The Sears Chelsea was not one of their most popular models, and it’s a little different from the other Sears foursquares. The dormer windows in the Sears Chelsea were boxier and bolder than other Sears Homes such as the Fullerton, the Gladstone, Woodland and more.

The catalog page says “In Demand For Years.” I’m not so sure about that…

The characteristic feature of the Chelsea is that staircase window, hanging off the side of the house. Very distinctive!

Sears Chelsea from the 1919 Sears Modern Homes catalog

Sears Chelsea in Mattoon, Illinois

And from the front...

To learn more about Sears Homes, click here.

To buy Rose’s book, click here.

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The Magnolia was Sears biggest and best (and most expensive) kit home, but the Ivanhoe was a close second. I’ve only seen a few of these in my travels, and one of them was in Lewisburg, WV and the other was in Elmhurst, Illinois. According to the testimonials found in the old Sears Modern Homes’ catalogs (and referenced in Rebecca Hunter’s book), there’s a Sears Ivanhoe in West Point, Virginia, but it faces the waterfront and is so far off the public road, I’ve not been able to get a photograph.

Below are the Ivanhoes in Lewiston, West Virginia and Elmhurst, Illinois.

First, the original catalog image.

Sears Ivanhoe from the 1920 Modern Homes catalog

Ivanhoe floorplan, second floor.

Ivanhoe floorplan, first floor.

Ivanhoe in Elmhurst, IL

Ivanhoe in Lewisburg, WV

If you know of the location of an Ivanhoe, please leave a comment below.

If you’ d like to read more about Sears Homes, click here.

To buy Rose’s book, click here.

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Based on my experience, this was not a hugely popular house for Sears, and yet I’ve found examples of the #306 in Moorefield, WV, Blacksburg, SC, and Christiansburg, VA.

It’s an enormous house and the trademark feature is that side dormer, with a roof line that is an integral part of the primary roof. Plus, it has an oddly placed small window on the home’s second floor bay.

Enjoy the photos. Or just buy the book. 

Sears Modern Home #306 as seen in the 1916 catalog.

Sears #306 in Christianburg, VA.

A not-so-pretty #306 in Blacksburg, SC.

To learn more about kit homes, click here.

To buy Rose’s book, click here.

To contact Rose, leave a comment below.

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For 12 years, I lived in Illinois and I spent many happy years seeking and finding kit homes throughout the Midwest. In 2006, I moved back “home” to Virginia, and I’ve spent subsequent years looking for kit homes in the south.

I’m surprised at how many I’ve found in this part of the country. An even bigger surprise was the abundance of kit homes I found during a brief trip to Atlanta. The houses pictured below are the tip of the iceberg, I’m sure. There just wasn’t time to cover the whole of Atlanta.

Take a look at the photos below and enjoy the many pretties of Atlanta!

Btw, if you know of a historical society and/or civic group that’d be interested in sponsoring my return to Atlanta, please leave a comment below.

Enjoy the photos!

And if you’d like to learn more about the kit homes in the south, click here.

This lovely brick Alhambra is located in the heart of Atlanta!

This was Aladdin's fanciest home: The Villa. This image is from the 1916 Aladdin catalog. Aladdin was a kit home company that (like Sears) also sold kit homes out of mail-order catalog. In Atlanta, I found more Aladdin kit homes than Sears kit homes. Not surprising, as Aladdin had a massive mill in North Carolina.

The Aladdin Villa in Atlanta! And it's surely one of the prettiest Aladdin Villas that I have ever seen. It is perfect in every way, and a spot-on match to the original catalog image.

The Aladdin Pasadena was a very popular house

An Aladdin Pasadena on a main drag in Atlanta!

Aladdin Pomona, from the 1919 Aladdin Homes catalog

Aladdin Pomona in Acworth, a suburb of Atlanta. This Pomona is in beautifully original condition! Note the details around the porch gable, and the flared columns and the original siding. It's a real beauty. Unfortunately, I shot the photo when the sun was low in the sky. Hence, the long shadows.

The Sears Osborn from the 1921 Sears catalog

One of the most interesting finds was this contemporary Sears Osborn. It looks like an Osborn - kind of - but it's too new and modern. And look at the cornice returns. Most likely, this Sears Osborn is a reproduction, built by a real fan of Sears Homes!

One of my favorite photos is this Sears Magnolia in Alabama, just a few miles from the Georgia border. Apart from the slightly different dormer up top, this house is a good match to the catalog picture. No, it's not Atlanta, but it's pretty close! And there are only six known Magnolias in the whole country!

If you know anything more about these houses, please leave a comment below. Or if you’d like to contact Rose Thornton, please leave a comment.

If you’d like to keep reading about Sears Homes, click here.

To buy Rose’s book, click here.

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The Spanish-flavored Sears Alhambra was a big hit for Sears and was probably one of their top ten favorite kit homes. It was practical, spacious, thoughtfully designed and had plenty of windows. The only downside of the Alhambra was the dormer windows. The spot just behind the dormers was often the source of troublesome and persistent leaks. As you’ll see in a few extreme cases, some people “solved” the problem by removing the dormer window!

Others simply installed a cricket.

No doubt, the Alhambra was a pretty house with a distinctive Spanish flair and with a splash of mission style. If you take away the fancy accoutrements, you’ll see it’s little more than a classic American foursquare.

Enjoy the photos!  (Read All Things Alhambra, Part I here.)

Sears Alhambra as seen in the 1921 Sears Modern Homes catalog.

Sears Alhambra in Roanoke, Virginia

Sears Alhambra in Portsmouth, Virginia (Cradock area)

Vintage photo of a Sears Alhambra in the St. Louis area. Later on in life, the dormer was amputated due to leak issues. The parapet around the front porch was also lost during surgery. Very sad.

This Alhambra is in Casey, Illinois. It was blinded in a hunting accident.

Gorgeous brick Alhambra in Atlanta, Georgia

The Alhambra's kitchen, as seen in the 1921 Sears Modern Homes catalog.

And my #1 favorite is this Sears Alhambra in Gaffney, South Carolina. Yes, it's Lavender.

To read more about Sears Homes, click here.

To buy Rose’s book, click here.

To contact Rose, please leave a comment below, or you can write her at thorntonrose@hotmail.com.  Please put, “I read your book and it was WONDERFUL” in the subject line to insure that your email is read.

No kidding.

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Last week, I put 897 miles on the old Camry driving from Norfolk to Raleigh to South Carolina (and making a few stops along the way). I’d heard that there was a Sears Magnolia in western South Carolina, so I decided to check it out.

Here are some photos:

Purported Magnolia in South Carolina.

Sears Magnolia as seen in the 1921 Sears Modern Homes catalog. The Sears Magnolia was offered from 1918-1922.

The windows in the SC Maggy are right. These are replacement windows, but the original proportions and space are correct. The small lites at the top are original, and they're a spot-on match to the Sears Magnolia.

Details on the Sears Magnolia's front porch. The two-story columns are an eye-catching feature. Also notice the distinctive roof lines and unique details around the front porch. At its core, the Sears Magnolia is a classic foursquare with delusions of grandeur.

Sears Magnolia in SC. While the Magnolia has a fan lite (semi-circle) over the front door, this one has a rectangle. Still, that's not a huge difference and not a deal breaker.

The Maggy in Benson, NC is a spot-on match.

A beautiful Sears Magnolia in Canton, Ohio

Sears Magnolia in Benson, NC.

Sears Magnolia in Irwin, PA. (Photo courtesy of Bob Keeling) Done in brick, this Sears Magnolia also is not a spot-on match to the catalog page.

The Maybe-Not-A-Magnolia in South Carolina.

The Magnolia in Alabama is also not a spot-on match to the original catalog image. Most obvious is that attic dormer, which is much simpler than the Magnolia dormer. Yet this house in Piedmont Alabama is a Sears Magnolia.

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In conclusion, after spending about two hours inspecting the house in South Carolina, I’m of the opinion that it is NOT a Sears Magnolia. The lumber in the house just did not look like Sears lumber. I’ve seen many basements of many Sears Homes, and the lumber in this South Carolina house was much lighter and had a rougher cut.

I suspect that this beautiful old house was offered in a plan book somewhere in the early 1900s, and in later years, architects at Sears discovered the planbook and created the “Sears Magnolia” in the image and likeness of that plan book house. That’s a theory. I really don’t know.

What I do know is that the house in South Carolina was built in 1910*, and while the Magnolia’s footprint is 36 x 40, the footprint of the South Carolina house is 39 x 43, exactly three feet bigger in both directions. The interior rooms are adjusted accordingly. And if the Sears Magnolia began life as a pattern book house, or plan book house, this is exactly what Sears would have done to “modify” the design for their needs. At least a dozen times, I’ve found the identical twins of Sears designs in plan books and architectural magazines, a year or ten before it appeared in the pages of a Sears Modern Homes catalog. Typically, Sears would shave a couple feet off the floor plan and give it a nice name and voila! It’s Sears Modern Home #84736.

However, this is just a theory. I’m not sure. From the exterior, this house surely does look like a Sears Magnolia, but it’s not quite “perfect.” If anyone has any ideas, as Ross Perot once said, “I’m all ears.”

* The construction date of 1910 is not a confirmed fact, but came from tax records. Based on the interior design, I suspect that’s an accurate date. The house had coal-burning fireplaces in every room - no exceptions - and coal-burning fireplaces were very common in that time period (very early 1900s).

To buy Rose’s book, click here.

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Yesterday was one of the prettiest days we’ve had in a long time, so Teddy and I wandered out to the campus at TCC (Suffolk) and took a nice long walk. Teddy helps me remember that sometimes, you need to stop what you’re doing and just take a long walk, and then sit in the sun for a time.

Teddy enjoys the blustery, beautiful day.

Teddy looks regal.

Teddy is not worried about her hair getting mussed.

Teddy asks if we're done with the pictures yet.

No one can bask in the sun like Teddy the Dog.

"I've really grown weary of this sit-stay business. Time to Go!"

To learn more about Teddy, click here.

To buy Rose’s book, click here.

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The Sears Alhambra was one of Sears’ most popular houses. In fact, I’d say it was one of their top ten best sellers. And, it was a pretty house with a distinctive Spanish flair and with a splash of mission style. If you take away the fancy accoutrements, you’ll see it’s little more than a classic American foursquare.

Enjoy the photos!

To see more Sears Alhambras, visit All Things Alhambra, part 2.

Sears Alhambra as seen in the 1921 Sears Modern Homes catalog.

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Sears Alhambra in Charleston, WV.

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Sears Alhambra in Portsmouth, Virginia (my home town)

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Like its Virginia cousin, this Alhambra is also painted a light yellow. This pretty house is in Lexington, Virginia.

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Another vote for the beige pant job! This perfect Alhambra is in Raleigh.

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Sears Alhambra in darn good condition in Bedford, Pennsylvania.

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This is an Alhambra, but it's a common alteration. All the Spanish-flavored accoutrements have been removed. There are FOUR of these Alhambras in Norfolk.

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This Alhambra lost its its Alhambra-defining elements during a remodel. Even the parapet over the porch was cut down. This house in St. Louis now looks rather pedestrian.

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Vintage photo of the same Sears Alhambra shown above. Hard to believe, isn't it?

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This Alhambra has also had some of its unique architectural elements stripped away, but you can still see it's an Alhambra!

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Sears Alhambra in Gaffney, SC. My favorite color: Lavender!

To see more pictures of Sears Alhambras, visit All Things Alhambra, part 2.

To learn more about Sears Homes, click here.

To buy Rose’s book, click here.

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My children’s grandfather was a firefighter for 30 years. He was an interesting fellow and a good man. At his funeral in November 2006, a crowd of firefighters gathered at the church and grave-site to pay tribute. After 9-11, I’d imagine that we all have a special place in our hearts for America’s firefighters.

Below is a series of vintage pictures I found in an old high school textbook, copyright 1922. I found them utterly fascinating, compelling and an insight into another time in America’s past.

Horsies and firemen rush to a fire.

Maybe they should have parked a little closer to the fire?

And the above photos help explain why “The Fireproof House” was all the rage in the early 1900s. Below is an article that appeared in the 1911 Ladies’ Home Journal. Building a house that’d be safe from fire was a real bonus.

A picture of the Fireproof House (from 1911 LHJ)

To learn more about Sears Homes, click here.

To see more vintage photos, click here.

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Thanks to Standard Oil (later known as Amoco, and later known as BP), Wood River, Illinois has 23 pretty little Sears Homes lined up on 9th Street (near downtown).  Standard Oil moved into Wood River in 1908, and in 1918, Standard Oil decided to build houses for their workers. In the early years of the 20th Century, this was common practice among the better businesses of the time.

To learn more about the history of Standard Oil and Sears Homes, click here.

To see pretty pictures of Sears Homes in Wood River (then and now), scroll down.

Vintage photo from the 1920 Stanolind Record showing the newly built Sears Homes in Wood River. The first house is the Sears Roanoke, followed by the Whitehall, and then the Gladstone, and then the Madelia, and then the Carlin. The Stanolind Record was an employee newsletter of Standard Oil.

Sears Homes in Wood River, as seen in February 2010.

Sears Whitehall

This Sears Whitehall is in pretty good condition, and still looks much like the original catalog paage. This is on 9th Street in Wood River.

The Langston was also known as the Gladstone. There's virtually no difference between the Sears Gladstone and the Langston.

Here's the Gladstone/Langston as seen in 2010. That center downspout is a little funky looking.

The Sears Roanoke

This Sears Roanoke is missing its wooden awning over the 2nd floor windows, but after 90 years, that's a common problem.

Sears Carlin from the 1919 Sears Modern Homes catalog.

One of several Sears Carlins on 9th Street in Wood River

Madelia

Sears Madelia

Sears Elsmore as seen in the 1923 catalog

An Elsmore in Wood River. Rather beige, but that's ok.

Fullerton from the 1925 catalog

There's only one Fullerton in Wood River, and it's pink! :)

Standard Oil's Sears Homes in Wood River

Sears Homes on 9th Street in Wood River, Illinois

Rear cover of 1925 Sears Modern Homes catalog

To learn more about the Sears Homes in Carlinville, click here.

To buy Rose’s book, click here.

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