Oh boy, oh boy, oh BOY!!!

16 years ago

Thanks to one of the kind souls here at KT, I found my beloved Maggy! :)

This is the Creme de la Creme of Sears Homes! And there are only FOUR known Magnolias in the country. And the Kind Soul here at KT sent me a link to a tv program that featured the Sears Magnolia here in North Carolina.

And the best part - I can run down here and touch its tall, graceful columns without too much effort. It's less than four hours from my home in Norfolk, VA.

This really was a kit home ordered out of the Sears Roebuck catalog. It was shipped in two boxcars and came with a 75-page instruction book. The house was in about 30,000 pieces, and Sears promised that a man of average abilities could have it bit and ready for occupancy in less than 90 days.

As I said, this is really exciting. While Sears offered 370 designs of Sears Homes and sold about 70,000 of these kit homes, there are only FIVE (was four last week) known Sears Magnolias in the country!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: My beloved Magnolia!

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Comments (29)

pattico_gw
16 years ago
I think my husband nearly passed out when I read to him that it was supposed to take 90 day for the average man to put this together...LOL...if you only knew how slow and precise he is....If he'd had bought that house back then we'd still be working on finishing it.

He wanted to know if you knew about what price that home would have sold for originally...and I wonder what it would sell for now...

Isn't she beautiful.

patti
dilly_dally
16 years ago
I share your excitement. What is the home being used for now? There is a sign out front and it looks like it is a funeral home or some type of business. Or is that a sign making it for historical designation?
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Thanks everyone. When I bought my house in Wauwatosa Wisconsin in 1989 there were lots and lots of challenges, But what drew me to the house was the tree out front and I think the tree in front of this house with the three trees out back are helping balance out the blue countertop and carpeted bathrooms. This was what the tree in Tosa (city's nickname) looked like originally. I had it pruned which I had to do because I had the house trim and gutters painted and put on a new roof and the lower back tree branches were dead. I would be staying here at new place for 13 months or so. Right now the current rental home lease ends on December 31st 2008 but I have to negotiate for more time. If you all were landlords what would you think about the offer of leaving a newer washer and dryer instead of the full rent? I could buy a new set if I ever needed to in the years to come. Or shall I just take them with me and store them in the garage until the next house? Another advantage of the new rental house is that the home has no mortgage so if the owner wants to do improvements he has lots of equity to work with. The new landlord lives in Chicago. I think his mother lived here and he grew up here. There are all these pencil markings with names on a kitchen wall. I think I would take a picture of that wall before I paint and send it to the owner in Chicago. Now I will have to read up on how to take care of orange and lemon trees and when to pick the fruit or see if there is a reasonable tree care company. I do have a guy who comes here and cleans up after the dog in the yard. He comes every 2 weeks for $29 a month. I can have him come once a week for $44. That's an awesome service they have here. It works here because it never snows and hardly rains and the doogie doo dries up super fast. It's like picking up rocks. My daughter reminded me that I love to do projects. I love decorating and fixing stuff up. I will certainly pace myself and not overdo it. But first I have to be accepted by the new landlord. Wish me luck. If I get this place I will take and post interior pictures and take measurements so I can start to figure out where everything goes. Right now it appears that my glass top small kitchen table and 3 leather chairs from Pier One will not fit in the kitchen so I may move them outside. And of course this art piece - where it will go. This will be fun! While my friend in Tosa thinks moving now is too stressful for me, I think it might be just the thing to help keep me creative and focused on more positive things instead of my pain and side effects which will get two-three months from now. Plus by the time I have my surgery in June I should have everything in place. Thank you. Eileen in Phoenix
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I have never asked for advise on any website before. But this experience was an eye opener. Yes , I didn’t have a picture. The reason being is I was asking about a technique. If there was a technique that changes color like maybe a glaze or color wash. I know what color I have, and what I thought It looked like. Only one person agreed with me about it being the wrong color for East West. Which I stated. And for all the rude comments like how they wish they had my husband , I hope you are not insinuating that I am anything but grateful as he is for what I do for him. The person who just said “and still no picture”. We took my mother to the hospital. And it isn’t looking good. I do very much appreciate some of the very helpful comments when trying without a picture. But life got in my way. For those of you who assume we aren’t answering or grateful without knowing someone is shameful. This is life , we help each other because we want to, not because we expect something in return. Going through life thinking the world revolves around you gets real old real fast. I am not a pro at anything , however I try to be kind and understanding. And if I do give advice it’s free. No strings attached. Thank you again , I know the ones who tried to help me during a trying time and situation. By the way my room looks very much like the tan buffalo check and I love the idea of adding that blue color accent. And the lady who said the paint store guy says he never mixes paint for a man without a note from his wife , priceless. And for everyone else who could not sense the humor in my very first post , wow. That was not a complaint. Really? The lady with the sense of humor about the store clerk got it. My husband is the most precious man but I knew this even when his first to me on Valentines was a pair of grapefruit spoons. ( I don’t eat grapefruit). Lol That’s why we’re okie but goodies and still married.
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alisande
16 years ago
Gorgeous!! How were the columns shipped?

Were "average abilities" considerably more advanced back then?
rosemaryt
Original Author
16 years ago
I need to post an original catalog image, but don't have one uploaded right now. I'll post that soon.

The house sold for $5,849 in 1922. It was their biggest and best and it was a real beauty. The house had 2,900 square feet, and a spacious attic. It also had 2.5 baths, which was very unusual for a house from this time period.

People go on and on about the low prices, but bear in mind, that'd be about $80,000 or more in today's dollars - and it was a very simple house. No granite countertops and probably 30 amp service for the electrical.

I'll post that catalog picture soon.

Excuse me, while I go back to swooning over my Sears Magnolia. :)
ann_in_florida
16 years ago
OMG...what a beautiful house this is. I would love to wake up every morning in this house! Do you have any idea how much Sears sold this kit for?
sheilajoyce_gw
16 years ago
It sure it gorgeous. I would love having that house. How wonderful that it has been maintained so nicely. $80,000 is a real bargin out here, even without the lot.
jennmonkey
16 years ago
Wow, beautiful. You can't get a studio condo for 80k here so I'm impressed!
danihoney
16 years ago
It looks like the house used in "Sweet Home Alabama" with Reese Whitherspoon.

What a beautiful home.
marilyn_c
16 years ago
Wow...who would have ever thought this was a kit home? So glad you found it. It is gorgeous!
Jasdip
16 years ago
Ooohhhhh, I would love a house built like this! It's gorgeous!

I've never heard of a "kit" home.
Toni S
16 years ago
It's very pretty! I have learned a few things about Sears homes from your posts here at the Kt. I would love to take some pictures of a few homes and ask you if they are from Sears and what are their names. This house you have posted today looks like the neighbor to one of my best friends. He took this home and yard and revamped the whole thing filling it with beautiful antiques. He's an antique dealer so I think that's why he bought this home in the first place. Another friend has a similar home, although not so ornate. It's painted more historical colors, not white. Our little town of 4000 is filled with houses that I've seen on your links and I know I wouldn't have known the difference if you had not posted. Very interesting.
chisue
16 years ago
Lovely house! Are the wings original to the Sears plan? Where are the other Magnolia houses today?
bulldinkie
16 years ago
my hubby could build you one like it,hes a builder.
Marilyn Sue
16 years ago
Oh that is very pretty. Wish my home looked like that one!

Sue
anne_ct
16 years ago
Rosemary...

Here's # 3 [perhaps] of the 4 homes in the U.S. Sorry for the linked professional page but it was the only way I could get a good photo of the home. It's within a mile or two from my home and has been a funeral home for as long as I can remember. Even though it's changed owners a couple of times that I know of...it's prized and in excellent structural condition.

Boy! I haven't been around for a while. ;-) I picked a good day to meander on by. Hope my contribution adds to your happy day.

Anne

Here is a link that might be useful: {{!gwi}}
anne_ct
16 years ago
Ooops! First link didn't work. Here's another one.

Sorry!

Anne

Here is a link that might be useful: Better Magnolia link
maybee_gw
16 years ago
We have a Sears catalog home in our area...it is a different style...I would call it a "country house"...it has lots of gingerbread and a copper roof...it needs remodeling now, but is still "fixable"...the owners have let it run down. It was apparently from the same catalog only a different model. I could go take a picture of it if anyone is interested...I will have to wait until the mud roads dry up a bit, though. Let me know if anyone would like to see it
erica
16 years ago
Wow, what a beauty! It would be awesome to live in a home like that, and decorate and landscape:-)
kacram
16 years ago
Very pretty. wow.. $80,000 today? I'd be standing in line! lol

who was our lovely KT member that helped out?
jemdandy
16 years ago
Some assembly required! That Magnolia design is drop dead gorgeous.

The "History Detective" series on PBS ran a feature on another 'kit' home designed by Edison. It was a 2 story, poured concrete house. A group of these were discovered in New Jersey. The concept never caught on, therefore, the original group of demonstrator houses were the only ones built.
ronf_gw
16 years ago
It's beautiful. But, 90 days?? I'm a pretty handy guy but that seems wildly optomistic. (Did they work 14 to 16 hour days back then?)

Ron
Hellion
16 years ago
What a gorgeous home! Glad you found it, I can feel your excitement!
rosemaryt
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for the many replies. I'm back home now - for keeps! I've been on the road for three weeks in Illinois and as soon as I got home, I ran out to North Carolina (about a four-hour drive) to see this Magnolia!

BTW, that house linked in this post (Phalen Funeral Home) is a beautiful home, but that is not a Sears Magnolia. The Sears Magnolia was based on a very popular style (Colonial Revival + Foursquare), but the actual Sears Magnolia is quite unique.

Thanks again for the replies. :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: Boy, am I glad to be back home!
molly109
16 years ago
I was in the Detroit Airport last summer, and was
reading a local paper, and thought of you. I forgot
to mention it to you.

It isn't your Magnolia - but I thought it was kind of
a neat story.

http://detnews.com/article/20090612/LIFESTYLE01/906120309/1038/Dressed-for-the-times--Sears-kit-house-in-Birmingham-gets-a-made-in-Michigan-kitchen-redo

Here is a link that might be useful: Birmingham, MI Sears Kit House
rosemaryt
Original Author
16 years ago
Here's the original catalog image:

And the house:
sheilajoyce_gw
16 years ago
Today I played a Tivoed show on the history of the Sears and Roebuck company. And there was Rosemary on the screen talking about their catalog order houses and touring one of them. Nice to finally see you, Rosemary.
sherwoodva
16 years ago
It is gorgeous, Rosemary. Thanks for posting. We have Sears kit houses here in Arlington, VA but I have never seen one so gorgeous. I love the little windows across the tops of the two picture windows on the first floor. The ad shows a bit more detail around the top of the house, under the roof, and railings.

Used to live in Virginia Beach, BTW.
jannie
16 years ago
My godfather built a house as well as my husband's uncle, both were back in the early 50's. Not sure where they got the plans or how long they took. My Godparents' home was torn down to make way for an expressway. My husband's uncle's home is still standing and lived in but many changes were made-new doors, new windows, ,etc. One thing his uncle did was he insulated a screened in porch and made it an extra room.
rosemaryt
Original Author
16 years ago
Jannie, there were a LOT of kit home companies (in addition to Sears), but through the years, those other names get forgotten. People remember Sears though!

I grew up about a block away from a massive kit home (but I had no idea that it was a kit home). It was the home of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker (the PTL people), and now I recognize that they lived in a kit home made by Lewis Manufacturing. I wish I had a picture of it here, because it was a real beauty and it is about 3,000 square feet.

Rose

Oh boy, oh boy, oh BOY!!!

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