The late 1950’s and early 1960’s was a successful time for mobile homes. Record sales were broken year after year, and waiting lists for buyers were a common occurrence.
Related: Vintage Mobile Homes.
There are several reasons why the manufacturers enjoyed high sales and record profits during this time. One of the main reasons was the countries healthy economy. The nation was experiencing a dramatic growth – the big wars were over, the factories were hiring and the middle class was thriving. Two generations were leading the sales; retirees and young couples that had just enough credit to buy a new mobile home. Each group wanted the latest trends and modern conveniences but at an affordable price and mobile homes gave them exactly what they wanted.
The builders also played a large role in their own success. They focused on offering the consumers the latest trends and endless options. There were so many mobile home builders in the nation that the competitive market required the companies to continuously offer bigger and better homes just to stay in business. They had to offer new and improved, year after year and before their competitors did. ‘Cutthroat’ was one industry insider’s word to describe it. Fortunately, most of them met the demand with unique designs and original floor plans. Every year a completely new design or style was added to the lineup. If one builder released a new floor plan, three other builders would offer the same within the year. It was a cutthroat industry, but it was all-American, and the designs that came from that era are still popular more than half a century later.
The Standard Straight Line Mobile Home Kitchen
The inline or straight line kitchen was the most typical design found in mobile homes since the first modern home was wheeled out of the factory. It was situated close to the middle of the home and often separated the living room from the sleeping quarters. It had the entire kitchen on one side of the home so that the other side could be used for dining. The front door was often positioned close.
Below are several straight line kitchens from 1955 to 1959. A small dining area usually set on one side and a continuous kitchen on the other side. A small built-in cabinet usually separated the kitchen from the living room.
The Slanted Kitchen Design
When the 1960 models were first shown to the public in 1959 it was making headlines. A new kitchen design aptly nicknamed the slanted kitchen was one of many new trends for the year. The homes had started getting wider after 1954, when Marshfield Homes released the Ten Wide and fought to have it legalized for highway transport. More design freedoms were enjoyed with the wider homes.
The slanted kitchen was just that. It was a straight line kitchen situated on a slant. The slant allowed just enough room for a utility or laundry room to set behind the kitchen. There was also ample room for the furnace and water heater, too.
American Coach Slanted Kitchen of 1960
Utility room behind American Coach Slanted Kitchen, 1960
The Cozy Front Kitchen
The front kitchen design became a standard option for mobile homes around 1959. The kitchen was positioned at the end, instead of the living room. Below are two options available from the American Pioneer Mobile Home Company in 1959. I’ve been unable to confirm which company first offered the design.
Below is a 1960 ad from Homette. They were strong believers in making a home that lasts and using the front kitchen design. They continued to offer the option in most of their models 20 years later.
Other Mobile Home Kitchen Designs From the 1960’s
Of course, the 3 kitchen designs mentioned above weren’t the only options available during the time.
The Breakfast Bar
Along with the front kitchens came the breakfast bar. Bars with stools and even complete islands were a big home craze in the late 50’s, and the mobile home builders used it to their advantage. The breakfast bar that separated the kitchen from the living room was a very popular interior design in mobile homes for decades and the design is still used today. Some added cabinets above the bar, some didn’t.
The double wide concept was becoming mainstream in 1960. With double the space, the possible kitchen designs were endless. Here’s one that uses one entire side of the kitchen with the dining room on the other side. A bar connects the two spaces though.
Contemporary derivatives for the front kitchen design were popular for the more modern, mid-century minded customers. Below shows a 1959 Geer Mobile Home with an electric powered fireplace and sleek lines used as the separator between the kitchen and living area.
The Carousel and Crescent Kitchens
Spartan Mobile Homes made history with their unique carousel kitchen design of 1960, but they weren’t alone. Similar designs, such as Homette’s Crescent kitchen design appeared the same year. The design used the slanted kitchen design and also the breakfast bar to provide a distinctive kitchen that’s still admired more than half a century later.
In all, the competitive era from 1955 to 1960 saw many new designs and styles in mobile homes. Getting use out of every inch of space was the goal and the builders weren’t scared to get creative. Some of those designs are still used today.
Do you live in a home with one of these designs or have fond memories? Share them below, we’d love to hear from you!
As always, thank you for reading Mobile Home Living!
I have what I believe to be a 1963 Angules manufactured home. It’s 52′ x 10′ with two side pop outs. I have been looking for information, but cannot find much. Any ideas
Well, fortunately their advertisement is on this page but unfortunately they went out of business in 1986. We have a 1958 Geer single wide model, and are needing parts and supplies but since the actual manufacturer is out of business, now… Geez!
I purchased a house built in 1962, and on the property is a 10×50 Elcona mobile home… only info I have is the MHMA/TCA gold seal, which leads me to believe it was built between 1965 and 1975… has a front Slant kitchen with breakfast bar, original teal Frigidaire, and sink, matching teal tub, sink in slant bathroom. Having it sealed and painted. Fixtures are original…. wish I could find more info on it tho! This site is helping me with ideas tho!
I have a 1957 Pan Am mobile home (8’x45′). I have the bill of sale. There is a name plate on the side of the trailer. I can’t find any info what so ever. I can’t find anything about the manufacturer, almost like they made my trailer home then were bought out. Anyone know anything? Stay safe, LIZZARD
Hi, We have 2 mobile homes, one is a 1975 Wick home, it also has badges that say Marshfield. It’s a 14×70. and has a fairly modern layout with 3 beds and 2 baths. And we have a 60’s Parkwood, probably 12×50 or so with the raised front kitchen, and mood lights in the living room. and 2 beds one bath. I can’t find a whole lot on either of these homes, so I was wondering if you knew anything about them. Thanks.
Hi Shawn,
Wic and Marshfield are both VERY popular brands! I’ve seen a ton of them over the years. My Homette has a raised front kitchen and that’s one of my favorite things about the home. You should be able to find a couple of ads or brochures online. Ebay is about the best place I’ve found for mobile home literature. The builder and dealers haven’t released any vintage stuff that I know of. Heck, you can’t even find manuals for a model built 5 years ago.
Sorry I can’t be any help! Best of luck!
I’ve been trying to find the age of our mobile home. It has no placard. It has been heavily changed over the years and has a basement. It looks somewhat like the 1960 Flamingo with the front kitchen. It had a green built in oven and a separate stove top. I believe it is 12′ wide. The original siding is a light blue steel (possibly aluminum). Wall framing is horizontal 1x2s with vertical 2x2s. Original wiring is 12-2 copper without a ground. Plumbing was 3/8″ copper. Floor joists are 2x4s and 4x4s over cross sections of 12″ I-Beam. Wall panels are cheesy woodgrain brown. Not sure about the roof. I think someone installed 2×12 solid trusses but nailed the old curved roof 1×2 trusses with the ceiling to it. It has 1 bedroom with a sink in it originally. The bathroom has this wierd fan near the floor in the wall that looks 1960s or 70s like. The kitchen floor is about 4″ higher and the ceiling angles upward in that area.
Hi Jack,
Unfortunately, there are just too many different builders and models to know for sure what your home is, especially after it’s been modified. The front kitchens were very popular from the late 1950’s on and used by several builders. Sorry I can’t help!
We live in an early 60s Angelus mobile home with a front kitchen and love it. It amazes me how well built these homes are.
Hi Jason!
I adore front kitchens! They are my favorite layout and I’m not even sure why – I just like the idea of having the living space on one side and the sleeping space on the other, I guess?
Great to hear from you!
I am looking or the Spartan Carousel for sale – remodeled as shown on your website. Can you direct me to the seller or comparable? thank you.
Hi Kevin,
Your best bet are sites like Ebay, Craigslist, SpartanTrailer.com, Facebook groups, etc. Best of luck!
Hi Crystal,
Moving into a 1960 Fleetwood. The adventure begins!