1959 dollars vs today= $10Gs to install a gazebo?!

I don't know the answer to your question but it was Debbie Reynolds not Donna Reed in the movie.

I don't think 10,000 is that much for a gazebo. Look at architectural salvage---stuff like that is expensive. And it is like having another room added to your house, you'd end up with extra living space, it isn't like buying some $49 number from Wal-mart.

You have way too much time on your hands.

You are not too far off $1200 (1959) = $8,513.33, $700 (1959)= $4,967.28.
You seem to like to compare today's money values to the past, so here you go.

http://www.westegg.com/inflation/

it's not a "wooden contraption" it's wrought iron.

http://www.measuringworth.com/calculators/ppoweruk/

I use this for the pound then convert to dollars because I also think about these things. :)

What this site points out better than most is that it's hard to compare inflation across the board. And in this case one might suggest that the postwar housing boom temporarily drove the price of lumber and materials sky high, so that even the value of older structures was unusually good. Then you have to consider the construction workers could just about ask anything for their skills because they were in extreme demand, even people as incompetent at cementing as this man was. And you have to keep in mind the part of the country where this was happening. It was near a major urban area rather than deep into a farming region so people hired most of their labor done rather than do it themselves or with their family and neighbors, which also drove up prices.

But in the final analysis the only really important factor in this case was that a gullible Nell was taken for a buggy ride by the salesperson with that obviously phony story about the gazebo's illustrious history. Spendthrift wives were a staple of domestic comedies, as were cunning countryfolk draining money off naive cityfolk--remember Mr. Hainey on Green Acres? Or Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House.

The retail price index (RPI) shows the cost of goods and services purchased by a typical household in one period relative to a base period. It is best used when the monetary amount is the cost or price of a simple product, such as a loaf of bread or a pair of shoes.
The GDP deflator is an index of all prices in the economy. It is a good measure for complex products, such as personal computers, or commodities purchased by businesses, such as machinery.
Average earnings are a logical measure for computing relative value of wages, salaries, or other income or wealth.
Per-capita GDP, the average share of a person in the total income of the economy, is also indicated in this context.
GDP, the economy's total output of goods and services in money terms, is the best measure for large-scale projects or expenditures, such as the construction of a bridge or government expenditure on health care.

It's interesting to see what actually attracts someone's attention. I noticed the prices that were quoted for the gazebo, the installation, and for the house too but not to the extent you did.

In terms of current dollar value, I don't really think it works well to try to translate it. The Gazebo was purchased second hand so the price she paid isn't really a factor of the parts and labor that went into making it.

At an estate sale today, someone might be able to go out and buy a similar gazebo for about the same price or even less. In those cases it's often more about getting rid of something than trying to get a good price. Not everyone would be in the market for or could use something so specific. The current owner might be happy to part with it cheap just to avoid having to haul it away or dispose of it themselves.

The same is true for the labor. These days there are a lot of people into DIY so it wouldn't be hard to find someone capable of doing the job. Whether one goes with an amateur or professional, the competition would keep costs down especially if the home is located in a fairly well-populated area.

Just to update things, fwiw, that $1,900 would be worth a little over $15,500 today in 2015.