. and Hunt, D. (200). Airstream: The history of the land yacht. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.

Aladdin Homes
Aladdin "Built in a Day" House Catalog, 1917.  Dover Reprint, 1995.

"Aladdin Homes" - The Aladdin Company, Bay City, MI, 1918

"Aladdin Homes - 1950" - The Aladdin Company, Bay City, MI, 1950 *Missing Cover*

"Aladdin Homes - 1951"- The Aladdin Company, Bay City, MI, 1951

"Aladdin Readi-Cut Homes - 1956" - The Aladdin Company, Bay City, MI, 1956

"Aladdin Readi-Cut Homes - 1957 Preview" - The Aladdin Company, Bay City, MI, 1956

"Aladdin Readi-Cut Homes - 1959" - The Aladdin Company, Bay City, MI, 1959

"Aladdin Readi-Cut Homes - 1961" - The Aladdin Company, Bay City, MI, 1961

"Aladdin Readi-Cut Homes - 1962" - The Aladdin Company, Bay City, MI, 1962

"Aladdin Readi-Cut Homes - 1963" - The Aladdin Company, Bay City, MI, 1963

"Aladdin Readi-Cut Homes - 1965 Supplement" - The Aladdin Company, Bay City, MI, 1965

"Aladdin Readi-Cut Homes - 1966" - The Aladdin Company, Bay City, MI, 1966

"Aladdin Homes - 1967 Preview" - The Aladdin Company, Bay City, MI, 1967

George F. Barber & Company
Barber's Turn-of-the-Century Houses: Elevations and Floor Plans - 1901 - Dover Reprint, 2008.

Bennett
Bennett's Small House Catalog, 1920.  Dover Reprint, 1993.

Campbell & Wong (Leisure House)
"Das Leisure-House: ein vorfabriziertes amerikanisches Ferienhaus" - die Innenarchitektur, August 1958.

Case Study Houses

Smith, E. A. T. (2009). Case study houses. Hohenzollernring 53, D-50672 Koln: Taschen.

Celotex

"The Celotex Book of Today's New Homes" - Celotex Corporation, Chicago, IL (year unknown)

Civic Park
"Civic Park Designer", East Village Magazine, December, 1981.
"Civic Park Home Preservation Manual" - Flint Neighborhood Improvement and Preservation Project, Flint, MI (1981).

Custom Built

"Custom Built by Weakley" - Weakley Custom Built Homes, Newark, OH (year unknown)

Deck House, Inc.
Deck House, Inc. - Informational Folder with Brochures - Deck House, Inc., Acton, MA, ca. 1995.

Department of Defense
"The Family Fallout Shelter", Department of Defense Publication, Office of Civil Defense (1961).

Eichler

"Building the California Dream" by Paul Adamson - Echoes: The Magazine of Classic Modern Style & Design, Vol. 8 No. 4.
Adamson, P. (2002). Eichler: Modernism rebuilds the American dream. Layton, UT: Gibbs Smith.

Ditto, J. and Stern, L. (1995). Eichler homes: Design for living. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.

General Development Corporation

"Ports of the Sun Homes"- General Development Corporation, Miami, FL (year unknown)

Gordon-Van Tine
117 House Designs of the Twenties - Reprint of Gordon-Van Tine Homes - 1923.  Dover Reprint, 1992.

Gunnison

"The Gunnison Home Owner's Guide" - Gunnison Homes, Inc., New Albany, IN, 1952

"Gunnison Homes Authorized Dealer" - Matchbook cover - Pottstown Home Builders, Inc., 21 S. Keim St., Pottstown, PA (year unknown)

E. F. Hodgson

"Hodgson Prefabricated Houses" - E. F. Hodgson Company, Boston MA and New York, 1939

"Hodgson Houses and Outdoor Equipment" - E. F. Hodgson Company, Boston MA and New York, NY, 1933

Fred T. Hodgson

"Hodgson's Low Cost American Homes" - Frederick J. Drake & Co., Chicago, IL, 1904

HomOgraf

"HomOgraf Home Plans" - Homograf Company, East Detroit, MI, 1954

House Plan Headquarters

"Popular Homes and Plans" - House Plan Headquarters, Inc., New York, NY, (year unknown)

IEH (Institute for Essential Housing)

"Homes for Everyone" - IEH Publication - Cash & Carry Lumber, Ottawa, OH (year unknown)

Leisurama

Share, P. (ca. 2002).  Leisurama Now:  The Beach House for Everyone.  New York, NY:  Princeton Architectural Press.

Levitt
Harris, D. (2010).  Second Suburb:  Levittown, Pennsylvania.  Pittsburgh, PA:  University of Pittsburgh Press.

Liberty Homes

"Liberty Ready Cut Homes" - Lewis Manufacturing Co, Bay City, MI (year unknown)

Loizeaux
Classic Houses of the Twenties:  Reprint of Loizeaux's Plan Book No. 7 - 1927.  Dover Reprint, 1992.

Lustron
"Answers to Your Questions", Lustron Company Brochure.
Fetters, T. T. (2002).  The Lustron Home:  The History of a Postwar Prefabricated Housing Experiment.  Jefferson, NC:  McFarland & Company, Inc.
Knerr, D. (2004). Suburban steel: The magnificent failure of the Lustron corporation, 1945-1951. Ohio State University Press.
"Things You Want to Know", Lustron Company Brochure.

National Homes

"Your Naitonal Home Magazine" - National Homes Corporation, Lafayette, IN, ca. 1950

Pacific Ready-Cut Homes
California's Kit Homes: A Reprint of the 1925 Pacific Ready-Cut Homes Catalog. Gentle Beam Publications, 2004.

Pagemaster

"Pagemaster Homes" - Pagemaster Homes, Inc., Shakopee, MN, ca. 1954

Pease

"The Book of Pease Homes for 1956" - Pease Woodwork Company, Hamilton, OH, 1956

Quonset Hut (General Reference)
Decker, J. and Chiei, C. (2005).  Quonset Hut: Metal Living for a Modern Age.  New York, NY:  Princeton Architectural Press.

Seaboard Ready-Built Homes

"Ready Build Section-ized Homes" - Seaboard Ready-Built Homes, Inc., Philadelphia, PA, 1946

Sears

"Homart Homes" - Sears, Roebuck and Co., Chicago, IL, 1949
Homes in a Box:  Modern Homes from Sears Roebuck - 1912 Catalog Reprint.  Schiffer Reprint, 1998.
Sears, Roebuck Home Builder's Catalog - The Complete Illustrated 1910 Edition.  Dover Reprint, 1990.
Stevenson, K. C. and Jandl, H. W. (1986).  Houses by Mail:  A Guide to Houses from Sears, Roebuck and Company.  New York, NY:  John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Thornton, R. (2004).  The Houses that Sears Built: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Sears Catalog Homes.  Alton, IL:  Gentle Beam Publications. 

Shoppells Modern Houses

"Shoppells Modern Houses No. 24" - Cooperative Building Plan Association, New York, NY, 1891

"Shoppells Modern Houses No. 27" - Cooperative Building Plan Association, New York, NY, 1891

Sterling Homes

"Sterling Homes" - International Mill & Timber Co., Bay City, MI (year unknown)

Stickley
Craftsman Homes: Architecture and Furnishing of the American Arts & Crafts Movement - 1909. Dover Reprint, 1979.
More Craftsman Homes: Floor Plans and Illustrations for 78 Mission Style Dwellings - 1912. Dover Reprint, 1982.

Sunset

"Sunset's Cabin Plan Book" - Sunset Magazine, San Francisco, CA, 1938

Techbuilt

Techbuilt Homes - Informational Folder with Brochures - Techbuilt, Inc., Cambridge, MA, ca. 1964

Today's Home

"Today's Home - Buying and Building" - Fawcett Publications, Inc., Greenwich, CT, 1956

U.S. Steel
"Let's Build a Home", U.S. Steel Publication, ca. 1960.

Venturi Scott Brown
Brownlee, D. B., DeLong, D. G., and Hiesinger, K. B. (2001).  Out of the Ordinary:  Robert Venturi Denise Scott Brown and Associates.  New Haven, CT:  Yale University Press.
Goldberger, P. and Futagawa, Y. (1975).  Global Architecture:  Venturi and Rauch.  Tokyo, Japan:  A.D.A. Edita.
Venturi, R., Scott Brown, D. and Izenour, S. (1977).  Learning from Las Vegas.  Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Venturi Scott Brown & Associates - On Houses and Housing - Architectural Monographs No. 21.  New York, NY:  St. Martin's Press., 1992.

Wardway

"How to Erect Your Wardway Ready-Cut Home" - Montgomery Ward & Co., Chicago, IL (year unknown)
Thornton, R. and Wolicki, D. P. (2010). Montgomery Ward's Mail-Order Homes: A History and Field Guide to Wardway Homes. Portsmouth, VA: Gentle Beam Publications.
Wardway Homes, Bungalows, and Cottages - 1925.  Dover Reprint, 2004.

West Coast Lumber

"Individual Homes" - West Coast Lumber, Portland, OR, (year unknown)

Weyerhaeuser

Design No. 5144 Information Brochure - Weyerhaeuser Sales Company, St. Paul, MN (year unknown)

Design No. 5153 Information Brochure - Weyerhaeuser Sales Company, St. Paul, MN (year unknown)

Design No. 5155 Information Brochure - Weyerhaeuser Sales Company, St. Paul, MN (year unknown)

George E. Woodward
Victorian City and Country Houses - Plans and Details - 1877.  Dover Reprint, 1996.

Frank Lloyd Wright
Sergeant, J. (1984).  Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian Houses:  Designs for Moderate Cost One-Family Homes.  New York, NY:  Watson-Guptill Publications.

General Reference

Arieff, A. and Burkhart, B. (2002).  Prefab.  Salt Lake City, UT: Gibbs Smith.

Bergdoll, B. and Christensen, P. (2008). Home delivery: Fabricating the modern dwelling. New York, NY: The Museum of Modern Art.

Casson, H. (1946). Homes by the million: An account of the housing methods of the USA 1940-1945. Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England: Penguin Books.

Coffee, F. (1979).  The complete kit house catalog.  New York, NY:  Pocket Books.

Dean, J. P. and Breines, S. (1946).  The Book of Houses.  New York, NY:  Crown Publishers.

Gordon, A. (2001). Weekend utopia. New York, NY: Princeton Architectural Press.

Gossel, P., Cobbers, A., and Jahn, O. (2010).  PreFab Houses.  Hohenzollernring:  Taschen.

Graff, R. K., Matern, R. A., and Williams, H. L. (1947). The Prefabricated House: A Practical Guide for the Prospective Buyer. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc.

Grow, L. (1984).  Classic Old House Plans:  Three Centuries of American Domestic Architecture.  Pittstown, NJ: The Main Street Press.

Grow, L. (1986).  More Classic Old House Plans:  Authentic Designs for Colonial and Victorian Homes.  Pittstown, NJ:  The Main Street Press.

Harris, D. (2013).  Little White Houses:  How the Postwar Home Constructed Race in America.  Minneapolis, MN:  University of Minnesota Press

Hoag, E. (1964).  American Houses: Colonial, Classic and Contemporary.  Philadelphia, PA:  J. B. Lippincott Company.

Hunter, R. L. (2012). Mail-order homes: Sears homes and other kit houses. Long Island City, NY: Shire Publications.

Jandl, H. W. (1991). Yesterday's Houses of Tomorrow: Innovative American Homes 1850-1950. Washington, DC: The Preservation Press.

Johnson, C. W. and Jackson, C. O. (1981). City behind a fence: Oak ridge, Tennessee 1942-1946. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Press.

Kelly, B. (1951).  The Prefabrication of Houses.  Chapman & Hall, Ltd., London:  Technology Press Books.

Koch, C. and Lewis, A. (1958).  At Home With Tomorrow.  New York, NY: Rinehart & Company, Inc.

McAlester, V. and McAlester, L. (1994).  A Field Guide to American Houses.  New York, NY:  Alfred A. Knopf.

Nelson, G. and Wright, H. (1945). Tomorrow's house: A complete guide for the homebuilder. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

Schrenk, L. D. (2007).  Building a Century of Progress:  The Architecture of Chicago's 1933-34 World's Fair.  Minneapolis, MN:  University of Minnesota Press.

Smith, H. A. (1990).  500 Small Houses of the Twenties - Reprint of "Books of a Thousand Homes, Vol. I - 1923.  New York, NY:  Dover Publications, Inc.

Walker, L. (1997).  American shelter (Revised edition).  Woodstock, NY:  The Overlook Press, Peter Mayer Publishers, Inc.

Wallis, A. D. (1991). Wheel estate:  The rise and decline of mobile homes. New York, NY:  Oxford University Press.