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This South Hills house, built in the early 1900s, was constructed from a kit manufactured by the Iowa-based company Gordon-Van Tine. It is one of Charleston's many kit homes, a popular style in the early 20th century. Companies such as Sears, Montgomery Ward, and Gordon-Van Tine sold these kits through catalogs, allowing customers to purchase pre-cut materials for homes that would be shipped in a boxcar. The buyer was responsible for getting the kit to its destination and assembling the house. In addition to these national companies, a West Virginia-based company, Minter Homes Corporation in Huntington, also manufactured and sold kit homes. Minter provided much of the housing for the town of Nitro.
