Fairhope, Alabama
350 N. BAYVIEW
Another old house in the Bayfront Historic District built in 1919 was demolished recently; this one was a Shadow Lawn model, Aladin Company kit-house, in the bungalow/craftsman style of the time.
From online references: "One of the longest lived and most successful kit home companies was the Aladdin Company, based in Bay City, Michigan.
Started by brothers William and Otto Sovereign in 1906, the company remained solvent and family-owned until it shut its doors for the last time in 1981.
Over its more than seventy years in business, Aladdin sold more than 75,000 homes. Customers included individuals and corporate clients in both domestic and international markets. Whole neighborhoods and even a town — Hopewell, Virginia — were developed for company employees. In a fold-out flyer sent with the 1925 catalog, the company listed by name and city more than 1000 builders of Aladdin homes as well as government and corporate customers including the State of Michigan, the president of Liberia, Dow Chemical Co., Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co. and Standard Oil.
Advertised as "Readi-cut" and "Built in a Day," Aladdin and other kit home manufacturers revolutionized home buying and building for the middle class. From tiny workingman's cottages to the thrifty investor, Aladdin homes provided a solid value and easy construction."
Current owner of the property is Robert Writt of Houston TX. It was the Helen and Robert Blosser residence for many years before.
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| 2015 historic district survey. |
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| Kit house . |
Comments
Then the costs become so much owners decide to tear down instead of repairing. Unfortunate that we are losing these very sound been thru 25 hurricanes and still standing but the rules make owners replace so much it’s better to tear down
HOW IS A PROPERTY DETERMINED ELIGIBLE FOR THE NATIONAL REGISTER?
In order to be considered eligible for inclusion in the National Register, a property must first be shown to be significant under one or more of the National Register Criteria for Evaluation.The Criteria for Evaluation are:
Criterion A: Association with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history.
Criterion B: Association with the lives of persons significant in our past.
Criterion C: Properties that embody the characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction; represent the work of a master; possess high artistic value; or represent a significant whole whose parts may lack individual distinction.
Criterion D: Properties that have yielded or may yield important information about prehistory or history.
---And agreed the town should ask the building department to ease renovation requirements when it comes to historic properties.
Fairhope has to get a local Historical Commission. There is no preservation for anything. The building torn down on Fairhope Ave. was the first black hospital in Fairhope...gone! This house might have been a kit house but it was historic to Fairhope and the owners apparently did not give anyone a chance to preserve it.
According to the Bluebook (p.276), "Let it be emphasized that throughout the history of Fairhope, members could have compelled the executive council to place restrictions on the type or quality of improvements to be made on colony lands."