Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.

Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction .

Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [folder], Garlinghouse Home Collection, Ranch Home No. 9540, Built Project, c. 1950s - 2023, Ms2024-080, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

Materials were transferred to the archives in July 2024.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Garlinghouse Home Collection was completed in August 2024.

Biographical / Historical

Administrative history:

Early 20th century designers in the US advertised their house plans by distributing catalogs to homebuilders, lending agents, and manufacturers. The Garlinghouse Company was founded around 1910 by homebuilder Lewis F. Garlinghouse of Topeka, Kansas. Advertising for decades under the tagline "America's Pioneer Home Planning Service," Garlinghouse Company was among the first and most prolific sellers of home plans in the US. Iva G. Lieurance was the company's principal house designer, and her plans appear in several catalogs through the 1950s. We know little about her work beyond what appears in the catalogs. She may have worked for the company as early as 1907, traveling around the country to document attractive homes and adapt their floor plans for customers in the midwest. An application with the Maryland Historical Trust calls Lieurance "the only known woman credited for design work associated with the mail-order house movement."

Source: Winn, Sam. "Ephemera as evidence: uncovering glimpses of women in design history." Special Collections and University Archives blog. August 8, 2016. [The above description is a lightly-edited version of Winn's description of the Garlinghouse Company and Iva Lieurance's working relationship with said company]

Scope and Content

The Garlinghouse Home Collection contains two sets of architectural plan reproductions for Ranch Home No. 9540, an annotated edition of the Garlinghouse "Homes in Brick" publication from which the plans were ordered, and six as-built exterior photographs of the Purcell family home in Rockcastle County, Kentucky. The home was constructed in 1963 and the as-built photographs were taken in 2023.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged at the item level into a single oversized folder.

Related Material

Special Collections and University Archives has a large and growing collection of Garlinghouse mail-order home catalogs, that, at the time of processing, contains 42 publications. These have been cataloged and added to our Rare Book Room and patrons may request them to view in the SCUA reading room.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the [collection name] by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).