A continuing study of the changing trends in home architecture has been under way by Aladdin through the past year. It has been an interesting project for our designers. We have watched the changes through the past forty-eight years, ranging from the strict functionalism of this country's first decade-plain square houses in one and two stories with no embellishments-followed by the famed so-called California bungalow with its heavy eaves, roof supporting brackets, windows with small divided lights and shingled walls. A radical change in elevation and detail made its appearance with greater simplicity of elevation and detail in story and a half with unbalanced entrance roofs. The 1930's introduced the tremendous vogue of the Cape Cod. This style swept the country from East to West-a period of some fifteen years or more, when it was relegated "to live in memory we leave behind." Enter the great and really universal approval of the Ranch house -a spontaneous popularity seldom matched.
It has been the habit of the Aladdin Company to provide American home-builders with styles which are currently popular. This we have done in the past, and present. Ranch house architecture is at the height of popular present-day demand, and be assured, will long remain so because it is ideally adapted to the American way of life.
A new trend has recently made its appearance, influencing design features of exterior home elevations. These are expressed in contrasting outside wall materials, more and larger windows, a terrace for outdoor living, lower pitched roofs, wider eaves, and exposed roof rafter ends.
The term most used by its creators to describe the latest trend of home designs is "Contemporary" as opposed to "Conventional."
In presenting Aladdin's version of "Contemporary," we have avoided the extremist school of design with its shed roofs, glass outside walls and inharmonious and incongruous elevations.
The studies and research, culminating in the "Rambler" were not completed in time for inclusion in our 1954 edition of our catalog.
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