Sears Bungalows | Sears Modern Homes

The Sunlight in Springfield!

January 31st, 2013 Sears Homes 1 comment

In today’s real estate market, a house with a mere 768 square foot would be considered pretty small, but in the 1920s, it proved to be a very popular size. The Sears Sunlight had two diminutive bedrooms (12-feet by 10-feet) and a bathroom that was a mere 6-feet square.

An “expandable attic” was its saving grace. There was a little bit of room on the second floor to add an extra bedroom or two (for short people).

The Sunlight is a hard house to identify because it’s small and - frankly - it looks like every other tiny bungalow that was built in the early 1900s.

I’ve never identified one on my own, but Cindy Catanzara and Rebecca Hunter seem to be old pros at finding these little houses!

One distinctive feature is the small clipped gable on the front and rear, and the hipped roof on the front porch, which juts out a bit beyond than the primary exterior walls. Another visual clue is the small enclosed space on the rear, but that often disappears after some remodeling.

Many thanks to Cindy Catanzaro for supplying so many wonderful photos of Sunlights in Springfield, Ohio!

The Sunlight, as seen in the 1928 catalog.

Look at the size of those bedrooms!

The Sunlight (1928).

When I was in Elgin, Illinois in February 2010, Rebecca Hunter drove me out to this house and said, "Are you ready to see the most perfect Sunlight in the world?" It is in pristine condition and has been painstakingly restored. The homeowners have the original blueprints.

Another view of the perfect Sunlight in Elgin, IL.

Rebecca then drove me out to this Sunlight in Crystal Lake, Illinois. It's also in very good condition.

Cindy Catanzaro found this Sunlight in Springfield, Ohio. It's had some alterations, but is still identifiable as a Sunlight. Photo is copyright 2012 Cindy Catanzaro and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.

This is an older picture showing a pretty little Sunlight that was feeling forlorn and forgotten. I'm happy to report that this home is now in the hands of a happy family who truly values the home's unique, historical origins. Photo is copyright 2012 Cindy Catanzaro and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.

Same house as shown above, this Sunlight is already starting to feel loved and cared for, thanks to its new owners! Photo is copyright 2012 Cindy Catanzaro and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.

And you might notice that this Sunlight has had an addition put on the back. As originally built, it had a mere 768 square feet. Photo is copyright 2012 Cindy Catanzaro and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.

Why did the bungalow become so popular so fast? Click here to read a fascinating bit of history.

To see more pictures of Sears Homes in Ohio, click here.

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Richard Warren Sears: My Hero

November 26th, 2012 Sears Homes 2 comments

Richard Warren Sears is one of my favorite characters in American history. He truly was a marketing genius, a fascinating entrepreneur and a real family man. Throughout his life, he maintained a deep and profound devotion to his family.

Richard Warren Sears was about 16 years old when his father died. That’s when Richard went to work to support the family.

By the mid-1880s, he’d found gainful employment as a railway station agent in Redwood Falls, Minnesota. Early in his career, Sears paid a mere $50 for a shipment of watches that arrived at the train station and had been refused by a local merchant. Selling them to other railway agents and passengers, Sears turned $50 worth of watches into $5000 in a few months.

His timing could not possibly have been any better.

With the advent of the steam locomotive, people could now travel easily throughout the country, but there was one problem with all this zipping to and fro: In the early 1880s, our country had 300 time zones.

Many rural communities still relied on sun-time. Travelers headed west we’re expected to subtract one minute for every 12 miles of travel. Travelers headed east did the opposite.

Hope youre good at ciphering!

In November 1883, railway companies lobbied Congress to establish four time zones, to help standardize complicated train schedules. And what need did this new-fangled law breed? Watches.

Suddenly, they were a very hot commodity.

In 1886, 23-year-old Sears invested his $5000 cash profit into a new watch business and called it the R. W. Sears Watch Company. He advertised in regional newspapers and soon moved the business from Minneapolis to Chicago.

Occasionally the watches came back needing repairs, so in 1887, Sears decided it was time to hire a helper. A young watch repairman from Hammond, Indiana responded to Sears help wanted ad and was hired immediately.

And what was the watch repairman’s name?

Alvah Curtis Roebuck.

Richard and Alvah became good friends and eventually partners.

In 1891, Sears and Roebuck published their first mail order catalog (52 pages), offering jewelry and watches. By 1893, the little catalog had grown to 196 pages and offered a variety of items, including sewing machines, shoes, saddles and more. By the following year, the catalog hit 507 pages.

In 1895, Alvah Roebuck decided he wanted out. The 31-year old watch repairman’s health was collapsing under the strain of this new fast-growing business. The enormous burden of debt coupled with Sears wild ways of doing business were too much for mild-mannered, methodical Alvah.

He asked Sears to buy his one-third interest in the company for $25,000.

Of course, Sears didn’t have that kind of cash on hand, so he offered Chicago businessmen Aaron Nusbaum and Julius Rosenwald (Nusbaums brother-in-law) a one-half interest in the company. The price - $75,000, or $37,500 each. Six years later, in 1901, Rosenwald and Sears decided to buy out Nusbaum and offered him $1 million for his share of the business. Nusbaum refused and asked for $1.25 million, which he received.

(Pretty tidy profit for six years!)

Following a nationwide depression in 1907, Rosenwald and Sears were at loggerheads on the best course of action to weather the economic storm. This disagreement really did highlight their radically different concepts about everything.

On November 1, 1908, 44-year-old Richard W. Sears emerged from a terse, closed-door meeting with Rosenwald and announced that he would resign as President from his own company.

Sears reason for retiring: He didnt see the work as fun anymore. A short time later, Sears sold his stock for $10 million dollars. There was another reason for his departure. Sears wanted more time to take care of his ailing wife, who had suffered from ill health for years.

In September 1914, at the age of 50, Sears died from kidney disease, having turned $50 worth of pocket watches into a multimillion dollar mail-order empire. His estate was valued at more than $20 million.

Not too bad for a kid that got his start selling unwanted watches at a little train depot in Redwood Falls.

To read Part II of this blog, click here.

Richard Warren Sears was one smart cookie. Hes shown here in his office in Sears World Headquarters (Chicago).

Richard Warren Sears was one smart cookie. He's shown here in his office the Sears' Headquarters (Chicago), at the corner of Homan Avenue and Arthington Street. It's claimed that Mr. Sears had one of the very first telephones in the state of Illinois. He had another telephone installed in his mother's home in Oak Park. Now *that's* a good son! :)

Look at that telephone! I bet that would fetch a pretty price on eBay! And you may notice that Mr. Sears is holding a Sears catalog in his right hand. He was quite the promoter.

Sears retired from his own company in 1908, which was the same years that Sears issued its first "Sears Modern Homes" catalog (shown above).

Did you know that Sears sold cars in the 1950s? You’ll never guess the brand name they gave to their vehicles!

To learn more about Sears Homes, click here.

To read another really fun blog, click here.

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Cooking - Off the Grid!

November 24th, 2012 Sears Homes 3 comments

As has become our annual tradition, hubby cooked our 18-pound turkey on his Weber Charcoal Grill. It was one of the most delicious birds I’ve ever enjoyed. The best part was that it was cooked 100% “off the grid.”

The charcoal is a no-brainer. Lots of people know how to use charcoal to cook their meat.

But the secret of a well-cooked bird is the rotisserie attachment which spins the meat at a slow speed. This year, the small but powerful rotisserie motor was powered by our new “Solar System,” three 15-watt solar panels which we recently installed at The Ringer Ranch.

These three photovoltaic panels convert the sun’s rays into electricity, which is stored in a 12-volt deep-cycle marine battery. The inverter (shown below) converts the 12-volt system into 120 volts, suitable for household use.

To learn more about how we installed these solar panels, click here.

Hubby proudly points out his delicious turkey spinning on the grill.

Our three 15-watt solar panels are on top of the shed roof.

The electrical items (inverter, solar controller and battery) are inside the shed. Notice the orange extension cord coming out of the inverter? That is powering the rotisserie.

The most amazing part is that the solar panels were charging the battery *faster* than the rotisserie motor was drawing off power. And this was at 8:00 am.

Safety first. Hubby uses the five-gallon bucket to keep the cords out of the wet dew.

It was indeed a most splendiferous bird!

Want a “solar system” of your own? We did it for $351 (total cost). To buy your own, click here.

To learn more about Sears Homes, click here.

To read about a very happy Thanksgiving in 1918, click here.

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“This is a Most Attractive Little Home…”

November 18th, 2012 Sears Homes 2 comments

Last month, I wrote about “The Experiment,” where Sears built two Sears Rodessas (small bungalows) side-by-side in Cairo, Illinois, to prove the superiority of the Ready-cut System. The two homes were built in the late 1910s, and now, almost 100 years later, those wonderful little houses are still standing.

Why did Sears choose the Rodessa for their experiment? I don’t know. It was a popular house for Sears, but it wasn’t that popular! If I were to venture a guess, I’d say it was in the Top 50 Most Popular Designs.

However, it was, as the Sears ad promised, “a most attractive little home.” It was cute, simple and practical, which probably made it easy to build in a hurry.

In my travels, I’ve come across several Rodessas. In fact, there’s one not far from me in Urbana, Virginia. You can read about that house by clicking here.

To read more about the Rodessa, scroll down!

Indeed, the Rodessa is a "pretty little home." And look at the price!!

Look at those small bedrooms. In 2012, a room that measures 9-feet square is a walk-in closet!

And what does that "B" stand for in the kitchen? BOILER!

The "boiler" (whose placement is indicated with the "B" in the floorplan) was a water heater with a water line that ran through the back of the cook stove. Pretty complicated affair.

"This is a most attractive little home."

In 1924, Mr. Kidwell built this Rodessa in Washington DC and sent this snapshot in to Sears and Roebuck. He was "fully satisfied" with his Ready-cut home.

In 1926, Sears put out a brochure that was titled, "Happy Homes." The Rodessa was featured within its pages. According to the accompanying text, it was built in Independence, MO.

Not sure why Sears included a picture of corn with the testimonial.

It's endured some significant remodelings, but at least it's still standing. This transmogrified Rodessa is in Wood River, Illinois (just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, MO). That salt-treated porch railing just does not work on this old bungalow.

This Rodessa may look a little blue, but it's actually a very happy house with lots of good self-esteem. It's in Northern Illinois. Photo is copyright 2010 Rebecca Hunter and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.

Here's the Rodessa in my home state (Virginia). It's located in a tiny fishing village known as Urbana. The plaque over the door reads, "Sears Roebuck House, 1924." I was told that the folks in Urbana didn't realize that Sears had 369 other kit home designs. This is a fairly common misconception. This 88-year-old house is in beautiful condition.

And here are the two Rodessas that were built side-by-side at the site of the old Sears Mill (in Cairo, IL). They were built in the late 1910s as part of an experiment to prove that "The Ready-Cut Method" was far more efficient than traditional building practices of the time.

The house that was built using traditional building practices took 583 hours and the poor saps aren't finished yet. The yard is still a mess with scraps of lumber scattered hither and yon. The workers have collapsed on the front porch in utter despair and humiliation.

Ah, but the pre-cut Sears Kit Home is all buttoned up and beautiful! They even had time to finish up the landscaping! The kitchen windows are wide open. They had so much time to spare that they went inside and cooked dinner!

By 1933, the Rodessa had undergone a radical transformation. The clipped gables were gone, as were the dramatically oversized eaves. The unique shape of the front porch was replaced with a simpler gabled roof. In a word, its flair and panache had been replaced with pedestrian and dull.

Learn more about the two Rodessas at the Sears Mill by clicking here.

How did Sears Homes become so popular so fast? Read about that here.

Looking for the perfect Christmas gift? It’s just one click away!

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Hazelton: House of Threes (Part II)

November 17th, 2012 Sears Homes 4 comments

As mentioned in a prior blog, the Hazelton is an easy house to spot, because of the unique window arrangement. I think of it as “The House of Threes.”

The Hazelton has three windows in that shed dormer. There are three windows on the wide of the house (in front of the bay window). And there are three windows flanking the front door (right and left). And there are six windows in that dining room bay (divisible by three).

To read the prior blog, click here.

The great majority of Sears Homes can be found in the Midwest, but Rachel Shoemaker found a bevy of these early 20th Century kit homes in Tulsa, Oklahoma. And she managed to get inside a Hazelton in wonderfully original condition!

Enjoy the photos below! And many thanks to Rachel for these wonderful photos.

To read Part I of this blog, click here.

Sears Hazelton as seen in the 1916 Modern Homes catalog.

Floorplan of the Sears Hazelton.

Sears Hazelton in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Photograph is copyright 2012 Rachel Jean Shoemaker and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.

A Sears Hazelton in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This house - nearing the 100-year-old mark - is still in wonderfully original condition. Photograph is copyright 2012 Rachel Jean Shoemaker and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.

Commemorative plaque puts the home's age at an impressive 98 years. I'd love to know more about how the owners got this house on the National Register. In my travels, being a "Sears kit house" is not enough for this unique distinctive (as defined by the Secretary of Interior). Photograph is copyright 2012 Rachel Jean Shoemaker and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.

Inside, the house is in mostly original condition! Notice all the wooden trim, unpainted and with a beautiful patina. Photograph is copyright 2012 Rachel Jean Shoemaker and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.

Throughout the house, its originality shines through. A few of the original light fixtures are still in place. Photograph is copyright 2012 Rachel Jean Shoemaker and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.

The bathroom has been renovated, but the original tub was saved. The tile floor and walls are new, but were tastefully done, in a style that's in accord with the time period. Photograph is copyright 2012 Rachel Jean Shoemaker and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.

And old ad from the Sears Roebuck building materials catalog shows a typical mantel available for $15. (Notice, gas logs were available for an extra $9.33.)

The brick work was re-done but the mantel looks much like it did in the 1915 catalog (above). Photograph is copyright 2012 Rachel Jean Shoemaker and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.

Close-up of mantel detail and beveled mirror.

An early building materials catalog shows an old door

An early building materials catalog shows an original oak "Craftsman" door.

In the dining room, those four windows (in the bump out) also retain their original wood finish. Photograph is copyright 2012 Rachel Jean Shoemaker and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.

One of the best features of a Sears kit home were all the built-ins. Even small cubby holes were turned into storage space. Photograph is copyright 2012 Rachel Jean Shoemaker and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.

The Sears Hazleton was first offered 100 years ago, and the Hazelton in Tulsa was built in 1914, about 98 years ago. These houses were built with first-glass building materials and a full century later, there are still a few Sears Homes that are in incredibly beautiful condition.

To read about the other kit homes in Tulsa, click here.

Looking for the perfect Christmas gift? Click here!

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Hazelton: House of Threes

November 17th, 2012 Sears Homes 4 comments

The Hazelton is an easy house to spot, because of the unique window arrangement. It was one of the first Sears kit home designs that I memorized, because it is “The House of Threes.”

Take a good look at the windows. The Hazelton has three windows in that shed dormer. There are three windows on the wide of the house (in front of the bay window). And there are three windows flanking the front door (right and left). And there are six windows in that dining room bay (divisible by three).

And “Hazelton” is a three-syllable word!

Another very distinctive feature is the tiny side windows in that dining room bay. Lots of early 20th Century bungalows have a small bump-out in the dining room, but very few have that small side window.

And take a good look at where that shed dormer is positioned on the roof. It’s a bit shy of the ridge board at the tippy top.

Many folks send me photos of houses that resemble the Hazelton, but they’re not paying close attention to the details, such as the placement of that shed dormer and the positioning of the windows. Every Hazelton is a bungalow, but every bungalow is not a Hazelton!

To read Part II on The Hazelton (with many interior shots of a Sears Hazelton in Oklahoma) click here.

Sears Hazleton

Hazelton

Hazletons abound in Illinois!

Prior to 1918, Sears homes had numbers, not names. By the way, the Hazelton shown in the first picture is apparently in Bay Shore, NY. Wonder if it's still there?

Floor plan shows two bedrooms downstairs. What's the difference between a "chamber" and a bedroom? I wish I knew. Some say that a chamber is just a first-floor bedroom.

This Hazelton in Edwardsville, Illinois has been remodeled a bit.

This photo was taken in 2003 when I visited Chilicothe, IL.

Illinois does love its Hazeltons. This house is in Tamms.

Another seriously remodeled Hazleton. This one is in Litchfield, IL.

Tomorrow, Ill post several interior photos of a Sears Hazelton in beautiful condition!! Same time, same channel! :)

To learn more about Sears Homes, click here.

To buy the perfect Christmas gift for your friends, family, cat and dog, click here.

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Categories: Uncategorized Tags: aladdin kit homes, all sears homes, alvah c. roebuck, bengali, books on bungalows, bungalow books, bungalows, bungalows from sears, cerro gordo, chicago bungalows, craftsman bungalows, craftsman houses, craftsman style, craftsman tools, craftsmen tools, details on a bungalow, dining room bay, do I have a sears house, gordon van time, gordon van tine, hazelton, hazleton, homart appliances, homart homes, honor bilt, honor built, houses by mail, houses for sale in illinois, how to identify kit homes, illinois bungalows, impeach obama, is nixon living in a kit home, kit houses, kit houses from Sears, kits from gordon van tine, Lewis Homes, lewis manufacturing, liberty homes, mail order house, mail-order catalog, Nixon's first home, obama should be impeached, oklahoma kit homes, please impeach obama, precut homes, precut kit homes, precut kits, prefab home, prefab houses, prefab kit, richard warren sears, ridge board, Rose Thornton, Rosemary Thornton, sears and roebuck, sears bungalows, sears craftsman, Sears Homes, sears homes of Illinois, sears honor built homes, Sears house, sears houses, sears kit houses, sears roebuck, sterling homes, the hazelton, the hazleton, the historic homes of oklahoma, the history of bengali, the houses that sears built, the kit homes of illinois, the lead paint in old houses, the reasons I love a bungalow, the vallonia, three windows, wardway homes, watergate and nixon, why are sears homes so popular

The Glendale: A Good Substantial House of Nice Appearance

November 8th, 2012 Sears Homes 1 comment

World-famous Realtor and Sears House aficionado Catarina Bannier found this Glendale in the DC area, and sent me a bevy of wonderful photos, showcasing this beautiful Glendale.

Probably built in the early 1910s, this house is in amazingly original condition. And Catarina got some great photos!

The double windows situated at the corners of this foursquare make the Glendale easy to spot. The smaller windows (front and side) with the diamond muntins are also a distinctive feature.

To learn more about the Sears Homes that Catarina has found in DC, click here.

To learn more about Sears Houses in Illinois, click here.

The Sears Glendale, as seen in the 1919 catalog.

An unhappy Glendale in Mounds, Illinois (just outside of Cairo). This photo was snapped in 2010. Most likely, this house has now been torn down.

"Every bit of space has been used to the best advantage..." And all this for $1,748.

And heres Catarinas Glendale in the DC area.

Did I mention that this house is in wonderfully original condition? WOW, look at the details! How many hands have brushed past the finial on this newel post in the last 100 years? Photo is copyright 2012 Catarina Bannier and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.

Close-up from the original catalog page.

Close-up of the newel posts from the original catalog page.

The Glendale had two small fixed sashes on the first floor.

The newel posts inside are even prettier!

And further down the staircase, you'll see the distinctive plinth block that is typically found in Sears Homes. The problem of matching up difficult compound joints was solved with this simple block. Photo is copyright 2012 Catarina Bannier and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.

And theres an original light fixture in one of the bedrooms.

If you look closely at the floorplan, you'll see the built-in hutch in the dining room. Also, take a look at the lone column in the doorway between the "parlor" and the dining room.

The second floor shows four tiny bedrooms and a very long hallway.

A view of those original windows from inside.

Inside, there's a column and small shelf on just ONE side of the living room/dining room entry. This is also shown on the floorplan (above). Photo is copyright 2012 Catarina Bannier and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.

To learn more about how to identify Sears Homes, click here.

To read about the PERFECT Christmas gift, click here. You’ll be glad you did!

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Categories: Uncategorized Tags: aladdin houses, aladdin kit homes, aladdin prefab, all you want to know about sears homes, alvah roebuck, america the beautiful, American foursquare, bengali, benghazi and impeachment, big bucks, built-in bookcases, built-ins, bungalow, bungalows, catalog homes, catalog houses, chicago bungalow, chicago bungalows, colonnades, columns in the living room, cook county politics, craftsman houses, craftsman tools, do I have one of those, five easy pieces, five thousand pieces, foursquare houses, foursquares, glendale, glendale by sears, history detectives, history of houses, homart appliances, homart homes, honor bilt sears homes, honor built, houses built by craftsman, houses by mail, houses from mail, houses that sears built, how can I tell if I have a sears home, how to find a sears house, i love my sears house, interior shots of sears homes, Jeff Davis and WLS, kit and prefab, kit homes, kit homes from a catalog, kit houses, navy seals and benghazi, obama is a traitor, old kit homes, opening the first retail store, original condition of old houses, precut houses, precut kit homes, prefab and precut, prefab houses, prefabricated houses, prefabricated kit homes, richard warren sears, rosemary fuller, Rosemary Thornton, sears and chicago, sears and roebuck, sears and roeubuck, sears bungalows, sears catalog bungalows, sears foursquare, sears honor built, sears houses from chicago, sears modern, Sears Modern Homes, sears prefabs, sears retail stores, sears roebuck, starbucks, the history of sears, the history of sears homes, the history of sears houses, the houses from sears, the sears glendale, who was roebuck, WLS, WLS and Jeff Davis, WLS radio

Will The Real Sears “Del Rey” Please Stand Up?

October 11th, 2012 Sears Homes 2 comments

The Sears Del Ray was patterned after a popular design that popped up in several places in the late 1910s/early 1920s.

One hundred years later, it’s hard to figure out who deserves credit for designing this attractive bungalow.

The Sears Del Rey, as seen in the 1921 Sears Modern Homes catalog. From what I can glean, it first appeared in 1920 or 1919.

The Sears Del Rey, as seen in the 1921 Sears Modern Homes catalog. From what I can glean, it first appeared in their catalog in 1920 or 1919.

If I were a better woman, Id say that it started here.

In February 1922, this design won The "Blue Ribbon Award" in the popular building magazine, "American Carpenter and Builder."

The accompanying article in American Carpenter and Builder states, “I am a student at Sanford University, and I erected and completed this charming little residence with the assistance of one carpenter during my summer vacation. It was sold as soon as finished. I will build more during the coming year.”

In other words, in the early 1920s, a California college student spent his summer vacation building the Del Rey’s clone in the San Jose area. (Reminds me of a song! “Do you know the ‘Rey in San Jose?“)

Oopsie. Heres another one. This is Pacific Ready Cut Homes Moderl #385. Gosh, it looks just like a Del Rey too!

Oopsie. Here's another one. This is Pacific Ready Cut Homes Model #385. Gosh, it looks just like a Del Rey too! (1919 Pacific Ready Cut Homes.)

Personally, I find "breathing houses" worrisome.

And heres a real San Jose in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Photo is copyright 2012 Rachel Shoemaker and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.

And here's a Del Rey in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Maybe. Or maybe it's the 1922 "Blue Ribbon Winner." Or maybe it's Pacific Ready Cut! Photo is copyright 2012 Rachel Shoemaker and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.

Ah, but here we have a bona fide Sears Del Rey, authenticated by Rebecca Hunter. This darling house is in Elgin, Illinois. The photo was snapped in 2002 (at Halloween)!

Floorplan for the Del Rey shows a sleeping porch that is usually converted into another bedroom (1921 catalog).

Floorplan for the Del Rey shows a screened porch (right rear) that is usually converted into another bedroom (1921 catalog).

In the 1924, Mr. Gray built this Del Ray in Ohio (from a testimonial published in the 1924 Sears Modern Homes catalog). Sure would be fun to find out if this REAL Del Rey is still standing.

According to the 1924 catalog, this Del Ray was built in Ohio.

Accompanying text gives the name and city. Is it still there?

Here's a Del Rey in Wheaton, IL.

This one is in Rocky Mount, NC.

Dale and I found this little house in Fullerton, California (oops, I THINK it was Fullerton). Most likely, this is the Pacific Ready Cut Home Model #385 with a modified shed roof over the porch.

To learn more about Sears Homes, click here.

To read the next blog, click here.

To learn more about Pacific Homes, click here.

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South Carolina, Churlish Chiggers, and Fake Maggies

July 25th, 2012 Sears Homes No comments

Last month, I spent several days traveling in South Carolina. I visited many cities in the northern part of South Carolina but found very few Sears Homes. The highlight of the trip was Anderson, where I found several kit homes from Sterling Homes (a competitor to Sears).

Click here to see photos of those houses.

I did, however, find more than 20 chiggers. Or should I say, they found me. I was in Pumpkintown, SC merrily traipsing through a happy, happy meadow when I picked up Satan’s microscopic hitchhikers.

Suffice it to say, my sufferings in the next few days rivaled that of Job, who used pottery shards to relieve the itch of his sores. (Having endured this misery, I’m now convinced that old Job hisself got into a mess of chiggers.)

But I digress…

During an earlier trip to Blacksburg, South Carolina (February 2011), I’d visited the twin of the Sears Magnolia.

The house in Blacksburg turned out to be a fake Sears Magnolia. And yet, it was so close to the real thing. After spending three days at this fine house, I decided it could not be a Magnolia.

In retrospect, I believe it may have been an early pattern book house, and that the fine folks at Sears discovered this pattern book design and incorporated it into their “Book of Modern Homes,” calling it, The Magnolia.

The house in Blacksburg was built about 1910 (according to tax records), which also fits with my pattern book theory.

This “SCFM” (”South Carolina Faux Maggy”) is four feet wider and four feet longer than the Sears Magnolia, which is interesting (and also fits with the above theory). When Sears “borrowed” patters from other sources, they’d change the dimensions a bit, and in the case of the SCFM, it was a tiny bit too big for Sears purposes, so shrinking the footprint made a lot of sense.

One more interesting detail: The underside of the front porch (eaves) shows that there are ten brackets on the Sears Magnolia. The SCFM has eight brackets. The Magnolia’s dormer has four of these eave brackets. The SCFM has three. These are the kind of details that matter.

I seriously doubt the SCFM is the only one of its kind. Does your town have a fake Magnolia?

To read my favorite blog on the Sears Magnolia, click here. It’s an old carpenter telling about HOW he built a Magnolia in the 1920s.

To read about the sweet ride that carried me to old South Carolina, click here.

The Sears Magnolia, as seen in the 1921 catalog.

And here's the SCFM in Blacksburg. It's NOT a Sears House, but it sure is close.

Really, really close.

I mean, c'mon. You can't get much closer than this. And yet, this is not a Sears Magnolia. Sadly. All the details are just so darn close...

Even has those distinctive marginal lites.

And the porch is a good match, too.

One of the first thigns that caught my eye were these columns. Theyre concrete. The Sears Magnolia had hollow wooden columns (poplar). No kit house is going to come with concrete two-story Corinthian columns. The weight would be enormous. When I saw these columns I knew - this was not a kit home from Sears.

One of the first details that caught my eye were these columns. They're concrete. The Sears Magnolia had hollow wooden columns (poplar). No kit house is going to come with concrete two-story Corinthian columns. The weight would be enormous. When I saw these columns I knew - this was not a kit home from Sears.

Minus the concrete columns, it's still such a good match.

Inside the house, it has a "Magnolia Room"! How apropos!

The citys records show that this house was built in 1910, and those city records are not always right, but in this case, I suspect theyre close. The SCFM had a fireplace in every room and they were coal-burning fireplaces, which was typical for homes built in the first years of the 1900s.

The city's records show that this house was built in 1910, and oftimes, those city records are not always right, but in this case, I suspect they're close. The SCFM had a fireplace in every room and they were coal-burning fireplaces, which was typical for homes built in the first years of the 1900s. The Magnolia had two fireplaces, both wood-burning.

This beautifully decorated house has a massive entry hall, but that's one of the problems. The floorplan for this SCFM is NOT a good match to the Magnolia's floorplan. Plus, the Sears Magnolia had nine-foot ceilings. The ceilings in this house were 10' or more.

The staircase in the real Magnolia is in a different spot. It's much closer to the front of the house, whereas the SCFM's staircase is much further back, and its hallway goes straight back to a rear entry door (unlike the floorplan above).

In the end, I had to boldly declare that this was NOT a Sears Magnolia which made me very sad. However, it did tell me that this was probably a planbook house at some point. Now we just need to figure out WHICH plan book!

Also in Blacksburg, SC I found my favorite Alhambra of all time. Its LAVENDAR!

Also in Blacksburg, SC I found my favorite Alhambra of all time. It's LAVENDER!

If you see this house, send me an email!

Such a beauty - but it's not from Sears.

To contact Rose, leave a comment below.

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Categories: Uncategorized Tags: 12000 easy pieces, 12000 pieces, aladdin, aladdin kit homes, aladdin precut houses, aladdin precuts, alhambra, alvah c. roebuck, American foursquare, blacksburg is a college town, blacksburg sc homes, book of modern homes, bungalow, bungalows, chiggers, chiggers and meadows, craftsman style homes, fake maggy, fake sears homes, faux maggy, finding the houses that sears built, for great houses, four squares, foursquare, foursquare homes, gordon van time, gordon van tine, gordon van tine kit homes, great american homes, homart appliances, homart homes, homes in blacksburgs, honor bilt, honor built, houses by mail, houses in south carolina, how to identify sears homes, kit houses, lewis and sterling, Lewis Homes, little houses, log cabins, magnolia, magnolia in south carolina, Magnolia kit home, mail order, mail order homes, mail order house, not a sears house, precut, precut houses, precut kits, precut kits from sears, precut vs. prefab, prefab, prefabricated houses, prefabricated kits from mail order, pumpkintown, pumpkintown sc, richard sears, richard warren sears, Rose Thornton, rosemary fuller thornton, Rosemary Thornton, sears alhambra, sears bungalows, sears foursquare, sears home, sears homes of Illinois, Sears house, sears kit houses, sears magnolia, sears precut, sears prefab, sears roseberry, sears weather beater, sears wish book, south carolina, south carolina and it's kit homes, sovereign brothers, the chiggers of south carolina, the little house, the magnolia, the sears homes in hopewell, the sears roebuck house, weatherbeater, weatherbeater paint, why I love blacksburg, williamsburg, williamsburg houses

The Columbine: The Flower of Sears Homes

July 10th, 2012 Sears Homes No comments

The Columbine (from the Latin word for “dove”) is Colorado’s state flower; it’s a perennial plant that grows naturally in meadows and forests.

And it’s also a fairly unusual Sears kit house.

The Sears Columbine has several unusual features, which makes it easy to identify. But this model was not very popular, which means you’re probably not going to find too many of them.

Sears Columbine as seen in the 1921 catalog.

And the 1928 catalog. Notice it's a little different from the 1921 picture.

In 1928 (left) the dentil molding is gone. And interesting, the two catalog images (1928 and 1921) are from different angles. I don't think I've seen any other Sears catalog images that showed the house from two different angles in different years.

The floorplan in both 1928 and 1921 was the same.

In the lower left of the 1928 catalog is the slightly different version of the Sears Columbine.

In the lower left of the 1928 catalog page was the slightly different version of the Sears Columbine. The front porch was the only difference between "A" and "B" models.

Here's a Columbine (Model B) in Elgin, IL. Rebecca Hunter has discovered that Elgin has more than 200 Sears Homes, making it THE largest collection of Sears Homes in the country. Photo is copyright 2010 Rebecca Hunter and can not be used or reproduced without written permission.

To read about Rebecca’s newest book, click here.

Sears Columbine, as seen in 1921.

Here's a beautiful Columbine in Wheaton, IL. The large addition (to the right) was very tastefully done.

The pretty Columbine from a slightly different angle.

To learn more about how to identify Sears Homes, click here.

To read about Rebecca’s new book, click here.

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Older Entries

Archive

The Sunlight in Springfield!

Richard Warren Sears: My Hero

Cooking - Off the Grid!

“This is a Most Attractive Little Home…”

Hazelton: House of Threes (Part II)

Hazelton: House of Threes

The Glendale: A Good Substantial House of Nice Appearance

Will The Real Sears “Del Rey” Please Stand Up?

South Carolina, Churlish Chiggers, and Fake Maggies

The Columbine: The Flower of Sears Homes

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