"Refinement and Comfort here." Sounds lovely!!

Here's an Elsmore that was built in Cairo, IL not far from the spot where Sears had their 40-acre lumber mill. This Elsmore, built at 1501 Commerce Avenue, was torn down pre-2001. I visited Cairo then and went looking for this house, but 1501 Commerce was an empty lot at that point. How many Sears Homes in Cairo have been razed? It's a vexing question.

Another vintage Elsmore. This one was in Glenshaw, PA (1919 catalog).

This is one of my favorite Elsmores. It's in Park Ridge, Illinois. Picture perfect in every way. Photo is copyright 2010, Dale Patrick Wolicki and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.

And the crème de la crème. Cindy Catazaro found this house in Oakwood Ohio and it has been lovingly and faithfully restored. The house has obviously had some "renovations," but they've been done in a thoughtful, sensitive manner. I'm so impressed to know that there are people in the world who love their Sears House *this* much! Photo is copyright 2012, Cindy Catazaro and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.

An skinny mini-Elsmore? It might be a trick of the eye, but it appears this Elsmore in Walnutport, PA is a little narrower than the catalog version. The window arrangement is also a little different. I'd love to know the history behind this house. Photo is copyright 2012 Angela Laury and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.

The Elsmore, as it appeared in the later 1910s and 20s was actually a remodel of Modern Home #126, which was first offered in the 1908 (first) Sears Modern Homes catalog.

If you compare the two floorplans, you'll see how similar they are. This is the floorplan for the Sears Modern Home #126 (1908). Notice the size of the rooms and placement of windows.

And here's the floorplan for the Elsmore (1916). The chamfered corners are gone and the front porch is different, but the rest of the house is the same, down to window placement and room size. The front porch roof on Modern Home #126 (with cantilevers) *always* sagged due to its fantastic weight. Not a good design. The changes to the Elsmore porch fixed that problem.

You may notice that one of these things is not like the others.

One of these houses is not like the others.

Sears Homes are a lot of fun, but I'm no longer able to answer individual emails. Please join our group at Facebook!!

The FIFTH Sterling kit house in Anderson is the "Classic" (1928 catalog).

Nice floorplan, too.

The Classic had several distinctive features, such as the two matching "picture" windows on the home's front and that small, low dormer. But most distinctive is that front porch. The four piers extend beyond the home's walls and the porch column sits within those four piers. Now that's very unusual.

Close-up on that unusual feature.

And here's the "Classic" in Anderson.

Take a look at the front porch detail. It shows that column sitting within the space created by the four piers. This is a good match!!

Elsmore, as seen in the 1921 catalog.

This testimonial - written by Mr. DeHaven of Glenshaw, PA appeared in the 1924 catalog. It would be fun to find this house today.

This Elsmore was built at 1501 Commercial Avenue in in Cairo, Illinois. As of 2002, there was nothing but a vacant lot at that site. Mr. Fitzjearls house is long gone. Sears had a 40-acre mill in Cairo and there are many Sears Homes throughout Cairo, but not a single Elsmore.

Mr. Fitzjearl built an Elsmore at 1501 Commercial Avenue.

Sears Elsmore in Bedford, VA (near Roanoke).

In the 1916 catalog, the Elsmore sold for a mere $937.

Dale Wolicki found this Elsmore in Park Ridge, Illinois. This house gets my vote for the most perfect Elsmore in America. Original windows, doors, siding and railings. Just amazing. Photo is courtesy of Dale Patrick Wolicki and can not be used or reproduced without written permission.

The second most perfect Elsmore in the world is in Elgin, IL. Notice the original railing!

This Elsmore has had a lot of "remodeling" but it still retains some original Elsmore features, such as the lone sash in the front porch attic. It's located in Benld, IL.

This Elsmore is in Clifton Forge, Virginia.

This Elsmore is in downtown Suffolk.

Mounds, Illinois is very close to Cairo, which was home to a massive 40-acre Sears Mill in the 1920s and 30s. Not surprisingly, there are many Sears Homes throughout this area.

There's an abundance of Sears Homes in Takoma Park (DC area) too. Someone added a couple double-hung windows to the porch attic and turned it into living space.

This Elsmore is somewhere in Virginia. Wow. Just wow. And not a good wow.

These Elsmore was offered in this lone floor plan until the early 1920s when a second floor plan was offered.

The second floor plan had the same footprint, but the interior was very different, and it had a pair of windows in the dining room. If you scroll back up and look at these houses, you'll see most of them are "Floor plan #13192."*

The Elsmore as it appeared in 1921.

Side by side comparison of the Elsmore in the catalog (left) and real life (right).

The Sears Roanoke, as shown in the 1920 Sears Modern Homes catalog.

Of all the houses I've found in Norfolk, this is far and away my #1 favorite. This is a perfect Sears Roanoke in Norfolk (off Colley Avenue). The owner (Robert) loves his beautiful Roanoke, and I've never come across *anyone* who loves (and appreciates) the historical significance of his Sears House, more than this fellow. The house is a gem, and thanks to Robert, this 90-year-old home has been faithfully and meticulously restored.

The Sears Lebanon, as seen in the 1919 catalog.

Another treasure of a house, and also in good condition. It's on 28th Street, just off Colley Avenue. See the small pieces of wood that jut out under that dormer window? Those are the old supports that held up the flower boxes (seen in original catalog image).

The Whitehall is easy to identify with that two-story bay window (1926).

Next door to the Sears Lebanon is this Whitehall (28th Street).

Sears Argyle (1919 catalog).

This sweet little Sears Argyle is hidden away in the 900-block of 28th Street.

Here's another Argyle in Ocean View.

The Alhambra was another popular Sears kit home.

Here's a modified Alhambra on Westover Avenue in West Ghent. It's one of three exact models, all in a row. A distinctive feature of the Alhambra is the three squared-bay windows.

The Alhambra floorplan shows those three squared bays.

One of my favorites is the Harris Brothers "La Grange" (1923 catalog).

There are two of these in Ocean View. Here's one on Capitol Avenue. Notice the curved front porch, and casement windows flanking the fireplace.

Not surprisingly, there are many Aladdin kit homes in Norfolk. Aladdin was a bigger company than Sears, and remained in business un 1981. Aladdin had a huge mill at Wilmington, NC.

There are two of these Aladdin Edisons right next door to ODU in the 800-block of 46th Street.

Aladdin Virginia from the 1919 Aladdin catalog.

This Aladdin "Virginia" is on Virginia Avenue in the state of Virginia (in Colonial Place). It's in wonderful condition and it's a spot-on match to the original catalog image.

There are three Aladdin Pasadenas in Norfolk.

This Aladdin Pasadena is in the 1600-block of LaSalle Avenue in Lafayette-Winona.

It's turned sideways on the lot, which made the initial identification a little challenging, but there's no doubt that this is a Pasadena. Look at the architectural details around the front porch. This house is on 49th Street in Norfolk.

Close-up of the porch on this sideways Pasadena.

The Aladdin Winthrop is easy to identify with those four bricks columns on the porch, only two of which have wooden columns extending to the porch roof. Another interesting feature is the window in the side of the dining room bay.

This Aladdin Winthrop is even the same colors as its original catalog image. It's in Lafayette Winona, and it's in beautifully original condition!

The "Sheffield" as seen in the 1919 catalog.

This one is in Lafayette-Winona, and it's a perfect match!

The Aladdin Pomona, as seen in the 1919 catalog.

The Aladdin Pomona in Lafayette-Winona. The windows have been changed but it's undoubtedly a Pomona. And it's in a neighborhood with several Aladdins!

The Plaza was a grand house, and spacious too.

And here is my #1 favorite kit house in all of Hampton Roads: The Aladdin Plaza, in beautifully original condition.

Gordon Van Tine was another mail-order kit home company that was based in Davenport, Iowa. This design ("The Roberts") was one of their most popular houses.

This "Roberts" is in Ocean View and is beautiful condition!

The Glenn Falls was one of Sears biggest and best kit homes (1928 catalog).

And this one is in West Ghent!

The Sears Avondale was a popular house (1919 catalog), and spacious, too.

And this one is on Victoria Avenue. It's well-hidden by the trees, but there's no doubt that it's a Sears Avondale. This is a mirror image of the catalog page above. Notice the large bay window? It's on the "flip side" of the catalog picture.

The Sears Vallonia was one of Sears best-selling homes (1925 catalog).

Located in Ocean View (on Mason Avenue), it's been converted into a duplex, but it's definitely a Sears Vallonia, with an enlarged dormer.

Sears Westly, as seen in the 1919 catalog.

And a Sears Westly on Tennessee Road. This was a real surprise, because most of the houses on this street are post-1940s.

And another Sears Westly (now a duplex, sadly) in Ocean View.

The Sears Barrington was a popular house (1929 catalog).

This Barrington is in Ocean View, and it's a good match to the catalog picture.

The Sears Americus is also easy to identify, because that bumped-out wall on the second floor does not exist on the first floor. The porch roof also catches my eye, because it juts out beyond the home's main wall, and is shaped like a sideways "V."

This Americus is in Park Place is in the 600-block of 27th Street. Park Place has several kit homes. There's a special place in hell for the guy who did this siding job. Look what he did to the eave brackets. Plus, like so many other Sears Homes in Norfolk, it's been turned into a duplex.

There are two Aladdin "Venuses" (or would that be "Venii"?) in Park Place.

This Aladdin Venus still has its original casement windows. It's on 38th Street.

The Venus was offered in two floor plans. There was a Mama Bear-sized Venus and a Papa Bear-sized Venus. This one (on 36th street) is the larger model. The one on 38th Street (shown above) was the smaller model.

Norfolk is also home to many "plan book" houses. Plan books were akin to "kit homes," but with plan book homes, you ordered the blueprints and a list of building materials that would be needed. The actual building materials were then obtained locally. This house shown here is a "Homebuilder's Carrville."

And here's a pristine example in Ocean View. The Ocean View home has straight gables, unlike the catalog image, which has the clipped gables. That minor alteration would have been easy to do.

Putting this blog together took about 50 hours of work (spread out over a period of months). Finding these early 20th Century kit homes is always fun, but also a bit tiring. After a few hours of "house hunting," Teddy and I usually return home "dog tired."

GVT Roberts as seen in the 1921 catalog.

GVT Roberts in Tahlequah, OK, and it's a beauty! Like the house above, this also has the two-story porch on the left side. (Photo is copyright 2011, Rachel Shoemaker and can not be used or reproduced without written permission.)

The GVT Roberts has had several additions through the years, but still looks much like the catalog page shown above. (Photo is copyright 2011, Rachel Shoemaker and can not be used or reproduced without written permission.)

I'm not sure why this house has a periscope. (Photo is copyright 2011, Rachel Shoemaker and can not be used or reproduced without written permission.)

Street signs are printed in both English and in Cherokee language. (Photo is copyright 2011, Rachel Shoemaker and can not be used or reproduced without written permission.)

The Sears Walton was also a popular house, but John Boy never slept here.

The floor plan for the Sears Walton shows the spacious living room and dining room, and wee tiny bedrooms! (10 x 9, 10 x 10, and 10 x 11).

Sears Walton in the Craddock section of Portsmouth, VA

This is my favorite Sears Walton. No kidding. Talk about "original condition"! This thing is a beauty! This photo was snapped in early 2004, and I'd bet money that this sad little house (in a commercial district) is probably long gone. This house is also a testimony to the quality of building materials used in Sears Homes. This house hasn't seen a coat of paint in 40 years (or more), and every smidge of paint is long gone from its cypress exterior, and yet - it still stands. Try neglecting a modern McMansion for 40 years and see what you have left! This house is (was) in Muncie, Indiana.

Sears Walton in West Lafayette, Indiana. Notice the oversized front porch.

And a beautiful Walton in Glen Ellyn, Illinois

The Sears Walton in Champaign has had some changes (vinyl siding, replacement windows and a closed-in porch), but it's still a Walton.

On this Walton in Danville, Virginia, someone extended that dining room bay and turned it into a porte cochere! Despite the landscaping, you can see a piece of that box windows on the left front.

Sears Walton in downtown Raleigh.

I suspect this is also a Sears Walton, but has been dramatically altered. The small gable over the box window could easily have been added when all this plastic and vinyl was being installed. This Walton is in Paducah, KY.

Is this a Sears Walton? I'd say it probably is, even though it's missing the little box window on the front. That'd be an easy change for a carpenter to make on the site.

Sears Walton in a small town just outside of Richmond, Virginia.

This "Walton" is one of two, side by side, in Cape Charles, Virginia

Sears Walton as seen in the 1921 Modern Homes catalog.

The Berkeley, as shown in the 1936 catalog

The Berkeley at Greenlawn Cemetery

Front yard of The Berkeley. It's a nice quiet neighborhood.

Sears Newbury, as it appeared in the 1936 Sears Modern Homes catalog.

Notice the swoop in the roof as it extends over the wide front porch. On the rear, there's a small cornice return, and it's on a different plane that the front roof.

The Newbury in Lake Mills is hard to see due to the mature vegetation, but that bellcast (swooping) roof is easy to spot. And you can see the small cornice return on the rear. Sears kit homes came with 12,000 pieces and the Newbury was "Ready Cut" meaning that all framing members were pre-cut and ready to nail into place. However, masonry was not part of the kit and was obtained locally. The catalog page shows a stone chimney but this Newbury has a brick chimney. That's an inconsequential difference. (This photograph is courtesy of Sandra Spann and can not be used or reproduced without written permission. Copyright 2011, Sandra Spann.)

As seen in the 1921 catalog, this is a very unusual house, and the house in Lake Mills is a beautiful match with only one difference - that original railing across the dormer is missing.

And here's a photo of Gordon Van Tine Home #705 in Lake Mills, Wisconsin. It's a beautiful house in wonderful condition and a spot-on match to the original catalog picture! Look at the windows on the side, and how they're just the same in both the Lake Mills house and the vintage catalog picture. My oh my, that does indeed warm the cockles of my heart. Photograph is courtesy Dawn Stewart (copyright 2011) and may not be used or reproduced with written permission.

These mail-order kit homes (such as the GVT 705) could be ordered "reversed," and what's shown above is the mirrored image of the catalog page (note page number on upper right). This really is a beautiful match to the house above! These catalog images are from the 1921 Gordon Van Tine catalog.

Just in case you wanted to see them side by side.

Check out this floorplan!

Montgomery Ward sold about 25,000 kit homes during their 20+ years in the kit home business. Not surprisingly, the majority of these homes are probably within a 300-mile radius of Chicago (where Montgomery Ward was located).

Look at the window! The house in Lake Mills (on Water Street) is a very good match to this catalog image (1914). Note the placement of the window directly beside the front door. And also note those supersized cornice returns on either side of that second-floor bay window. The front porch has a hip roof, with three round columns. All these features are also in evidence on the house in Lake Mills (see next photo).

Easy as 1-2-3 to identify! This is Montgomery Ward Home #123, in Lake Mills, WI. Photograph is courtesy Dawn Stewart (copyright 2011) and may not be used or reproduced with written permission.

This one, I'm not so sure about. I found it whilst driving via Google Maps and made a note of it, but when I went back to get a better look, I couldn't find it!