THE CASE FOR THE TWELVEWIDE

Year Published: 1950s

Format: 16mm

Description: Made by Marshfield Homes, Inc. with the co-operation of the Mobile Homes Manufacturers Association, "The Case for the Twelvewide" is a silent film that promotes the adoption of 12' wide prefabricated home. The film shows how these twelvewide homes can be moved on highways and byways without damage or causing accidents. Once in place they are comfortable homes that have so much space that they actually have hallways. This film documents a shift in the prefabricated home industry. Prior to the 1950s, house trailers were marketed for camping or extended travel, but not so much as replacements for homes. But in the 1950s, they began to be marketed primarily as an inexpensive form of housing designed to be set up and left in a location for long periods of time, or even permanently installed with a masonry foundation. Units had been eight feet or less in width, but in 1956, the 10-foot (3 m) wide home ("ten-wide") was introduced, along with the new term "mobile home" smaller, "eight-wide" units could be moved simply with a car, but the larger, wider units ("ten-wide", and, later, "twelve-wide") usually required the services of a professional trucking company, and, often, a special moving permit from a state highway department. During the late 1960s and early 70s, the homes were made even longer and wider, making the mobility of the units more difficult. Nowadays, when a factory-built home is moved to a location, it is usually kept there permanently and the mobility of the units has considerably decreased. In some states, mobile homes have been taxed as personal property if the wheels remain attached, but as real estate if the wheels are removed. Removal of the tongue and axles may also be a requirement for real estate classification.

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