If you worked here….you would be home by now!
May 3rd, 2017 by bachmann
Beginning operations in 1906, The Aladdin Company of Bay City, Michigan became one of America’s most long lived manufacturers of mail-order pre-fab homes. By 1918 Aladdin accounted for almost 3% of all new housing in the United States. With its steady growth and soldified reputation in the homeowner market, Aladdin ventured into mass produced industrial housing, mostly targeting large manufacturing companies, such as coal mining and textile mills, needing fast and cheap housing for their “company towns”. Aladdin Cities included plans for infrastructure, such as water treatment plants, lighting systems, and even landscaping for streets. Designs also allowed for stores, churches, schools, and public offices.
Aladdin was bold with their advertisement campaign, particularly in minimizing the value of the architect as the exclusive “expert designer”. Aladdin boasted that their hands-on experience was superior to these high priced architects and their company could construct a town in under a month with building costs of 30% less than traditional methods.
There should be nothing mysterious, theoretical or psychological about the planning and completion of a modern, sanitary and attractive community of workmen’s homes.
The Aladdin Company produced prototype towns for the Du Pont industry and used this initial success to offer plans from 300 to 3,000 dwellings along with some 50 unique homestyles designs. In addition to homes, Aladdin offered larger housing structures to serve military needs, such as barracks. Although Aladdin continued to sell groups of homes to various customers for 75 years, its effort to establish an industrial catalog was unsuccessful.
This 1918 catalog provides a unique insight into housing in America, including changing methods in home construction, planning, and costs.
- Description:
- Aladdin Company. Aladdin plan of industrial housing as developed from the experience of thirteen years in the expenditure of millions of dollars as architect, manufacturer, engineer and contractor of moderate priced homes, communities and industrial cities. Bay City, Mich. : The Aladdin Co., 1918-.
- Persistent Link:
- http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL:32109488
- Repository:
- Widener Library
- Institution:
- Harvard University