Two Story Mobile Homes – Vintage Advertisments

Crystal, you find the BEST STUFF!

I live in a 1969 Town and Country with an upstairs loft. Lots of storage space in that end of the house, finished raising my children here. Now after 22 years I’m alone. Just me and my little dog 🙂 There has been many repairs and improvements made to this house over the years, but I am thinking she may be on her last leg now. She is 65 ft long and 12 ft wide.

I grew up in a Stewart Gardner tri-level model home. Everyone asked if we had to crawl around in the upstairs because it didn’t look that tall. Hardly anyone ever believes me when I tell them about it now.

In the 60’s, my mom, dad and 4 girls lived in a 45×10 tri-level Gardner like the one in the ad above. It seemed spacious at the time but I’m sure it would feel claustrophobic to me now! My dad was an engineer with the highway department so we moved a lot. Mom would put the breakables and anything that might fall over on the floor then she taped the kitchen cupboards shut. Dad hitched the trailer to the truck and pulled it down the road to the next town and our new home. I would love to see one again and go inside! Great memories!

Wow! What an amazing bit of nostalgia. My next door neighbor and best friend growing up lived in a split level. The very back bedroom had a bed, dresser, and little closet. The space under the bed was a large closet in the bedroom before that down the hall. So many childhood memories!

Hi Crystal,
Thank you for finding this information. I have looked several times and could not find a thing on the Tri-Level mobile home.
When I was twelve my mother purchased a Stewart Tri-Level trailer. Our family had been born and raised in Michigan but Mom had gotten a job offered in PA and she was determined to move my brother and I with her to PA that summer. When she saw the Tri-Level she feel in love with the style and purchased our home on the spot. We had to wait for five weeks for our new home to reach us in PA. It took the delivery team almost two weeks of constant driving. Special permits had to be arranged before it could be driven on the turnpike, underpasses etc. Once the driver reached PA he had to deal with low overpasses, covered bridges, and narrow winding roads. In the 60’s maps were not current and low overpasses were not noted so it was hit or miss….but they made it.
As a young person I thought our new home was the most beautiful home I had ever seen but we were not prepared for the condition of the mobile home parks in our area. In Michigan they were beautiful, but that was not the case in PA. We had to move two times, but we really loved our home so we all made the best of the situation.
I lived in a Stewart Tri-Level with my mother and brother for over six years. I would plan sleep-overs and my girl friends parents would worry about where their daughters were going for the night and then be totally surprised when they were invited in. My Tri-Level was the best and I was always proud to show it off. My mom ended up selling it about five years after my brother and I left. A couple bought the home to move it up to the Poconos to use as a vacation home. Very fond memories and I am still amazed that every inch of space was used and I could clean it top to bottom in 45 minutes. Totally awesome home. Thanks again for your terrific research.

Wow Crystal that was just so much fun!!I loved all the pictures and comments!I’ve never lived in a mobile home but think I would have enjoyed some of these.
I just happened to be watching Tiny House on HGTV at the same time as reading this .I’d bet some of those builders got some of their design ideas from mobile homes. I love how both make the most of every inch of space.I’ve always been drawn to small spaces going back to building tree houses as a kid .And I love really small boxes and containers etc.maybe that comes from growing up in a two bedroom house with parents and three siblings! Although you’d think that would be a great reason to want more space.! Needless to say we spent a lot of time outdoors (building tree houses.haha)
Again thanks for the “tour” I’ll look forward to seeing more pics and articles.????????????????

One other thing… While traveling to the Blue Ridge Parkway several years ago I saw some two story mobile homes that were colonial in style., big white columns and all! Very odd .I wasn’t the driver so I didn’t get a chance to tour one.have you ever seen any like that?

How entertaining to see these ads. What a time it was. Takes me back to Tucson back in the 50’s even though I wasn’t born until ’64! I would like to know of anyone knows of a certain mobile home sold in the Ohio Valley back in the 1979-’81 era that had a huge raised front end which had a kitchen just behind its tongue and a storage door underneath? I realize it sounds corny looking but they were absolute babes. They were most likely 14×70 in size. I remember one being yellowish and another having a lot of brown on its exterior. Anyone know of their brand names and manufacturer? I do not have Facebook.

Hello! Love looking at at the ads and pics of the old mobile homes. My parents owned 2 of them back when I was born 1968 and they loved them. Just curious if there are any of these mobile homes still alive to this day? In a park, a museum or something? They make museums for cars so just thought. Lol
Would love to see some and go back in time just for a day!!!
Thanks and keep them coming!!!
Chris.

Hi Crystal,

I have such a good time every time I visit your site! I manage a mobile home community, and love mobile home living. When I was a little girl my dad started a love in me for the “home in a box” by attending the Indiana State Fair very year. I was amazed at what could be put in a rectangle and pulled by a car – a home on wheels!! At the time, I had no idea that there were mobile home parks that people could actually live in or the artful design of the old classic mobile trailers that were multi level! Fast forward some 50 years, and over the last 10 of those years, I’ve fallen in love with the resourceful life style of living in one of this treasures! My home is a 1983 Skyline, and absolutely beautiful. It’s hard to find one of these old beauties, but when we do it’s priceless to say the least. Thanks to these interesting and almost obselete dinosaurs we now have renewed interest in revamping them, and moving forward into the latest craze of the tiny house movement. Personally I’d take a revamped mobile home any day! Thanks for your passion regarding mobile homes, and for giving us such great stories and insights into others just like us – their rehabs and design techniques foster a whole lot of soulful joy! Here’s a “High Five” for the simple resourceful lifestyle that so many of us love and cherish!!

Why don’t they make the double high mobile homes anymore?I love them

Oh wow Crystal! These are so cool looking. I wonder if there are any still in use today? So incredibly cute.. My little brain is thinking of all kinds of decorating ideas I would do with one of them.. Thanks for another great article..

Can you still find 10 wide ?

I am desperate for a double decker vantage trailer. Need one desperately. Please call me. 530 401 5283.Jackie

I grew up living in the Stewart and Gardner models. My dad started selling mobile homes in Orlando in 1956. Best in the day.

My parents had what I think was an 8’x48’ Howard trailer back in the early 50s. Bedroom in the back & an aisle bunk area. Anyone have any info on that manufacturer?
Thank you.

Love this and love the ads! I feel like my soul’s been crushed though, I’ve been seeking out a modular just like the first orange and white one that you have pictured(with the full double level and deck on top). but after 10 years of having that picture on my “goal board” i’m just finding out that it was built specifically for the set of “youth in revolt” in 2010, which explains why I haven’t been able to find anything like it for 10 years.

The ads you’ve posted are definitely close, but not like the first (my dream house 😭). Does anybody know if it’s possible to have that built? I feel like it’d either be hella expensive, or just not realistic/up to code and that must be why I haven’t seen them anywhere. It’s such an obvious but sick design!