Thursday, December 22, 2022

It's a Winter Wonderland!

christmas lights on an old house Crescent
Lisa Ubel's beautiful Sears Crescent, Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania

What to do when a winter storm hits, school is cancelled, and you've got your house all ready for the upcoming Christmas festivities? Write this year's Christmastime blog post! This year, I've got a few Sears houses to share, and, as usual, a number of just nice old houses with Christmas lights.

In the St. Louis (Missouri) area, we have quite a few Sears houses, but they're not always all decorated for Christmas, and, you know, you have to be out at just the right time of the very early evening, to get the best photos (although... I don't know, but my iPhone these days takes some tremendously good night time photos). So, I don't always get December photos. But, I have a few this year!

Here's one that I've never shown on the blog before: a customized Sears Jewell, in Kirkwood, Missouri. This model goes by three names, all depending on the year: Jewell (1930), Jewel (1931, 1932), and Wilmore (1933-1940). Though we had heard about this house before, because its owners a while back had spoken about it to Rose Thornton, I found its original 1930 mortgage during my research, so that makes it a Jewell. As you can see, though, it was all turned around and re-organized when it was built. The original owner was widow Georgia E. Webster, who bought it from Sears with a $4300 mortgage (sadly, I see in later newspaper ads for the house, that it was lost to foreclosure). We took a drive around Kirkwood and Webster Groves (two lovely old towns) last night, to see the lights on lots of houses... it's my new Christmas tradition, and the only thing I request for Christmas from my husband... his happy company, pretty houses with lights, and pretty Christmas music on in the car. It was a real treat, and I was sure to drive by a few streets with Sears houses, so I found that this one had lights this year, and here it is:

christmas lights on an old house
A turned-around, re-designed 1930 Sears Jewell, in Kirkwood, Missouri

Here's the Jewell in the 1930 catalog:

sears jewell

sears jewell 1930

In Webster Groves, we have a street with a very early Elmwood model... I did the best that I could with taking the photo from my car :)

Sears Elmwood Webster Groves MO

Sears Elmwood Webster Groves MO
Sears Elmwood model on S Old Orchard, in Webster Groves, Missouri

Back in Kirkwood:
Sears Hazelton Kirkwood MO
I believe that this is a Sears Hazelton, with a peak-roof dormer (blog post, here)

christmas lights on an old house
There are lookalikes for this model, and I've never seen the interior... this may be an Elmwood or Sunbeam, but the roof style on the sleeping porch is not what we expect, and I'm not sure if the porch soffit is right. 

The rest of the houses are just ones that I particularly liked... not Sears houses, but from the era. However, let me start with a kit house from the Bennett Homes company... it's not here in St. Louis, but in Buffalo, New York, shared by its owner, through our researcher Sarah Mullane. It's a Bennett Birmingham model, and it's one of our very favorites:
Bennett Birmingham Buffalo NY
Many thanks to Paul McDonnell for sharing this photo of his beautiful home.


Thanks to our friend at Daily Bungalow, for the scan of the Bennett Birmingham, from their 1925 catalog.

Back to Missouri: these lovelies are all in Webster Groves or Kirkwood. Enjoy! 
christmas lights on an old house

christmas lights on an old house

christmas lights on an old house

christmas lights on an old house

christmas lights on an old house

christmas lights on an old house

christmas lights on an old house

christmas lights on an old house

christmas lights on an old house

christmas lights on an old house

old house with christmas lights

christmas lights on an old house


christmas lights on an old house

christmas lights on an old house

christmas lights on an old house



christmas tree in an urn planter with decorations and bow

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
For more information on who we are, and what we do, visit our website: SearsHouses.com

Saturday, July 30, 2022

New To the List: Sears No 112, Sears Wareham, Sears No 124, and More

 

color photo of blue and white two-story 4-square house, Sears No 112 121 W Maple St Granville OH
Sears No 112 • 121 W Maple Street, Granville, Ohio

We've had some very nice new additions to our national database of Sears houses, recently, thanks to a new member of our research team. We welcomed Matthew into our group in July, after he shared several really good finds with us. He has impressed us with his excellent attention to detail in identifying houses, and with his energy and non-stop focus on finding houses. To date, Matthew's finds have added 81 new houses to our list, and I know that we have another list of several more to look at.... that's in about the space of a month. 

Some of Matthew's finds have been unusual models that we have only had a few of on the list, so I wanted to take a moment to highlight these new additions, like the No. 112 in Granville, Ohio, that graces the top of today's blog post. Here's the No. 112 in the 1914 catalog, next to a side view of this house in Granville, before it was re-painted:

catalog image and real house image from the side Sears No 112
Sears No 112 in the 1914 Sears Modern Homes catalog, next to a side view of this model, in Granville, Ohio
The No 112 never had a non-numeric name, which means that we know that it was never offered past 1917... the 1918 catalog is the first year when the models were given names that weren't numbers (technically, the floor plans still had a number, but the catalog referred to the house with a name). The No 112 was offered from 1908 through 1916. 

black and white drawing of Floorplan of the Sears No 112, as shown in the 1908 Sears Modern Homes catalog
Floorplan of the Sears No 112, as shown in my 1908 Sears Modern Homes catalog

Matthew found this house through a real estate listing, so I'll include a few of the interior photos here. The flooring and the original craftsman style trim is really beautiful:
color photo of entry area and stair case, Sears No 112 at 121 W Maple Street, Granville, Ohio

color photo of entry hall looking into two rooms, Sears No 112 at 121 W Maple Street, Granville, Ohio

color photo of living room, with two-level wood fireplace surround, looking into hall, Sears No 112 at 121 W Maple Street, Granville, Ohio

color photo of dining room with two windows and entry into kitchen, Sears No 112 at 121 W Maple Street, Granville, Ohio

color photo of bedroom with several wood doors with unpainted wood craftsman trim, Sears No 112 at 121 W Maple Street, Granville, Ohio

The photos of the Sears No 112 at 121 W Maple Street, Granville, Ohio, can be seen in this real estate listing. We have marked this house as authenticated, because Granville was listed in the catalogs as one of the "built at" locations for this model, and Granville is a relatively small town, so we are pretty confident that this must be the only Sears No. 112 in town.

Fortunately, for us, Matthew found not one, but two of these beauties, both with real estate listings. Here's the one he found in Vinton, Iowa:
color photo of front of light blue Sears No. 112 1115 A Avenue Vinton IA
Sears No. 112 at 1115 A Avenue, Vinton, Iowa
This house has a real estate listing, too, and we've noticed that there are some definite changes that were made to this house, which would normally make us question it... but, this house has Sears Stratford design door handle hardware, and the hinges we refer to as, "Sears hinges", because they are the only company we have seen to offer them:
color photo of bedroom of Sears No 112 showing two painted doors with Sears Stratford hardware and Sears hinge
Though now painted over, the hinges on this door are the Sears hinges, and the door handle hardware is Sears Stratford design. 

black and white drawings of Sears Stratford design hardware and Sears hinges, in the 1918 Sears building supplies catalog
Sears Stratford design hardware and Sears hinges, in the 1918 Sears building supplies catalog

Sears Wareham 
Another really old model that Matthew found two really good examples of, is the Sears Wareham (first marketed as the No. 264P203 or the No. 203). Both of the examples that he found, are, again, "built at" locations for this model, so we are confident marking them as authenticated. The houses are in Greenville, Pennsylvania, and Madison, West Virginia. The Wareham was offered from about 1913, I believe, through 1923.

One of these houses had a real estate listing, so we can see inside, but the house looks to have been last decorated in the 1960s or '70s, and is a bit cluttered in the photos... nonetheless, we do get to see that it still has some really nice original woodwork. Here is that Sears Wareham, at 54 Chambers Avenue, Greenville, Pennsylvania:
color photo of front and left side of white Sears Wareham, at 54 Chambers Avenue, Greenville, Pennsylvania
Sears Wareham, at 54 Chambers Avenue, Greenville, Pennsylvania

One of the things that we look for on this model, is for there to be a pair of windows right up next to the front door, and then a good amount of space, and a set of three windows (or a 3-part picture window). This house has that, and it's a really telling feature of this model. We sometimes run across other two-story bungalows with similar lines, but they don't have that arrangement of the windows and front door.
Here's that front door/window area that I'm referring to, shown in the 1923 catalog image, and on a Sears Wareham in Colonia, New Jersey, that I showed in this previous blog post.

color photo of front view of white Sears Wareham, at 54 Chambers Avenue, Greenville, Pennsylvania
Sears Wareham, at 54 Chambers Avenue, Greenville, Pennsylvania


color photo of rear of white Sears Wareham, at 54 Chambers Avenue, Greenville, Pennsylvania
Rear view of the Sears Wareham, at 54 Chambers Avenue, Greenville, Pennsylvania

This gives you a small idea of the interior of this Sears Wareham... this house was sold in February of 2021 (here is the real estate listing, to see more photos), and I hope that whoever bought it was able to bring it back to life (without removing or painting the gorgeous original wood work).

color photo of bedroom of Sears Wareham, at 54 Chambers Avenue, Greenville, Pennsylvania, showing Sears Stratford door handle hardware and Sears hinges, on the painted door
One of the bedrooms of the  Sears Wareham, at 54 Chambers Avenue, Greenville, Pennsylvania.
That door has the Sears hinges, and Sears Stratford design door handle hardware.

Here's the Wareham in the catalog, in 1914, listed as the 264P203:
black and white drawing of house and floor plan of Sears Wareham (No. 264P203) in the 1914 Sears Modern Homes catalog
Sears Wareham (No. 264P203) in the 1914 Sears Modern Homes catalog

The second Wareham at a "built at" location, that Matthew found, was this one (also white!), in Madison, West Virginia:
color photo of front and right side of Probable testimonial Sears Wareham at 213 Washington Avenue, Madison, West Virginia
Probable testimonial Sears Wareham at 213 Washington Avenue, Madison, West Virginia

Actually, Matthew has found us two other possible examples of the Wareham, but one of them has the front porch enclosed, so we can't check the front window/door arrangement, and the other has some other differences, but both are likely examples of the Sears Wareham.

Sears No. 124
We were delighted when Matthew presented a Sears No. 124 that he had found in Carlton, Minnesota:
color photo of front and left side of Probable Sears No. 124 at 729 2nd St, Carlton, Minnesota
Probable Sears No. 124 at 729 2nd St, Carlton, Minnesota
(real estate photos here)

black and white drawing of Sears No. 124 floor plan, 1916 Sears Modern Homes catalog, courtesy of Daily Bungalow
Sears No. 124 in the 1916 Sears Modern Homes catalog, courtesy of Daily Bungalow

The No. 124 is another model that was not offered during the pre-cut years, and never had a moniker other than the model number. Here's the floor plan:
black and white drawing of Sears No. 124 floor plan, 1914 Sears Modern Homes catalog
Sears No. 124 floor plan, 1914 Sears Modern Homes catalog

That big bank of upper windows on the back of the upstairs, is a telling feature of this model, and you can see if at the landing of the staircase, and in a rear view from the real estate listing:
color photo of staircase of Probable Sears No. 124 at 729 2nd St, Carlton, Minnesota, showing bank of four windows at staircase landing, on the back of the house

color photo of rear of Probable Sears No. 124 at 729 2nd St, Carlton, Minnesota

Once again, we do have real estate photos, but they are not very good... still, I'll show another one or two:
color photo of dining room, inside Probable Sears No. 124 at 729 2nd St, Carlton, Minnesota

color photo of entry hall, seen from staircase, of Probable Sears No. 124 at 729 2nd St, Carlton, Minnesota

Another Sears No. 124
I've been meaning, for a few years, to show you this Sears No. 124 example in another "built at" location: Grand Rapids, Michigan. This was found by researcher Nigel R. Tate. What's special about this, is that it is not only a Sears house in a "built at" location, but it is the childhood home of former United States President, Gerald R. Ford! President Ford lived here with his mother from 1913-1917, after she was divorced from his father. She later remarried
color photo in snow of front of 1960 Prospect Avenue SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan, a childhood home of President Gerald R. Ford (originally 1960 Terrace SE)
1960 Prospect Avenue SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan, a childhood home of President Gerald R. Ford
(originally 1960 Terrace SE).

This image and information comes from the President Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum website, here

President Ford was originally named after his birth father, but was re-named after his mother's new husband, Gerald R. Ford, Sr, after his mother remarried:
Source: President Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum website, here

There are some very nice interior and exterior photos here, in a recent real estate listing:
color photo of entry hall area and staircase inside 1960 Prospect Avenue SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan, a childhood home of President Gerald R. Ford (originally 1960 Terrace SE)

color photo of wood floors and staircase and upstairs landing inside 1960 Prospect Avenue SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan, a childhood home of President Gerald R. Ford (originally 1960 Terrace SE)

color photo in snow of rear of 1960 Prospect Avenue SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan, a childhood home of President Gerald R. Ford (originally 1960 Terrace SE)

color photo with green grass of front of 1960 Prospect Avenue SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan, a childhood home of President Gerald R. Ford (originally 1960 Terrace SE)
1960 Prospect Avenue SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan, a childhood home of President Gerald R. Ford
(originally 1960 Terrace SE)

Sears Avondale
This Avondale example at 713 Adair Street, Adair, Iowa, has served as a church parsonage and office for years, and was just sold to the public in 2019. Once again, it has Sears Stratford design door handle hardware, and Sears hinges (not only on doors, but on built-in cabinetry inside the house). The Avondale is a favorite model of ours, because of the really striking interior woodwork in the living room and dining room, which I'll show here. The home also has a fireplace with a brick surround that is of a style marketed by Sears. The house is the reverse floor plan of what is shown in the catalogs, and has a different front porch style because no brick was used, but the interior elements certainly make us feel confident that this is a Sears Avondale.
color photo of front and right side of Sears Avondale at 713 Adair Street, Adair, Iowa
Sears Avondale at 713 Adair Street, Adair, Iowa

black and white drawing of 1918 catalog image of the Sears Avondale, flipped
1918 catalog image of the Sears Avondale, flipped

color photo of front of Sears Avondale at 713 Adair Street, Adair, Iowa
Sears Avondale at 713 Adair Street, Adair, Iowa from this real estate listing (all interior photos)


black and white drawing of the layout of the Sears Avondale, 1918 catalog
Here is the usual layout of the Sears Avondale, as shown in the 1918 Sears Modern Homes catalog

black and white drawing of flipped floor plan of the Avondale, to show how the Avondale in Adair, Iowa, is laid out
Here, I've flipped the floor plan of the Avondale, to show how the Avondale in Adair, Iowa, is laid out

color photo of living room and front entry of Sears Avondale at 713 Adair Street, Adair, Iowa
living room and front entry, as seen looking in from the dining room of the Sears Avondale

color photo of dining room of Sears Avondale at 713 Adair Street, Adair, Iowa
dining room area with built-in buffet, Sears Avondale

color photo focusing on built-in buffet inside dining room of Sears Avondale at 713 Adair Street, Adair, Iowa
This is a built-in buffet that we pretty much always see inside a Sears Avondale

color photo of ceiling, colonnades, and fireplace inside living and dining room of Sears Avondale at 713 Adair Street, Adair, Iowa
Here is that impressive view of the ceilings and colonnades of the Sears Avondale

color photo close up of brick surround hearth inside Sears Avondale at 713 Adair Street, Adair, Iowa
Bedford red pressed brick hearth design, marketed by Sears in their catalogs

black and white drawing of Bedford red pressed brick fireplace surround in Sears fireplaces and mantels catalog
The Bedford red pressed brick fireplace hearth, shown in this Sears catalog

Sears Saratoga  (264P146 version)
In Boone, Iowa, Matthew found a great-loooking Sears Saratoga. The Saratoga was first offered with a wraparound porch, as the No. 146, then as the 264P146. A bit later, the wraparound porch was cut to be simply a big porch across the front of the house, and the model was then marketed as the No. 108, and, finally, as the Saratoga. Matthew's find in Boone, Iowa, is the earliest version, with the wraparound porch.

We have no real estate photos of this house, and there is a good bit of tree foliage around the house, so I've taken a series of screen shots around the house, from 2013 Google Streetview. But, I'll start off with the grainy color images from 2007 Streetview, because you can see the house without foliage in the way:
grainy image of front of Sears No 146 / Saratoga, 200 Cedar Street, Boone, Iowa (2007 Streetview)
Sears No 146 / Saratoga, 200 Cedar Street, Boone, Iowa (2007 Streetview)

grainy color photo from left side and front, of Sears No 146 / Saratoga, 200 Cedar Street, Boone, Iowa (2007 Streetview)
Sears No 146 / Saratoga, 200 Cedar Street, Boone, Iowa (2007 Streetview)

grainy color photo of front and right side of Sears No 146 / Saratoga, 200 Cedar Street, Boone, Iowa (2007 Streetview)
Sears No 146 / Saratoga, 200 Cedar Street, Boone, Iowa (2007 Streetview)

black and white drawing of Sears Saratoga in its earliest years, in the 1914 Sears Modern Homes catalog
Sears Saratoga in its earliest years, in the 1914 Sears Modern Homes catalog

Here are 2013 Google Streetview images, taken from a variety of angles:
color photo of Rear view and left side of Sears No 146 / Saratoga, 200 Cedar Street, Boone, Iowa (2013 Streetview)
Rear view and left side of Sears No 146 / Saratoga, 200 Cedar Street, Boone, Iowa (2013 Streetview)

color photo of Left side of Sears No 146 / Saratoga, 200 Cedar Street, Boone, Iowa (2013 Streetview)
Left side of Sears No 146 / Saratoga, 200 Cedar Street, Boone, Iowa (2013 Streetview)

color photo of Left side and front section of wraparound porch,  of Sears No 146 / Saratoga, 200 Cedar Street, Boone, Iowa (2013 Streetview)
Left side and front section of wraparound porch,  of Sears No 146 / Saratoga, 200 Cedar Street, Boone, Iowa (2013 Streetview)


color photo of Front view of Sears No 146 / Saratoga, 200 Cedar Street, Boone, Iowa (2013 Streetview)
Front view of Sears No 146 / Saratoga, 200 Cedar Street, Boone, Iowa (2013 Streetview)


color photo of Right side of Sears No 146 / Saratoga, 200 Cedar Street, Boone, Iowa (2013 Streetview)
Right side of Sears No 146 / Saratoga, 200 Cedar Street, Boone, Iowa (2013 Streetview)

Here is the floor plan of this earliest version of the Sears Saratoga/ No 146:

You can see photos of a "built at" authenticated Sears No. 146/Saratoga, in Bennington, Vermont, in this previous blog post of mine, and you can see a later-era Saratoga/No. 108, in Fairmont, West Virginia, in this blog post of mine.

Sears Corona (264P240) / No. 240
Finally, another really nice find, and only the 14th on our list: a Sears Corona, which was first marketed a the No. 240 and the No. 264P240.  Here it is in two years of the catalogs:
black and white drawing of 3/4 view from the right side, of Sears No. 264P240 (early name of the Corona) in the 1914 Sears Modern Homes catalog
Sears No. 264P240 (early name of the Corona) in the 1914 Sears Modern Homes catalog

black and white drawing, front on, of the Sears Corona in the 1920 Sears Modern Homes catalog
Sears Corona in the 1920 Sears Modern Homes catalog
And, here is the house that Matthew found:
color image of front and right side of Sears Corona, 925 Madison Avenue, Huntington, West Virginia
Sears Corona, 925 Madison Avenue, Huntington, West Virginia 
(Image courtesy of Google maps Streetview, 2018)
This lovely Sears Corona was for sale in May of 2022, and so we have a few interior photos from that listing, including one that includes a door with... you guessed it... Sears Stratford design door handle hardware.

color photo of furnished living room of Sears Corona, 925 Madison Avenue, Huntington, West Virginia

color photo of unfurnished living room of Sears Corona, 925 Madison Avenue, Huntington, West Virginia

color photo of unfurnished main rooms of Sears Corona, 925 Madison Avenue, Huntington, West Virginia

color photo of furnished area of Sears Corona, 925 Madison Avenue, Huntington, West Virginia

color photo of dining area with a door with Sears Stratford design door handle hardware, inside Sears Corona, 925 Madison Avenue, Huntington, West Virginia
There's that Stratford design door handle hardware!

Great work, Matthew, and welcome to the world of searching for Sears houses!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
For more information on who we are, and what we do, visit our website: SearsHouses.com