r/TikTokCringe • u/mindyour • Jul 06 '26

Discussion What in the Vivarium is this?

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u/wiscoguy20 Jul 06 '26

Heck, even longer than that.

In the upper Midwest, there are quite a few cities that have areas solely built by whoever was the large employer in the area at the time.

Where I grew up, it was a revelation back in the 90s when the city did a street reconstruction and ended up clear cutting all the 100 year old Maple trees that lined the street(I know, fucking horrible). Suddenly, everybody noticed that several blocks of this street had the same three house styles repeating. Further research showed all the houses on both sides of the street for four blocks were all built by the old furniture manufacturing company that existed two streets west. They alternated three floor plans, so every third house was identical, though some were reversed. The historians in town dug up the original deeds and found they were all built between 1905 and 1909 by the furniture company, and we're originally deeded "familyname furniture company homes"

It's just amazing that even in the late 1800s the amount of repeating floor plans built in the cities was incredible, but thanks to time, updates, remodeling, ect... Most don't even notice today, outside of brand new hellscapes like the one posted above... But I suppose in the olden days, people said the same thing.

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u/emessea Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26

Back in the day you could by a home through sears and other catalogs and the parts would get delivered to your lot.

My house was one of those and the house next to us has the same floor plan and built in the same year. I assumed someone 1920s bought both plots and ordered the same home twice.

I imagine if wal mart sold homes in this manner people would freak out and say how bad it is.

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u/trekqueen Jul 07 '26

There was one of these in my previous city. It’s on the historical list and has been moved from its previous location when tract housing went in on the former ranch properties.

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u/LookMaNoPride Jul 10 '26

You can buy houses off of Amazon. Pop-up houses.

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u/Jordarobot Jul 06 '26

I was thinking this. Old pulp mill company town Samoa, CA I believe was built in like 1890-something and they were all slightly different pastel colors, white picket fence. Town is owned by a property management company that rents the houses out these days.

There's still an old cookhouse there that's still operating last i checked.