Sears Crescent: The Three Floor Plans

The Sears Crescent was offered from 1920 through 1933, and was an immensely popular model. It's an attractive Cape Cod style house made elegant by its impressive front porch roof and pillars. Many companies made very similar models, with similar (but not the same) front porch roof styling, and at least one plans-only company (Standard Homes) offered a model (the Olmstead ) that really looks like the Crescent on first glance... until you look at the details. You can see a list of the known "lookalikes" at the end of this blog post of mine, if you're interested. 

For the Crescent , Sears offered a small floor plan, and a slightly larger floor plan, but there were two versions of the larger plan... one of them was offered through 1926, and the second replaced that one either late in 1926, or starting with the 1927 catalog. 

From the outside, if we can only see the front and sides of the house, we can tell whether the house has the small or large floor plan, by looking at two elements: 

• The small floor plan has a side entrance
• The small floor plan has two columns on each side of the front porch, whereas the larger floor plan has three on each side. (However, we frequently see replacement columns these many years later, on our Crescents ... sometimes wrought iron rails have replaced the original columns, and sometimes fully re-styled wood columns have been added, sometimes there is now only one column on each side... it's just not always an element that we can use to judge.)

The version of the Crescent that is shown in the catalog image, is that of the larger floor plan... you can see that there are three porch columns on each side of the porch, and the side elevation shown does not have a side entry (and has three windows... the small plan only has two windows even on the other side from the side entry elevation). 

Here is an example of the larger floor plan, on a Crescent in Columbus, Ohio. The porch columns are three on each side, and we can see the 3-window side elevation, with no side entry.

A Sears Crescent in Pt Jervis, New York, with wrought-iron replacement columns. 
We just never can get used to this look.

Here is a perfect example of the small plan of the Sears Crescent, on Kroger Avenue, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Note the two columns on each side of the porch, and that the side we see here, has only two windows, starting in the middle of that side of the house... no window further toward the front.

The same small-plan Sears Crescent on Kroger Avenue, showing the side entry on the other side of the house. Note that Sears was happy to flip your floor plan, so this house is the reverse layout of what we see in the floor plan.

The Back and The Inside of The Sears Crescent: Small Floor Plan

Whenever we get to see the inside of a Crescent, we look to see where the staircase is, and how the rooms are laid out, and where all of the doors and windows are. Here is the small floor plan:

The Sears Crescent floor plan No. 3258A, which is the small floor plan.
This is from my 1930 Sears Modern Homes catalog.

First, this is what the back of the small-plan Crescent should look like... compare it to the floor plan placement of windows and furnace vent chimney.

Rear of small-plan Sears Crescent, Troy, New York
Occasionally, we see a window added to that back wall of the back bedroom, but, it's not on the floor plan.

Here are interior views from a small-plan Sears Crescent in Ann Arbor, Michigan:

The staircase on the small plan is always over on the side of the living room, and there should always be a three-part window like this, as well as full-length sidelites around the front door. There should not be a window on the staircase wall.

The dining room is right behind the living room, with a big opening between the rooms. You can see one of the two widely-spaced back windows on the back wall of the dining room. The kitchen is just off to the side.

On the other side of the living room, still in the front of the house, we see the entry to the front bedroom on that side wall (on the larger plans, there is no entry door on this wall).  Just off of the dining room, is the entry to the back bedroom... there should be no hallway. Each of those bedrooms has access to a jack-and-jill bathroom that we can't see here, that is placed in the middle of that left side of the house (the bathroom's small-ish window is one of the two windows we see in the middle of the left side of the house).

Here are two of those spaces, inside the Troy, New York Crescent:

This is the back wall of the dining room, on a Crescent in Absecon, New Jersey:

Dining room of small plan: two widely-separated single windows on the back wall.
Sometimes, in renovated houses, we see this back wall completely re-done, to have a centered set of French doors, instead (which means that they had to re-build the whole wall!).

The Two Larger-Plan Floor Plans For the Sears Crescent

The two versions of the larger floor plan of the Sears Crescent

A larger floor plan was always offered in the years that the Crescent was available, but the layout was tweaked a bit for the late 1926-1927 catalog. The main differences between the two are in the areas marked in blue, yellow, and orange on this image. 

As you can see, compared to the small floor plan, the large floor plans have an extension off the back of the house, on just one side, and the location of the staircase is moved to the center of the house. Numerous other changes were made, as well, that differentiate these large plans, from the small plan:

• A large, three-part window on the back wall of the dining room, mimics the style of the three-part windows in the front of the house.
• There is a hallway leading to the front and back first-floor bedrooms, instead of having them accessed from the living or dining rooms.
• The bathroom between the bedrooms is now accessed from the hallway, instead of from the bedrooms in the jack-and-jill bathroom style of the small plan.
• From the outside, we now see no side entry, but one wall has two widely-separated windows, and the other has three evenly-spaced windows, one of which is in the start of the back extension on the house.
• If we can only see the exterior of the house, and can see an aerial view, we can note the new placement of the furnace vent chimney (indicated with an orange arrow). This element would never differ from what is shown on a floor plan, as it is not something that can normally be changed, even during renovations.

Note the placement of the furnace vent chimney -- this is the earlier large floor plan

Here is the location of the furnace vent chimney on the later larger plan.

The Area Indicated In Blue

The Early Large Plan for the Crescent

The most obvious difference between the two large-plan versions, is the access to the new hallway in the center of the house. The earlier version has that as an open-space flowing from the living room, with the side rails of the staircase usually open to the living room... and that short hallway leads to a door into the front bedroom, with the door to the bathroom to its left. 

The 3084 larger floor plan of the Sears Crescent, offered from 1920 - 1926.
Notice how the two doors at the foot of the staircase, are next to each other... the one on the left goes into the bathroom, the one on the right goes into the front bedroom.
(Photos from real estate listing for 299 E Woodrow Ave, Columbus, Ohio)

The 3084 larger floor plan of the Sears Crescent, offered from 1920 - 1926.

Here is another Sears Crescent with the earlier large floor plan, on Boomer Road, in Cincinnati, Ohio. This one has also had a massive addition to the back of the house, but the living room, staircase,  and hallway areas are just what we expect to see for that early large plan:

3813 Boomer Road, Cincinnati, Ohio (real estate photos, here)

The Later Large Plan For the Crescent

Now, compare those views to what the later large plan treatment of the staircase, hallway, and bedroom access is:

3259A floor plan (2nd large floor plan, 1927-1933)
Instead of an open view to the staircase, a sold wall has a small doorway into a short hallway, where the staircase is. (Photos from real estate listing for 6109 63rd Avenue, Riverdale, MD)

There is a closet behind that living room wall, hence the closet door perpendicular to the side of the staircase. (3259A floor plan -- 2nd large floor plan, 1927-1933) 

This is the back bedroom, looking up toward the front bedroom. The short hallway alongside the staircase, leads to this longer hallway that connects the front and back bedrooms. Both bedroom doors are perpendicular to the bathroom door (the bathroom is in the same spot).  The doorway to the front bedroom has been changed to be perpendicular to the bathroom door, instead of next to it, on the same wall.
(3259A floor plan --2nd large floor plan, 1927-1933)

This is the view from the front bedroom, looking to the back bedroom.
(3259A floor plan --2nd large floor plan, 1927-1933)

The Dining Room Window and The Area In Yellow

The back wall of the dining room, on both large versions, has the nice, big, triple window (with a larger window in the center, and slimmer windows flanking it). Here it is in the Riverdale, Maryland Crescent :

From the living room, looking into the dining room, with large, three-part window on the back wall... doorway to kitchen on the right side wall of the dining room. 
 Sears Crescent large plan 3259A: 6109 63rd Avenue Riverdale MD

Back wall of the dining room in any large-plan floor plan of the Sears Crescent, will have this style three-part window. The small floor plan has two widely-separated single windows on that wall. Kitchen is through the small entry door on the right.

Now... as for the part indicated in yellow on those two versions of the large floor plan... the changes to this area mostly involve a re-positioning of the staircase down to the basement, and the staircase off of the porch. However, in reality... these days, many of the large-plan Crescents have had that porch enclosed, to extend the kitchen, causing a re-positioning of the back door, and often there is some kind of extended deck or larger back porch added. So... we don't always expect to see this area perfectly match the floor plans. For example, here is the back of the Riverdale, Maryland Crescent, that has the later large floor plan. We should not be seeing two back windows here... but, the porch area was taken over to extend the kitchen. We can see, however, what that three-part window in the back of the large-plan Crescent, looks like, from the exterior:

This is NOT the normal look of the Sears Crescent large plan 3259A. The right-side window should be a porch door, but that porch area was incorporated into the kitchen.
6109 63rd Avenue Riverdale MD

This is NOT the normal look of the Sears Crescent large plan 3259A. The right-side window (obscured by the tree) should be a porch door, but that porch area was incorporated into the kitchen, and the exit door was added here. You can see the expected three-part window in the back of the dining room.
6109 63rd Avenue Riverdale MD

This floor plan is included in the real estate photos, and shows that the only difference is that the kitchen was extended in back to take over the back porch, so a window replaces the spot where the back porch door would have been, and the back entry from the kitchen, is on the wall perpendicular to that back wall.

Here is that newer section of the kitchen, in the space that normally would be the back porch.
You can see the window that replaces the spot where the back porch door would have been, and the back entry door from the kitchen, on the wall perpendicular to that back wall. The flooring is newer flooring.

Some Other Crescents Around the Country

Here are just a few other Sears Crescent examples that we have on our national list of Sears houses in the U.S. . We have over 500 Crescents on our list (of over 18,000 Sears houses)!

Sears Crescent large floor plan 3259A •  1129 N Washington St, Janesville WI (source for photos)

1129 N Washington St, Janesville WI • Sears Crescent 3259A

1129 N Washington St, Janesville WI • Sears Crescent 3259A

1129 N Washington St, Janesville WI • Sears Crescent 3259A

1129 N Washington St, Janesville WI • Sears Crescent 3259A

1129 N Washington St, Janesville WI • Sears Crescent 3259A

1129 N Washington St, Janesville WI • Sears Crescent 3259A

1129 N Washington St, Janesville WI • Sears Crescent 3259A

1129 N Washington St, Janesville WI • Sears Crescent 3259A

Sears Crescent Small Plan • 1204 Marion Ave, McLean, Virginia 

This very feminine feeling small-plan Sears Crescent, with original hardwood floors, but lots of pastel blue and white paint, and pastel carpeting, was sold in 2019 for $757,000 (it has a very large lot, and this is a very pricey area of the country)... and promptly "scraped", with a big, lifeless, boxy house replacing it. There are several Sears houses on this street, and I imagine that is what will happen to each of them, as they go up for sale.  Note that this house is one where the back wall of the dining room was removed, and so those two widely-separated windows were replaced with a huge slider, to enter onto an added-on back room... a kind of 4-season room/living room? Photos from the 2019 real estate listing, here.

Sears small plan Crescent (with addition across the back) • 1204 Marion Ave, McLean VA

Living room showing that staircase to the side of the space.
Sears small plan Crescent • 1204 Marion Ave, McLean VA

View into the dining room, from living room, of Sears small plan Crescent (with addition across the back). 1204 Marion Ave, McLean VA

Dining room with new sliders, looking out to addition on back. 
Sears small plan Crescent (with addition across the back) • 1204 Marion Ave, McLean VA

Addition 4-season living room/porch on back of Sears small plan Crescent 
1204 Marion Ave, McLean VA

Section of small kitchen of Sears small plan Crescent (with addition across the back). Sears Craftsman trim, original Sears Craftsman door, and original Sears Stratford door handle hardware.
1204 Marion Ave, McLean VA

More of the kitchen, Sears small plan Crescent (with addition across the back) • 1204 Marion Ave, McLean VA

Here is the replacement house at this address.

Sears Small-Plan Crescent • 209 Davis St, Cincinnati, OH

This was a find by 1990s researcher, Bea Lask, who logged about 500 Sears houses all around Cincinnati, while working on a university degree. Her 500 houses were the start of our National List of Sears Houses In the U.S. You can read about Bea Lask, here, when researchers Cindy Catanzaro and the late Laraine Shape, visited with her. These photos are from a real estate listing, here. Although there is replacement flooring, and the wall between the dining room and kitchen was removed, the floor plan is true to the original, and original Craftsmen staircase, and window and doorway trim are still in place.

Sears small-plan Crescent (note side entry) • 209 Davis St, Cincinnati, OH

Sears small-plan Crescent with wall removed between dining room and kitchen 
209 Davis St, Cincinnati, OH

Living room, front window of living room, front door, and doorway into front bedroom
Sears small-plan Crescent  • 209 Davis St, Cincinnati, OH

Living room with added fireplace, living room looking into the doors of the front and back bedroom, and dining room • Sears small-plan Crescent  • 209 Davis St, Cincinnati, OH

Original back wall windows of the dining room, with wall to kitchen removed, remodeled kitchen.
Sears small-plan Crescent  • 209 Davis St, Cincinnati, OH

View from back bedroom into dining room, with door to jack-and-jill bathroom ajar.
Sears small-plan Crescent  • 209 Davis St, Cincinnati, OH

Sears Crescent Early Large Plan (3084) • 63 Sunset Ave, Glen Ellyn, IL

This beautiful home has large added dormers, an added fireplace, and an addition, but retains all of its original charm, with unpainted Craftsmen woodwork. This home is an authenticated Sears purchase, built in 1925, for Arthur F. Swasnson, with a Sears mortgage of $6,100 (per Lara Solonickne, Sears Homes of Chicagoland ). Photos from real estate listing, here.

Sears Crescent (with beautiful additions) • early large plan, 3084
63 Sunset Avenue, Glen Ellyn, IL

There is the open staircase, leading down to the hallway for the bedrooms and bath, plan 3084

63 Sunset Avenue, Glen Ellyn, IL

Bedroom with new master bath added, Sears Stratford hardware on doors
Sears Crescent, plan 3084 • 63 Sunset Avenue, Glen Ellyn, IL

Upstairs bedroom with dormer
Sears Crescent, plan 3084 • 63 Sunset Avenue, Glen Ellyn, IL

Glen Ellyn, Illinois is a beautiful town, and we have 48 Sears houses on our list, there, just about every one of them in beautiful condition (most of the Glen Ellyn houses were found by researchers Lara Solonickne or Rebecca L. Hunter). Glen Ellyn was one of the towns that I toured during my trip to Chicagoland last June (2023). I wrote about that trip in this blog post, and showed quite a few Sears houses from the area, along with a small map of about 60 houses in the area that I visited. What a collection!

Well, that's it for this lengthy primer on the very popular Sears Crescent model, in all of its glory! I always learn more about the models when I do a deep-dive into the floor plans and examples, and I hope you found this informative and interesting, as well. 

                                         •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

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

(NOTE: This blog is best seen in WEB view, to access the many informational links in the side bar.)