Friday, December 15, 2017

Winter Delights 2017

Authenticated Sears Crescent in West Dundee, Illinois (Thanks, Eileen!)
This is probably my favorite blog post every year. I love doing research, but I'm a sucker for houses decorated for the winter holidays. This year, I'm including some Sears houses, though many are not. So, without further ado, here we go!

Merry Christmas!
Happy Winter
Here's to a 
Happy and Healthy 
New Year!

Authenticated Sears Lewiston in Webster Groves, Missouri (read about it here in one of my first blog posts )

Webster Groves, Missouri
Kirkwood, Missouri

Sears Puritan in Cincinnati, Ohio (Thanks, Debbie!)

Sears Brookside, in the Wyoming neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio
Photograph by Cindy Catanzaro (may not be used without permission)

 Another view of the Sears Brookside, in the Wyoming neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio
Photograph by Cindy Catanzaro (may not be used without permission)
Webster Groves, Missouri

Webster Groves, Missouri

St. Johns, Michigan

Inside the home of Andrew & Wendy Mutch, a Sears Hamilton, in Novi, Michigan

Inside the home of Andrew & Wendy Mutch, a Sears Hamilton, in Novi, Michigan
(Sears pattern brick fireplace and Sears mantel!)

Inside the home of Andrew & Wendy Mutch, a Sears Hamilton, in Novi, Michigan

Glendale, Missouri

Glendale, Missouri

Webster Groves, Missouri

Glendale, Missouri

Webster Groves, Missouri

Webster Groves, Missouri

Another view of this beauty in Webster Groves, Missouri

University City, Missouri... a famous Sears house!

Here it is! The Sears Elmhurst, on Northmoor, in University City, Missouri

Kirkwood, Missouri

A beautiful bungalow in Georgia (thanks, Malory!)

A beautiful bungalow in Georgia (thanks, Malory!)

Inside that beautiful bungalow in Georgia (thanks, Malory!)
Inside that beautiful bungalow in Georgia (thanks, Malory!)

Glendale, Missouri

Webster Groves, Missouri

Glendale, Missouri

Glendale, Missouri

Webster Groves, Missouri

Another view of this lovely home in Webster Groves, Missouri
Webster Groves, Missouri
Webster Groves, Missouri



Webster Groves, Missouri
Aladdin Capitol with Christmas lights
A suspected Aladdin Capitol, in Downington, Pennsylvania

The Old White Cupboard Inn, Woodstock, Vermont
Photograph by artist Laurel Tobiason (may not be used without permission)

The Old White Cupboard Inn, Woodstock, Vermont
Photograph by artist Laurel Tobiason (may not be used without permission)
Beautiful downtown Woodstock, Vermont
Photograph by artist Laurel Tobiason (may not be used without permission)

Beautiful downtown Woodstock, Vermont
Photograph by artist Laurel Tobiason (may not be used without permission)

Beautiful downtown Woodstock, Vermont
Photograph by artist Laurel Tobiason (may not be used without permission)

From my home to yours, Happy Holidays!

Monday, December 11, 2017

Gordon-Van Tine No. 547 In Winsted, Connecticut

yellow house for sale at 70 Crescent Street, Winsted, CT
Probable Gordon-Van Tine No. 547 • 1927 • 70 Crescent Street, Winsted, Connecticut

Gordon Van Tine No. 547 in catalog 1927
This infographic showing the Gordon-Van Tine No. 547, is actually from a previous blog post of mine, showing a GVT No. 140.  This 1927 model was sold as a pre-cut kit. (Click to enlarge)
Here's a funny thing: Fellow researcher, Andrew Mutch, just published a blog post about how we use Zillow (and other real estate websites) to help us find kit houses. It was both interesting and informative, and one of the things that he mentioned, was that searching by putting the word, Sears, in the key-word box, will usually result in non-helpful listings... usually ones that are not Sears houses at all. So, for fun, today, I did just that... and up came this Gordon-Van Tine model No. 547, listed as a Sears house. But, I don't mind! I'm happy to have come across it. I ran across an Aladdin Warren a while back, also listed as a Sears house. I'll post that one below.

listing description for 70 Crescent St Winsted CT
Here's the wording in the listing for the Winsted, CT GVT house. 

One thing we've noticed, is that the term Craftsman, is sometimes assumed to mean Sears house. And, in reverse, I have known people to assume that, when I mention Sears houses, I am talking about any/all houses built in the Craftsman style. Probably, some people confuse Sears' use of the name Craftsman to apply to their line of tools, with the architectural style we know as Craftsman, or American Arts & Crafts.  So, to clarify: Sears houses are not all of the Craftsman architectural style (though many are!), and the Craftsman tool line by Sears, has nothing to do with Sears houses. When we say Sears house, we really mean a house bought from a Sears catalog, whose parts were all bundled up and sent to the homeowner, so that he could build it himself, or have it built.

sears craftsman tool set
A Sears Craftsman line tool set, advertised online.

Wikipedia article on American Craftsman architectural style
The start of an interesting article on Wikipedia, explaining what the Craftsman architectural style is.
Click to enlarge, or go to the link to read more.

So, this Gordon-Van Tine house was labeled as a Sears house, either because the owner learned, at some point, that the house had been bought as a kit (and most people have only heard of Sears house kits, so they just apply that name and call it a Sears house), or the listing agent, hearing that it was a Craftsman house, related that to Sears. Who knows! But, it's not a Sears house... it was made by the Gordon-Van Tine company. At least... all signs point to that being the case. We don't have authenticating evidence... but, it definitely looks like a GVT No. 547.

If you'd like more information about the Gordon-Van Tine company, check out Dale Wolicki's website, GordonVanTine.com.  If you'd like to learn more about Gordon-Van Tine's lumber plant in St. Louis, Missouri, check out this past blog post of mine. It's near the end of the post, but you get to see a good GVT Glencoe in St. Louis, along the way!  

Let's look a bit more at the Winsted, Connecticut house. It seems to follow the floor plan of the GVT No. 547, except for the existence of a small window at the base of the stairs.

Gordon Van Tine No. 547 floor plan first floor


living room of yellow house for sale at 70 Crescent Street, Winsted, CT
Here we see the little unexpected window, at the base of the stairs. But, what is correct is: the placement of the staircase; the placement of the door at the base of the stairs, to lead into the back bedroom; the placement of the window; and the opening in the wall (that we're looking through), that leads to the dining room. The shape of the starting stair tread is also the same as what is shown in the floor plan. That newel is a GVT-style newel... and, I just noticed that there are no spindles on the staircase! Surely, that can't be to code!
living room and staircase of yellow house for sale at 70 Crescent Street, Winsted, CT
The same room, from a different angle. You can see the opening to head into the dining room, on the left. The photo is being taken through the front door, from the porch.

bedroom of yellow house for sale at 70 Crescent Street, Winsted, CT
This is the back bedroom, on the first floor.
The closet and window are just where they are shown on the floor plan.

dining room of yellow house for sale at 70 Crescent Street, Winsted, CT
The dining room is place correctly, and the window in the center is right.
What beautiful floors these are! I love the patina of old wood.
Upstairs
There are two bedrooms with closets, at the front and the back of the house, each with double windows, and a bathroom between them, where the nice, big dormer is, on the side of the roof:
Gordon Van Tine No. 547 floor plan second floor

bedroom in yellow house for sale at 70 Crescent Street, Winsted, CT

bedroom in yellow house for sale at 70 Crescent Street, Winsted, CT
This must be the front bedroom

lavendar bathroom  in yellow house for sale at 70 Crescent Street, Winsted, CT
It's pretty easy to install a surround like this, to allow for a stand-up shower using a clawfoot tub.
Just be sure to keep that shower curtain inside the tub while running the shower! Ha! 

 yellow house for sale at 70 Crescent Street, Winsted, CT
 yellow house for sale at 70 Crescent Street, Winsted, CT
Here is that left side of the house, full on:
 yellow house for sale at 70 Crescent Street, Winsted, CT
back porch, kitchen, pantry, dining room, front porch... and dormer for bathroom
 yellow house for sale at 70 Crescent Street, Winsted, CT
And, here's the right side.
Gordon-Van Tine made some models -- pre-cut, and not pre-cut -- that had a very similar look to this. One of the obvious differences, is on the front porch. This house has a central door, with a full-size window on either side. Some of the other models had only the door, with one large window. Also, this model has the two upper front windows touching one another. Other, earlier, and non pre-cut, models, have a bit of space between those two windows. Again, here is that earlier blog post of mine, about a Gordon-Van Tine No. 140, in New York state, showing several of those models, including this one.

 yellow house for sale at 70 Crescent Street, Winsted, CT
I love those deep cornice returns that we so often see on GVT houses.. and nice, deep eaves. No need for gutters, when you have deep eaves, because the rain water will fall far enough away from the side of the house.
Another Non-Sears Sears House Real Estate Listing:
An Aladdin Warren in Stottville, New York
Here is another listing that describes a house as a Sears house. It actually looks to be an Aladdin Homes Warren model. 
red house for sale at 6658 Chester Ave Stottville NY
6658 Chester Avenue, Stottville, New York
This blurb about the house, even mentions that it was featured on a PBS show called, "A House for The Arts"... I wonder if they referred to it then, as a Sears house?  
From the Realtor.com listing, here.
This house, instead, looks like a dead ringer for the Aladdin Homes' Warren model. Here it is, up against the image of the Warren, shown in the 1919 Aladdin Homes catalog:
red house for sale at 6658 Chester Ave Stottville NY compared to Aladdin Warren
You can find a link to Aladdin catalogs on this blog post of mine. 
I won't go into a room-by-room comparison, but I'll show you the floor plan, and lots of interior photos, from two different listings of this house:

Aladdin Warren model with floor plan 1919 catalog
From the 1919 Aladdin catalog

Aladdin Warren model floor plan
Floor plan of the Aladdin Warren
And... some more photos from the real estate listings (click on any, to enlarge):
red house for sale at 6658 Chester Ave Stottville NY

living room of red house for sale at 6658 Chester Ave Stottville NY

living room of red house for sale at 6658 Chester Ave Stottville NY

living room of red house for sale at 6658 Chester Ave Stottville NY

kitchen of red house for sale at 6658 Chester Ave Stottville NY

living room and bedroom of red house for sale at 6658 Chester Ave Stottville NY

bedroom of red house for sale at 6658 Chester Ave Stottville NY

bedroom of red house for sale at 6658 Chester Ave Stottville NY

back of red house for sale at 6658 Chester Ave Stottville NY

To learn more about Aladdin Homes, may I suggest:

This informative blog post by Lara Solonickne, who writes the blog, Sears Homes of Chicagoland
This previous blog post of mine, about three documented Aladdin bungalows
This incredible blog post, again on Sears Homes of Chicagoland, about the planned "Aladdin City" in the Miami area, in the mid 1920s.
This previous blog post of mine, about several streets full of Aladdin homes, purchased and built by the Bristol Brass Company, in Bristol, Connecticut