Garlinghouse Economy Houses. by 1940s HOUSE PLANS / F.H.A. APPROVED SMALL HOMES) - 1949.

Topeka, Kansas.: Garlinghouse.. 1949.. Booklet promoting exceedingly small but inexpensive houses to meet post WWII housing demands; 10 1/2 x 8 inches; 16 pp., paper wrappers; illustrated with line drawings, floor plans, and descriptive text. Construction materials include poured concrete for foundations, asbestos-cement shingles, concrete block masonry, etc. Some but not all homes feature either basements or attics (with disappearing stairway) while one model features a "bed closet" in the living room to supplement the home's single bedroom. "Small" is the operative term that describes these post-war houses. Fine condition. The avowed intent of the 1949 Economy Housing Program was to encourage "mass production throughout the country of lower priced homes for that great portion of the public who have moderate incomes." (Lewiston [Maine] Daily Sun; 1-29-49) The Garlinghouse booklet is indicative of the dire straits confronting many Americans with regard to housing in post-World War II America. .