1908
1924
American Builder Magazine
- 1925 Gladstone
- 1925 Hawthorne
- 1925 Idaville
- 1925 Joyce
- 1925 Judson
- 1925 Kaneville
- 1925 Lakeside
- 1925 Latham
- 1925 Marysville
- More plans
Bibliography
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William A. Radford Company
Publishers of American Builder et al
Of
the hundreds of companies that designed house plans during the first half
of the 20th century, one of the more prolific was the William A. Radford
Company of Chicago, Illinois.
Radford sold a number of books under their name, but also provided their plans to lumber dealers and builders for distribution to customers. Many of those books are unattributed, but they are easy to identify by comparing the plans with the books and American Builder magazine which was in publication for several decades.
We've included house plans from a 1908 catalog offered by Wilson & Girod Hardware of Van Wert, Ohio and a 1924 brochure distributed by the Argo-Summit Lumber Company of Argo, Illinois.
American Builder Magazine
In addition to publishing catalogs, books, and brochures, Radford was always looking for new ways to market construction plans and materials. American Builder magazine was another rich sourch of building information. Designed for contractors and the trades, it was possible to read articles on new tools, learn new techniques, and see the latest house plans.
During the mid-1920s, American Builder featured various series of house plans including the color sections that were pulled out for publication and distribution to lumber companies. The "alphabet" series started in 1925 (with the letter "G") can finished with the Color Keyed homes of 1927.
In addition to plans, we've rediscovered many interesting articles that shed light on home building and planning that we think you'll enjoy.
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