Absolutely beautiful! All but one so lovingly kept up. You must have been in heaven. Thanks for sharing. I always read your posts.

This must have ben like having every dessert on the menu!!!!

Love seeing the pictures of the houses. So many of the Sears houses look so familiar that I'm sure I saw them in my youth.

I don't always say it but I enjoy your threads.

There is one definite Sears home, a possible neighbor and a maybe not to far away from the other two in our town.

Rosemary, I love looking at your home pictures and am wondering if the Sears or other kit homes are located around the country or primarily in the East. I'm in NE Ohio and often wonder if there are any in this area. Also what about in the Charlotte area of NC? I'd love to keep my eyes open!

What fun you had, and thank you for taking the time to post all these pictures. What beautiful, special homes. Do you get much chance to go in any of these homes?

Do the owners all know their homes are Sears homes?

I watched a program about history of Sears Roebuck (History Channel maybe), and it included some discussion of the home part of the business. I was thinking of you and how you would have enjoyed this program.

On that first house--Princeville--what is that bump-out on the front porch? That home is so beautifully maintained.

Sorry to bombard you with questions--didn't you write a book about these homes? Refresh us about that!

I just love your posts! I wish they would paint the Modern one--it's criminal to neglect such a beauty. Thanks so much for sharing.

Thanks for sharing!

Northeast Ohio? Be still my quivering heart! Yes, Ohio is LOADED with Sears Homes. I turned down one street in Cincinnati (Norwood area) and found TWO BLOCKS full of Sears Homes. I nearly fainted from sheer bliss.

Right now, the city with the MOST Sears Homes is Elgin, ILLINOIS with 210 authenticated Sears Homes. I suspect there's a city in Ohio that might topple that record.

Sears Homes in Virginia are a tougher find, because we're so far from the old Sears mills (located in Illinois and Ohio and New Jersey). That's why I'm consistently surprised to find so many Sears Homes in these little towns in Virginia.

Speaking of Northeast Ohio, I'd love to come to the area and scout around. :) Invite the Sears lady over for lunch (and dinner, and breakfast and lunch...)

As to the other question about me writing a book on this - I've written eight. My newest book (link below) just hit the streets a few days ago. No more books for me. Eight is enough!

Thanks for the many kind comments.

Here is a link that might be useful: bookie

I love the history of old homes, and these are awesome. It is amazing how similar they are to their advertisements, especially the second one- the porch details have been beautifully maintained. Thank you for posting these.

Really enjoy your posts about the Sears homes. I believe my grandparents home in Detroit was a Sears.
Kathy G in MI

These are beautiful! I'd love to live in any of them.

Wonderful photos! Reminds me of the house I grew up in, which was built in 1920. Craftsman Style, all kinds of built-ins, closets, bookcases, mirrors, etc, on the inside. And it's still standing.

You know, Rosemary, you have me "hooked". In my constant travels, for now mostly in Oregon; I keep looking for Kit houses. The small towns here and in California seem to be loaded with them. Thank you so much for one more "layer" of my education. Nanny

I love your pictures of the Sears homes. Your posts have been very informative. I had never heard of the Sears homes until until you posted their history.

Since my hometown is Norwood, Ohio, and I am aware that Norwood Sash and Door did most of the kit homes' lumber, I'd love to know the name of the street in Norwood you said had so many. (I lived on Elm Ave most of my life, but I know every street in town.) Every time I look over your pictures, I seem to think I've SEEN those homes in person. By the way, HOW do you locate them...just walking the sidewalks or what? I think you once saw my sister's Sears home which was on Robertson Avenue in Norwood - near the US Playing Card Co.

Hi Redcurls,

Sears had 370 designs of kit homes. That's 370 different houses that were offered in their 32 years in the kit home business. When I decided that Sears Homes would be my life (and they were for a long time), I purposefully decided memorize each of those 370 houses. I have a good memory. :)

So now, I can drive the streets of different neighborhoods and pick the houses out. In fact, after a time I got bored with the 370 houses so I started memorizing kit homes offered by other companies, such as Aladdin Kit Homes, Gordon Van Tine, Lewis Manufacturing, Montgomery Ward, etc. I got several hundred houses memorized now. It's a whole lot of fun!

I don't have a street name in Norwood. It's written down in my notes and those notes are packed away, but I can tell you to look for Rodessas, Cornells and Gladstones. Those were the three housing designs we saw on that one street and those three houses are fairly distinctive.

If you just memorize those three houses, you'll find the streets I'm talking about in Norwood. Look at the link below to see a picture of the Rodessa. That front porch roofline is VERY distinctive, as are the oversized eaves and the way they terminate at the back of the house. Those are the kind of details you need to look for. Search "Cornell" at my website (see link below) and you'll see photos of the Cornell. Ditto for "Gladstone."

As I said, memorize those three designs and you'll find that street in Norwood.

And yes, you're right about Norwood Sash and Door. :)

Rose

Here is a link that might be useful: Scroll down to bottom to see photo of Rodessa

Hey rosemary and redcurls, I am in Cincinnati and would love to go find those houses in Norwood. That's only maybe 15-20 minutes from my house. rosemary, I will go in search of your books. I love houses and have enjoyed seeing the pictures you put up here. Thanks for sharing them.

I haven't read the reponses, so this may be answered, but what do those sell for today? I've seen one in Waxahachie, Tx. and know it went for some BIG bucks.

Sears Houses do not typically fetch a LOT of extra money at time of sale. And sadly, so many purported "Sears Homes" are misidentified and are not Sears Homes at all.

I met one lady who'd paid several thousand dollars extra for her "Sears Home" and I had to be the one to tell her, "it's not a Sears Home."

There are about 70,000 Sears Homes in the country, but judging from my email, about 750,000 people *think* they have a Sears Home!

Below is one of my favorites: A kit home in North Carolina, sitting a few feet away from the rail road tracks!

Oh I love Sears homes. I read Finding the Houses that Sears Built and didn't even know it was you that wrote it.
I would just give anything to live in one. My favorite, I think, is the Woodland. Tomorrow it will be a different one I'm sure.

Score!
wow, they area really cool!