Why is there a "small house" in IBM's Code page 437?

Summary

Note: This post is a companion piece to my article The origins of DEL (0x7F) and its Legacy in Amiga ASCII art. That article is all about the character DEL, what it is, how it was used, and why it even has a visual representation, but with a focus on Commodore's Amiga computers. Whereas AmigaOS's Topaz font renders DEL with diagonal lines, IBM's PC renders it... as a house. This bonus article is about that. This article wouldn't have happened without the great help and insights of Michael Walden and VileR, thank you! If you want to comment on something (minor or major), please send me an email at hlotvonen@gmail.com. I would greatly appreciate it, and if something needs fixing I would gladly update the article with proper credit. a-b-c-d-x-y-z...HOUSE? There's a small house ( ⌂ ) in the middle of IBM's infamous character set Code Page 437. "Small house"—that's the official IBM name given to the glyph at code position 0x7F, where a control character for "Delete" (DEL) should logically exist. It's cute, but a little strange. I wonder, how did it get there? Why did IBM represent DEL as a house, of all things? IBM PC's Code Page 437 The rise of Code Page 437 Released in 1981, the IBM Personal Computer (PC) launched IBM's first microcomputer model line. Alongside it, they introduced an 8-bit character set, which later became known as Code Page 437 (CP437). Unlike earlier IBM machines, the PC was built using off-the-shelf components instead of proprietary IBM technology, which spawned a wave of third-party clones marketed as "IBM-compatible" systems. IBM PC architecture quickly became the dominant global computing standard. By the end of the '80s, 84% of all sold microcomputers were either IBM PC's or its clones. The rise of PC also meant the widespread adoption of CP437, making it one of the most copied and recognizable character sets ever. VileR's Ultimate Oldschool PC Font Pack lists over 200 fonts based on CP437 from various IBM PC models and their clones. CP437 was b...