Kit House Research

Kit House Communities

Ann Arbor, Michigan


The city of Ann Arbor is home to over 200 identified kit houses. These includes models from Aladdin, Gordon-Van Tine, Harris, Lewis, Sears, Sterling and Wardway. Ann Arbor is also home to the largest number of documented kit houses from McClure Homes of Saginaw, Michigan. Through mortgage records and other information, a significant percentage of the homes in Ann Arbor have been authenticated. This page provides links to resources about kit houses in the Ann Arbor community.

Maps
Articles


Historical Documentation
Ann Arbor's local researchers have been documenting kit homes for almost 30 years. In addition to these articles, there are other articles from this time period that provide information related to some of the kit houses located in Ann Arbor.
  • Ann Arbor's Kit Homes (Ann Arbor Observer - January 1991 - Grace Shackman and Rob Schweitzer): An overview of kit houses in Ann Arbor including stories from original owners and the families. 
  • Anyone for a Sunday Kit House Tour? (Washtenaw Impressions - March 1991 - Washtenaw County Historical Society): An 

5 comments:

  1. I live at 810 5th Street, which is noted as a Kit home. I am having trouble identifying the exact make. Any ideas?

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    1. Yes! That's a McClure #101. McClure was a kit house company based out of Saginaw, Michigan that sold kit houses for less than 10 years. But during that time, they sold quite a few in Ann Arbor. The #101 was a popular model in Ann Arbor and there are several other examples of it around town.

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    2. Contact us directly via e-mail and we can share catalog images and addresses of other McClure models in Ann Arbor.

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  2. 810 5th st ann arbor, mi was my great grandparents house, would love any information about it that you may have. I remember visiting it often and have great memories of it

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    1. Hi! We know that the house at 810 5th street is a really nice example of the McClure #101 model. That was a popular model for McClure and there are several examples elsewhere in Ann Arbor. Beyond that, I don't have a lot of details. We know that McClure sold a lot of houses in Ann Arbor in the early 1920s but there's not a lot known beyond that unless the houses had a mortgage from McClure (I have not found one for this house).

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