For almost a century now, the Washington DC Metro Area has played host to many kit houses of different varieties, from Aladdin to Montgomery Ward- and most prominently: Sears. The houses were simple and modest in nature, meant for the average worker, and shipped by train and wagon in thousands of pieces to the location where they were to be erected. With about 2,000 kit houses in the area constructed over this period, about a quarter of them remain to this day.
Many of the original kit houses stand in historic districts which preserve the houses and prevent them from becoming victim to great changes, practically rendering the homes a living photograph of the ’20s and ’30s. However, some of the kit houses are not located in historic districts and not protected from change- which could lead to an unfortunate demise.
Read on as Audrey Hoffer speaks to the owner of a Washington DC kit house from 1922 in a recent article from The Washington Post by clicking here.