Detroit architectural researcher extraordinaire Benjamin Gravel found this advert from Montgomery Ward’s Homes Division (Wardway) in a digitized issue of the Detroit Free Press dated from 4/6/1930.
The Wardway Whitmore is an exceedingly rare kit home, seeing as the only known mentions of it are in the 1931 Wardway Catalog, and in this 1930 ad. Knowing that an ad for this model was released in early-mid 1930, and knowing that certain geographic areas could get early or extended access to a certain model of kit home, it could be quite likely that there may be a regionalized copy of a 1930 Wardway catalog floating around somewhere with a page devoted to this model. This still indicates that the Wardway Whitmore was only sold in the two year period of 1930-31. Also, knowing as this was during the onset of the depression, and that many builders and customers would shy away from building large (for the time) houses-such as the Whitmore-one can ascertain that not very many were built, let alone still be known to this day. Instead, such customers would be more likely to purchase smaller designs like the Fairfax and Piermont. However, an example has already been identified by the esteemed kit home researcher Dale Wolicki, much to my delight.
