Paul Carnahan
One strategy to meet the demand for houses during the boom years following World War II was for lumber yards to sell standard building blueprints, along with complete inventories of building materials, from catalogs. One such house in Montpelier is at 15 College Street, constructed from the modified “Kermit” plans of the National Plan Service of Chicago, probably sourced locally through Allen Lumber Company. This house was constructed in 1950 on the empty lot pictured above by contractor Morton Martin for Montpelier attorney Peter Giuliani and his wife Pauline for $12,000. The 1890 dwelling at 5 Center Street is visible in both the 1928 and the contemporary photographs.
