Historic Houses of the Garlinghouse Company in Topeka
Thematic Nomination and Multiple Property Documentation
National Register of Historic Places
Shawnee County
In 1906, Lewis Fayette Garlinghouse began his career in Topeka, Kansas. The Garlinghouse Realty Company originally bought and sold real estate in the city and its early suburbs. However, L.F. Garlinghouse soon expanded company operations and developed his first subdivision, Topeka?s Edgewood Park. In 1916, L.F. Garlinghouse published his first plan book based on houses the company constructed in the Edgewood Park development. The book, Bungalow Homes, was widely successful, which inspired the company to produce several subsequent editions. During the following decades, the Garlinghouse Company became a national plan book supplier. Customers from across the country purchased plans produced in Topeka. As the twentieth century progressed, the firm published designs that followed popular architectural trends, including the Craftsman Bungalow and Colonial Revival styles and the Minimal Traditional and Ranch forms. Despite a brief sales reduction during the Great Depression, the company remained in business while many competitors dissolved. The firm remained a Topeka company until 1986, at which time it relocated to Connecticut.
