Thursday, July 4, 2024

Some Sears House Finds

front view color photo of front porch of Sears Fullerton 330 Harvard Ave Terrace Park OH
Happy 4th of July! 
It's time to post a little display of some of the Sears houses that we've been looking at recently. Some are older finds, some are brand new to the list!

Sears No. 108-- Earliest Version
Our researcher buddy, Matthew, recently treated us to two very rare finds. Here is the first, a first-version Sears No. 108, in Bedford, Ohio:
front elevation color photo from Streetview of Earliest-version Sears No. 108, 311 W. Glendale Street, Bedford, Ohio
Earliest-version Sears No. 108, 311 W. Glendale Street, Bedford, Ohio

color drawing from Sears paint catalog, Earliest-version Sears No. 108, circa 1910
The very early No. 108 in an early ad for Sears paints.

This model is very rare... this is only the second example that we know of, of this earliest version with the front corner bumpout. This model was offered beginning in 1908, but, by 1912, the floorplan had changed, to eliminate that corner bumpout, and then the model was discontinued after the 1913 catalog (and the model number was assigned to a different house). You can see more about the No. 108, in this January 3, 2020 blog post of mine.

Possible Sears No. 177
Matthew also found this house, that is quite possibly a Sears model No. 177. We don't usually post about houses that are only added to our "Possibles" list, but... this is the first example we have ever seen of this model, so I think we're all pretty excited about the possibility that it is an example of this rare model. Matthew noted that the fireplace is not located where the floor plan indicates (should be on a side wall of the living room, but it is on an interior wall), and the upstairs floor plan doesn't follow perfectly. This model was only offered from 1911-1917, according to Houses By Mail, and was never offered "cut-and-fitted" (having pre-cut, labeled framing lumber), and we've noticed that those early, non-pre-cut models are sometimes more altered (such as my family's 1911 Sears No. 110).  

color photo of front elevation of Possible Sears No. 177, 19 Elsmere Avenue, Delmar, New York (a section of Bethlehem, New York)
Possible Sears No. 177, 19 Elsmere Avenue, Delmar, New York (a section of Bethlehem, New York).

sepia toned drawing of Sears No. 177 in the 1914 Sears Modern Homes catalog, not pre-cut
Sears No. 177 in the 1914 Sears Modern Homes catalog, not pre-cut

Streetview capture of catalog view, possible Sears No. 177, 19 Elsmere Avenue, Delmar, NY

Isn't this an inviting front porch? And, look at these lovely floors in the interior photos, and the wide, Craftsman style window trim.
color photo of front porch, Possible Sears No. 177, 19 Elsmere Avenue, Delmar, New York (a section of Bethlehem, New York)
Front porch of Possible Sears No. 177, 19 Elsmere Avenue, Delmar, New York (a section of Bethlehem, New York)

color photo of sunny living room with lots of windows, Possible Sears No. 177, 19 Elsmere Avenue, Delmar, New York (a section of Bethlehem, New York)
Sunny living room, Possible Sears No. 177, 19 Elsmere Avenue, Delmar, New York (a section of Bethlehem, New York)

color photo of living room, focusing on fireplace on interior wall, Possible Sears No. 177, 19 Elsmere Avenue, Delmar, New York (a section of Bethlehem, New York)
Fireplace, not where expected, according to the catalog. Possible Sears No. 177, 19 Elsmere Avenue, Delmar, New York (a section of Bethlehem, New York)

color photo of dining room and living room Possible Sears No. 177, 19 Elsmere Avenue, Delmar, New York (a section of Bethlehem, New York)
Such lovely, original hardwood floors! Possible Sears No. 177, 19 Elsmere Avenue, Delmar, New York (a section of Bethlehem, New York)

We don't always get a rear view of our houses, so I'm happy to document this.

drawn floor plan of the Sears No. 177 in the 1914 Sears Modern Homes catalog
Floor plan of the Sears No. 177, 1914 Sears Modern Homes Catalog

catalog information on the Sears No. 177 in the 1914 Sears Modern Homes catalog
Write-up about the Sears No. 177 in the 1914 Sears Modern Homes catalog

Sears Modern Home No. 123
A reader of our Sears Modern Homes Facebook Page, recently shared photos of her Sears No. 123, in Man, West Virginia. This is another very old, very early model, that was offered in the first catalogs in 1908, and had its last offering in the 1914 Sears Modern Homes catalog. It was never offered as a pre-cut model.
color photo from Streetview, Probable Sears Modern Home No. 123, Man, West Virginia
Probable Sears Modern Home No. 123, Man, West Virginia

color photo of front and left side elevations of Probable Sears Modern Home No. 123, Man, West Virginia
Probable Sears Modern Home No. 123, Man, West Virginia

sepia and black and white drawing of Sears Modern Home No. 123, 1914 Sears Modern Homes catalog

sepia and black and white drawing of floor plan of Sears Modern Home No. 123, 1914 Sears Modern Homes catalog

write-up on catalog page, sepia and black and white drawing of Sears Modern Home No. 123, 1914 Sears Modern Homes catalog

For an excellent read on this old model, see Cindy Catanzaro's blog post from April of 2023, showing a Sears No. 123 in Springfield, Ohio, and the story of coming across a likely example of the No. 123 in Sharonville, Ohio:
color photo of front and right-side elevation of Sears No 123 in Springfield, Ohio
Read Cindy's blog post, here -- lots of good information and photos on this model

Sears Puritan in Bellevue, PA
A while back (2017, to be precise), researcher Karen DeJeet (who lives in a Sears Hamilton bungalow in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) came across this nice - looking Sears Puritan model, modified to add a front porch. For some reason, I came across its later (2020) real estate listing, so we enjoyed seeing some interior photos, showing some elements we see Sears offering, in their catalogs:
color photo from Streetview, front and right side elevation, Sears Puritan, with added front porch, 193 Grant Avenue, Bellevue, Pennsylvania (a section of Pittsburgh).
Sears Puritan, with added front porch, 193 Grant Avenue, Bellevue, Pennsylvania (a section of Pittsburgh).
The real estate listing from 2020 includes this photo, showing a Sears Colonial style staircase newel, staircase spindles offered by Sears, and Sears Colonial style fireplace surround, as well as beautiful, original hardwood floors:
color interior photo of staircase and living room, Sears Puritan, with added front porch, 193 Grant Avenue, Bellevue, Pennsylvania (a section of Pittsburgh)
Living room inside the Sears Puritan at 193 Grant Avenue, Bellevue, PA, showing Sears Colonial fireplace surround, Sears Colonial staircase newel and spindles. You can see more in this real estate listing.

sepia and black and white drawing, Sears Colonial design fireplace surround, 1930 Sears Building materials catalog
Sears Colonial design fireplace surround, 1930 Sears Building materials catalog

sepia and black and white drawing, Sears Colonial newel and spindles, 1929 Sears Building Materials catalog
Sears Colonial newel and spindles, 1929 Sears Building Materials catalog

sepia and black and white drawing, Sears Puritan (without side sunroom), 1923 Sears Modern Homes catalog
Sears Puritan (without side sunroom), 1923 Sears Modern Homes catalog

sepia and black and white drawing, floor plan, Floor plan, Sears Puritan (without side sunroom), 1923 Sears Modern Homes catalog
Floor plan, Sears Puritan (without side sunroom), 1923 Sears Modern Homes catalog


Sears Vallonia, Troy, New York
Andrew Mutch recently came across this 2019 real estate listing for a Sears Vallonia, in Troy, New York, and added it to our national database of Sears Houses in the U.S.. Despite having an enclosed front porch, and vinyl or aluminum siding now, the interior views show us some very nice, original hardwood flooring and Craftsman window and door trim, and original, solid wood doors.
color photo of front and left side elevation with bumpout, Streetview, Sears Vallonia model, 9 Roosevelt Avenue, Troy, New York
Sears Vallonia model, 9 Roosevelt Avenue, Troy, New York

color photo of bedroom in Sears Vallonia model, 9 Roosevelt Avenue, Troy, New York

color photo of dining room with two windows and wood floors, and view into kitchen, Sears Vallonia model, 9 Roosevelt Avenue, Troy, New York

color photo of living room and dining room, with original wood floors and craftsman trim, Sears Vallonia model, 9 Roosevelt Avenue, Troy, New York

color photo from Streetview of rear and right side elevation of light grey Sears Vallonia model, 9 Roosevelt Avenue, Troy, New York
When we see the rear view of a Sears Vallonia, this is the look we expect, with this back window, and bumped-out section covering most (but not all) of the rear of the house.

You can see more examples of the Vallonia model that Andrew has blogged about, in these posts on his blog, Kit House Hunters. In this 2018 blog post of mine, you'll see a bit about the evolution of the design and the floor plans of the Sears Vallonia model.

Sears Avondale in South Carolina
Researcher Nigel Tate recently made a trip to South Carolina, and took advantage of the opportunity to look around a bit for Sears houses. He found one! It's a Sears Avondale, somewhere in Bishopville, South Carolina.
color Streetview photo of front elevation of Sears Avondale, somewhere in Bishopville, South Carolina
Sears Avondale, 524 US-15, Bishopville, South Carolina

color streetview photo of front and left side elevation of Sears Avondale, somewhere in Bishopville, South Carolina
Sears Avondale, 524 US-15, Bishopville, South Carolina

To see a catalog image and floor plan for the Avondale model, see this 2023 blog post by Cindy Catanzaro, at Sears Houses In Ohio, where she shows exterior and interior photos of a beauty of a Sears Avondale in Hamilton, Ohio.

Bennett Homes
We've mentioned this before: researcher Sarah Mullane is the most knowledgeable person anywhere, on Ray H. Bennett kit homes (not Sears houses, but a lumber company that also sold kit-houses, based out of North Tonawanda, New York). Here are two models she recently found:

color photo from Bing Maps of Bennett Homes Amherst model, 696 Crescent Avenue, Buffalo, New York
Bennett Homes Amherst model, 696 Crescent Avenue, Buffalo, New York

black and white catalog image and floor plan of Bennett Homes Amherst model
Bennett Homes Amherst model

color photo of front and left side elevation, from Streetview, of Probable Bennett Homes Drexel model, 93 Briarcliff Rd, Cheektowaga, New York
Probable Bennett Homes Drexel model, 93 Briarcliff Rd, Cheektowaga, New York, now slightly modified above the bumped-out front of the house (the living room is there). This may have been a modification done to avert leaking from ice build up on the flat roof of the original design.

black and white photo and drawing of Bennett Homes Drexel model, catalog image with floor plan
Bennett Homes Drexel model, catalog image with floor plan


That's it for today's selection! You'll notice that I didn't have any of my own finds to show here... true! I have not, myself, found a Sears house in a bit. So, I'm happy to be able to highlight the finds of my fellow researchers! I'll sign off with more of the lovely Sears Fullerton that I showed the porch of, at the top of today's blog post. This one was originally found by Andrew Mutch, and I ran across it in the real estate listings again, this past week.
front porch color photos, Sears Fullerton, 330 Harvard Avenue, Terrace Park, Ohio
Sears Fullerton, 330 Harvard Avenue, Terrace Park, Ohio

full house front view color photo, Sears Fullerton, 330 Harvard Avenue, Terrace Park, Ohio
Sears Fullerton, 330 Harvard Avenue, Terrace Park, Ohio

color photos focusing on original wood floors of Sears Fullerton, 330 Harvard Avenue, Terrace Park, Ohio
Beautiful original wood floors and original Craftsman trim around doors and windows.
See the real estate listing for more beautiful photos (this house went under contract within 3 days of hitting the real estate listings).

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

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4 comments:

  1. The Bennett Drexel: This might be authenticated. All the RE sites list this as part of the Cleveland Hilll neighborhood, and I am pretty sure I saw an advertisement for a model Drexel in Cleveland Hill circa 1928 or so. I'll have too look in my files.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That would be great. I'll update the blog post once you're able to confirm.

      Delete
  2. Great collection of houses for summertime! I especially like that Bennett Homes Amherst model, which could've been an inspiration for a house in Stowe ;) And also that lovely Fullerton at the beginning / end. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete

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