The One Dollar House

When I first spotted this tiny ad in the Canadian McClure's Magazine of 1917, my first thought was - I know that things were less expensive back then but a house for a dollar? I must read on!

Well, not so fast, overexcited old-ad fanatic (said I to myself)...for a dollar, of course, what you get is some Bungalow Designs, a "big book" with more designs for "100 Artistic HOMES" (clearly more exciting than houses that use lower-case letters) and 4 months of a magazine subscription.

Which is a reasonable amount of stuff, but still...the $1 house is what I really want! I wouldn't mind that artistic bungalow in the picture either - it looks a bit Arts and Crafts, or like what is called a California Bungalow, though those usually had a second half-story with a gabled window.

See American Bungalow magazine for more on bungalow styles, and here on Internet Archive for some good reading in Keith's Magazine.

And for more weird vintage fun, now with more kitsch and more retro, please visit Kitchen Retro and/or (preferably and!) The Virtual Dime Museum!