In the Know

Garlinghouse

There was a time when you could buy anything from a catalog, even a house. You may be familiar with Sears’ kit houses, but did you know Topeka, Kansas had their very own mail-order catalog house kits? Known as Garlinghouses, these homes offered middle and working class families their very own “castle in the sky.” We were thrilled to discover several enclaves of intact Garlinghouses when we surveyed Topeka’s Auburndale neighborhood this winter!