New York City’s luxurious original Waldorf-Astoria was among America’s first big hotels. When it was built during the Victorian era, it was considered the finest hotel in the world – and soon became the most famous, too.
Early in the 20th century, people started moving from the city out to the suburban districts and small towns. See some classic All-American suburban houses from that era here!
Books in a home once signaled that the residents were intelligent, worldly, and could afford to collect their favorite volumes. Look back at some vintage bookshelves from the past!
Monsanto’s Home of the Future at Disneyland – set in the futuristic year 1986 – was built almost entirely of plastic, either alone or in combination with traditional building materials.
Here’s a look at actor, dancer & singer Gene Kelly’s house in Southern California, as it looked back in 1950, when he lived there with this wife and daughter.
Here is how the builders of this small home in the ’50s made the most of the space they had available! Take a look at the decor and floorplan here.
Take a look back at a few views of the pretty and peaceful backyard and the Kennedy family pool house behind the Virginia home known as Hickory Hill.
These gorgeous vintage in-ground swimming pools go beyond the basic – with unusual shapes, specialty finishes, and other refreshingly retro ideas.
See what it took to get the Golden Gate Bridge built, plus see dozens of pictures of the construction, and the celebration when it finally opened in 1937.
If you’re remodeling a 1950s home, advice from that decade says to, follow a simple, straightforward style. Your house will look better and cost less.
What is a mansard roof home – or a Second Empire-style house? Find out here, and take a look at more than 20 beautiful examples!
This vintage mid-century modern show home – the House & Garden magazine Hallmark House for 1963 – offered nearly 5000 square feet of ’60s style.
The Rosedown mansion in Louisiana was built in 1835, and after eventually falling into disrepair, was renovated in the ’60s. Here’s a look inside!
When post-WWII prefab housing was becoming passe, in the ’50s, a new version of the prefab home emerged – the kind of home with many of the mid-century modern design ideas that would become popular over the next decade.
Take a look back at 20+ elegant antique bathrooms and decor from the turn of the century, many of which were intended for luxury homes.
See floor plans and exterior views of 7 antique homes from the Civil War era, designed by prominent architects and built during the early 1860s.
See what was cookin’ in home design decades ago by checking out these kitchen islands from the ’60s! They combined form, function, and fun, too.
Inside the rambling 160-room Winchester Mystery House, doors lead into blank walls, staircases end in midair, trap doors spring to the floors below, and elevators rise through the roof.
This unusual home in the hills of Oakland, California is tree house – with a modernist design – belonging to Dave Brubeck, known as ‘Mr. Jazz’ to his fans.
Flash back to 1960 with the Scholz Mark 60, a prefab mid-century modern home! From the blue bathroom to the wooden wall paneling, every inch of this house screams retro
See a Scholz Mark 58, a marvelous mid-century modern home built in 1958. From the blue bathroom to the wooden wall paneling, every inch of this reinterpreted California Ranch house screams retro… and we love it.
What did the future look like from the ’60s? See some modernist-style retro futuristic home concepts that captured the midcentury era’s sleek style and space-age optimism.
The rooms shown here aren’t just fun to look at, they also have room to play and plenty of shelf and storage space for games and books and sports and hobby paraphernalia.
This cute build-it-yourself vacation cabin from the ’50s was designed to be affordable and easy to build, and it could be expanded, too.
Biltmore is a huge private estate and tourist destination in Asheville, North Carolina with 250 rooms spread over four acres of floor area, and it has 43 bathrooms and 35 bedrooms. See it here!
As these pictures of old post office buildings show, a lot of architecture from around 1900 was beautiful, ornate and built on a grand scale. Take a look!
Look back at Hawaii during the huge tourist boom of the ’60s, which helped thousands fall in love with the state – but also forever changed the islands’ landscape.
When you look back at these old photos of skyscraper construction, you’ll see men way up high without harnesses, walking along beams suspended hundreds of feet above the street, and swinging on cables.
In a case study of terrible timing, the huge Habana Hilton hotel in Havana, Cuba, wasn’t even open for a year when it was taken over. Find out more here!
If you already own a 1960s house, are thinking about buying one, or just want to see how new suburban homes were designed back in the Kennedy era, check out these vintage ’60s home plans!
The World Trade Center architect talks about how the towers were originally built, and see a collection of photos taken by visitors to NYC during the months and years before they fell.
A look back at some of Florida’s historic hotels — the most magnificent resort hotels of the Victorian era, and where — and if — they stand now.
Our practical dream house: Practical in the sense of low maintenance. Dreamy in the way it realizes the family’s hopes. What a house costs to
Son the crooks and turnings and devious wanderings of Old Boston landmarks and byways would be nothing more than a memory of the past.
The A-frame house design is a tried and true style, and was especially popular for second homes and vacation cabins in the ’60s. See several retro A-frames here!
If you’re buying a 1950s house, already live in one, or want to see how new suburban homes were designed back in the ‘Leave it to Beaver’ era, see some fantastic ’50s house plans here!
If your family never stays home because there’s nothing to do, check out these ways to pep up your yard or garden. Sometimes the simplest things, as in the play castle here, yields the most imaginative results.
The most charming homes of the later Victorian era were a sight to behold. In this book, you can color many examples of the elaborately-decorated houses built in America so long ago.
If you love the mid-century retro style and want to create that gorgeous, peaceful vintage backyard feel, get 40 of the best patio, deck & porch ideas here.
Take a little 60-year leap back in time, and see how San Francisco looked back in 1955 in this video homage to the city by the bay.
In 1906, a short film called ‘A Trip Down Market Street’ ended up being a valuable record of San Francisco just before the huge earthquake and fire destroyed much of the city.
These gorgeous vintage home designs and their floor plans from the 1920s are as authentic as they get – From sweet little retro bungalows to cool Colonials.
If you were planning to get a new kitchen for your home in the 1950s, here are nine of the most popular mid-century kitchen remodels and floorplans you might have checked out!
In bright and beautiful color, see some of the most beautiful sights in and around Utah’s Salt Lake City in 1900 – including the Mormon Temple, the Tabernacle, the Salt Palace, and the impressive Victorian Saltair Pavilion!
Armsmear, the Connecticut mansion also known as the Samuel Colt House, was built on a huge plot of land owned by the inventor of the famous firearm. See what this grand and spacious Victorian home was like in its heyday!
This mid-century modern home design was created for a busy family of five, and in addition to the spacious floorplan, it glows with light, from huge windows and stunning clerestories.
Why take the stairs while you can ride up in comfort inside one of these metalwork ‘cage’ style antique elevators, made with beautiful ornamental iron? Just tell the bellhop what floor you want.
Keyed for color, comfort and convenience, the retro bathroom decor for two homes in the city and two in the country have been remodeled for maximum relaxation.
The Homarina beach cabin provides secure boat storage, over 400 square feet of comfortable, practical leisure living space, plus a large deck right at water’s edge.
A touch of Old Japan, added to the occidental comforts and convenience you’ve come to expect — that’s this charming summer teahouse vacation home design from 1960.
The doors of New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, a 36-year-old internationally-known institution, closed May 1, 1929. Noisy wreckers will clank in to tear it down. The old generation passes with a sigh. The new era enters with a roar.
San Francisco’s great old Sutro Baths was a huge structure with several enormous swimming pools, viewing galleries, museums and more, right next to the Golden Gate. See inside the Victorian marvel here!
45 most popular vintage perfumes from the ’80s 
How to get Farrah Fawcett’s famous long feathered hairstyle from the ’70s 
Women: Do you have the ideal figure? Here’s what ‘they’ thought in 1950 
Titanic: Newspaper front pages with the first stories of the disaster on April 15, 1912 
The real death of a cheerleader story (1985) Want to remember to remember? Our weekly newsletter shows you the latest vintage, old-fashioned & historic stuff that we have published or refreshed during the past seven days. Sign up here.
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