Springfield Ohio | Sears Modern Homes

A Supersized Aladdin Villa in Bartlesville, Oklahoma!

April 10th, 2013 Sears Homes 4 comments

The Sears House Lady of Tulsa, also known as indefatigable kit house researcher Rachel Shoemaker, made a little detour the other day on her way home (as we kit house lovers are wont to do), and made a wonderful discovery: A supersized Aladdin Villa in Bartlesville, Oklahoma!

The Aladdin Villa, as offered in the 1919 catalog, was 62 feet across the front (including the sunporch). That’s a big house, but the Villa that Rachel discovered is even wider.

Best of all, the Villa in Bartlesville is well-loved, and has been painstakingly maintained.

To visit Rachel’s website, click here.

Interested in learning how to identify kit homes? Click here.

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The Aladdin Villa was the crme de le creme

The Villa was the crème de la crème of Aladdin's kit homes. It was spacious, beautiful, and elegant. This drawing was based on the Villa built in Bay City, Michigan (the corporate headquarters for Aladdin). Maybe that's Otto and William on the front porch?

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Unlike most kit homes, the Villa had plenty of room, and one of the more interesting options available was third floor maids rooms.

One of the more interesting options available was the "third floor maids' quarters."

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The Villa's living room was prominently featured in the 1919 Aladdin catalog.

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And the Villa's sunporch had its own fireplace!

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If I'm doing my math right, this house was 62 feet across the front and 26 feet deep. That's a very spacious house. On many Villas, I've seen the optional second-floor sun room.

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The owners have done some remodeling to the house, but have done a first-class job. It's one of the most historically sensitive and thoughtful remodelings that I've ever come across. Photo is copyright 2013 Rachel Shoemaker and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.

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Rachel even managed to get a picture of this grand old house from the REAR, showing off the massive sunporch. Photo is copyright 2013 Rachel Shoemaker and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.

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But wait, there’s more!

In addition to the Villa, Rachel also found a Sears 264P233 in Bartlesville, Oklahoma!

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From the 1914 Sears Modern Homes catalog, here's a picture of the Sears Model 264P233.

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Oh my, what a perfect match!! And it's in Bartlesville! Wow!

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To visit Rachel’s website (focusing on the kit homes of Oklahoma) click here.

To learn more about Roanoke Rapids, click here.

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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.

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Look at the size of those bedrooms!

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The Sunlight (1928).

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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.

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Another view of the perfect Sunlight in Elgin, IL.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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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Categories: Uncategorized Tags: 12000 pieces, 75 page instruction, bengali, bungalow, bungalow crazy, bungalows, california bungalow, cindy catanzaro, cindy catanzaro springfield, clipped gable, craftsman style, craftsman style bungalow, crazy about bungalows, everyman's house, honor bilt, honor built, little house, pre-cut kits, pre-cut Sears, precut, precut vs. prefab, prefab, prefab houses, rocket avenue, Rose Thornton, Rosemary Thornton, sears bungalows, Sears Homes, sears kits, springfield, springfield and sears homes, springfield bungalows, springfield Il, springfield OH, springfield ohio, springfield sears homes, springfield's old houses, sunlight, sunlight kit, sunlight kit home, sunlihgt, the bungalow craze, the history of the bungalow, the houses that sears built, the little house, the old houses of springfield, the tiny house, wardway homes, wardway houses, what is a clipped gable, why I love bungalows, why I love little houses

A House Built of Honest Material: Sears Modern Home #123

April 5th, 2012 Sears Homes No comments

Reading the old Sears Modern Home catalogs is wholly delightful, and there are times that the idioms of the day make it a little bit challenging. Sears Modern Home #123 was promoted as being “a house built of honest material.”

Makes you wonder what “dishonest material” looks like.

In fact, it was an allusion to the fact that all the materials you’d need to complete your house would arrive - as promised - when you purchased your Sears Modern Home. You wouldn’t be shorted 10-feet of lumber or five pounds of nails, but you’d have a whole kit, lacking nothing.

Recently, Cindy Catanzaro found a Sears Modern Home #123 in Springfield, Ohio and was kind enough to share her photos with me. This is one of those Sears Homes that I’ve never seen “in the flesh” so this is pretty exciting to see photos of a #123.

In the 1908 catalog, this house was offered for $2,585 and yet two years later, in 1910, the price had dropped by more than half to $1,132.

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

Sears Modern Home #123 (1908 catalog).

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Same house as shown in the 1910 catalog. Look at the difference in price.

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As you can see from the floor plan, this was a very spacious house.

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The front bedroom was 21 x 14, which was unusually large for a house of this vintage. And there was a rear staircase off the back bedroom, which is also a pretty interesting feature.

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Close-up of #123 from the 1910 catalog.

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The House That Cindy Found, in Springfield. It's a perfect match to the house shown in the catalog picture (except for the TV antenna). (Photo is copyright 2012 Cindy Catanzaro and can not be used or reproduced without written permission.)

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Another view of #123. The small sash window on the front is a remnant of the large window that was originally placed where the large plate glass window is now, by the porch swing. (Photo is copyright 2012 Cindy Catanzaro and can not be used or reproduced without written permission.)

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A Supersized Aladdin Villa in Bartlesville, Oklahoma!

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