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  • Writer's pictureRochelle Gridley

The Modern Home, 1929


In 1929 local builders advertised on one page to promote home improvements. Top on the list was new shingling for the roof! Apparently the favorite roofing materials were slate, asbestos and tile.

Another popular remodeling project was new lighting. Probably many homes in 1929 could have been adding electricity at the same time as getting rid of old gas fixtures.

Some homeowners went all the way and added small flourishes to the outside of the home. Parker Bros, Harwood and West Side Coal and Lumber all demonstrated how the exterior of a home could be modernized with a new porch, dormer or entryway. A boxy house could made into a more interesting home with clever additions.

The drawings could not do the bathrooms justice, but it was at this time that homeowners were urged to modernize their bathrooms with new colored enamelware! This is one feature that I love in old houses and if our house had had a colored bathtub and sink it would have been a shame to take them out. Does your house have any features that you suspect were later additions for the sake of modernizing?

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