Historic 1910 Aladdin kit home hits the market in Columbia’s Melrose Heights

Award-recognized 1110 Hagood Avenue arrived from Bay City, Michigan by rail with every board pre-cut and every nail included — now updated with a modern kitchen, solar power, and nearly two-thirds of an acre of gardens

A century-old piece of American housing history is back on the market. 1110 Hagood Avenue, a 2,500-square-foot home built in 1910 from an Aladdin Homes mail-order kit, has been listed for sale in Columbia’s Melrose Heights neighborhood.

In the early 20th century, Bay City, Michigan-based The Aladdin Company was one of the nation’s leading “kit home” manufacturers, shipping complete houses by rail to buyers across the country. A single train car would arrive in Columbia carrying everything the local builder needed to construct the home from the ground up: lumber pre-cut and numbered to fit, all the necessary nails, plumbing supplies, shingles, and even paint. By 1918, Aladdin homes accounted for roughly 2.4 percent of all new housing starts in the United States.

1110 Hagood Avenue is one of Columbia’s notable surviving examples of the kit-home era. The property is featured on Historic Columbia’s registry of significant local architecture and has been honored with a National Trust for Historic Preservation award. At least two other homes built from the same catalog plan still stand in the city’s Shandon and Hollywood-Rose Hill neighborhoods — a testament to how standardized, mail-order construction shaped Columbia’s early suburban growth.

Today, the home pairs its century of character with thoroughly modern updates. The kitchen has been renovated with granite countertops and modern appliances, and the home is equipped with solar panels. A covered side porch overlooks a professionally landscaped 0.60-acre lot planted with easy-care perennials, pecan and fruit trees, and numerous camellias.

“Houses like this one don’t come along often,” said Margaret-Ann Ashburn with CARTER Realty, co-listing agent for 1110 Hagood Avenue. “It’s a genuine piece of Columbia’s history that also happens to live beautifully today — a rare combination of century-old craftsmanship and modern, move-in-ready comfort.”

Property Highlights

• 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms
• 2,500 square feet
• Built in 1910 from an Aladdin Homes mail-order kit
• Recognized by Historic Columbia; National Trust for Historic Preservation award recipient
• Updated kitchen with granite countertops and modern appliances
• Solar panels
• Covered side porch
• 60-acre professionally landscaped lot with pecan trees, fruit trees, and camellias
• Melrose Heights neighborhood, Columbia, SC

For more information or to schedule a private showing, contact Kate Gene Dixon at [email protected](opens in new tab) or Margaret-Ann Ashburn at [email protected](opens in new tab).