The Crescent: “For Folks Who Like a Touch of Individuality”
The Crescent was a very popular kit house for Sears, and I’d venture to guess that it was one of their top ten most popular designs.
It was offered in two floorplans (Mama-sized and Papa-sized) and with an optional extra-high roof (Grandpapa sized).
Because of this, Crescents can be found in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes, the pitch of the porch roof was changed to be more proportionate to the primary roof. Today, this results in all manner of confusion about whether or not a Crescent is the real deal.
Below are several examples of Sears Crescents from all over the country.
Sears Crescent, as seen in the 1929 Modern Homes catalog.
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"Interior Views" of the Crescent (1929).
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Close-up of the Crescent's kitchen (1929).
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Nice looking living room, too!
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The bedrooms weren't' this big but why let details get in the way of a nice story?
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The Crescent was offered with two floorplans, C33258A (shown here).
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And this C3259A (the larger floorplan). Note it has THREE columns on the front porch.
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Adding a couple dormers (on the front) to the optional "finished" second floor would have created a lot more space. The finished second floor was only offered with the smaller Crescent. But that does not mean that someone couldn't finish off the 2nd floor on their own!
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Glen Ellyn (Illinois) has a Crescent with three dormer windows.
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This dormered Crescent is in Ypsilanti. Photo is copyright 2013 Andrew and Wendy Mutch and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.
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In Ypsilanti, they like their Crescents with dormers! Photo is copyright 2013 Andrew and Wendy Mutch and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.
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A sad little Crescent waits for death in Godfrey, IL. Again, note the unique angle of the porch roof. This has also been authenticated as a Sears Home.
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A picture-perfect Crescent in Raleigh. The dormers were original to the house.
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Some Crescents have very steep porch roofs and some have very shallow. This Crescent in West Point has been authenticated by Rose as the real deal.
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This Crescent look-a-like is in Atlanta. I suspect it is NOT a Crescent.
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A Sears Crescent in Wheaton, IL.
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Hubby and I found this Crescent on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
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Is this a Sears Crescent? It's in Elmhurst IL.
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This poor Crescent in Elgin, IL has had a hurting put on it. Rebecca Hunter has authenticated this house as a Sears Crescent.
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It's been remodeled, but you can still see it's a Crescent. (Elgin, Illinois)
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This Crescent is also in Elgin, IL.
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Elgin Illinois has the largest known collection of Sears Homes in the country. They have a lot of Sears Crescents, too!
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Not surprisingly, the Chicago suburbs are full of Sears Homes. This one is in Crystal Lake.
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Another beautiful Crescent. This one is in Champaign, IL.
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I stalked this house for 30 solid minutes, but the young woman on the porch never did hang up the phone, so in desperation, I snapped a photo of the house, phone caller and all. This beauty is in Charlotte, NC.
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A perfect Crescent in Charlotte, NC.
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This Crescent also has the less-steep pitch on the porch roof, but it's most likely a Sears Crescent. Notice the medallion inside the front porch (on the wall).
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This photo was taken in 2003 (and it was scanned from an old slide) and it's in Bloomington, IL.
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Is this a Crescent? The pitch of the porch roof is much less than that of the traditional porch roof in other Crescents, but I'd be inclined to say it probably is a Crescent. This house is in Wood River, Illinois.
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This Crescent has a dramatically raised second floor. To compensate for the extra steep pitch of the roof, the porch roof was also raised a bit. This beauty is in Alton, Illinois.
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Yet another dormered Crescent is in Ypsilanti. Photo is copyright 2013 Andrew and Wendy Mutch and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.
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A beautiful and well-loved Crescent in Webster Groves, MO (near St. Louis). Again, look at the variation on the pitch of that porch roof, and yet this is an authenticated Sears Home.
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Now this house has some dormers! It's in Illinois, and was discovered by Rebecca Hunter. Photo is copyright 2013 Rebecca Hunter and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.
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The Crescent was a perennial favorite and was offered from 1919 to 1933. It's shown here in the 1933 Sears Modern Homes catalog.
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To learn more about how to identify kit homes, click here.
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