Walking/Driving Tour Sears Catalog Homes

Walking/Driving Tour SearsSEARS CataCatalogCATALoGCATA loLo gG HHomesHoMES o mM esES overview of Sears Homes DOWNERS GROVE SEARS HOMES

In 1895, the idea of a self-assembled, Establishing a home’s identity can be tricky. It is unusualfi tond fi a house in its mail order home was realized by com- original condition. Many have been remodeled or the originalfl oor plans may have panies such as The Hodgson Company, been customized or reversed. Also, some Sears models are similar to thoseff ered o by Aladdin Homes, Montgomery Ward, other mail-order companies. On the walking tour, you will notice many homes which have characteristic features similar to the Sears models. To the best of the Village’s and of course the largest and most knowledge, the homes listed in the brochure have been determined to be Sears Catalog successful of these enterprises – Sears, Homes. Unique architectural features to notice during the walking tour are shown in Roebuck and Company. Before Sears the brochure. even began selling kit homes, Richard W. Sears (founder of Sears, Roebuck Many Sears Homes include details such as: and Company) already had a distinct • unique shaped steps on the side of the chimney exterior • a half moon door with a 180 degree arch advantage over these competitors. • a cat slide roof Sears could boast that one out of every • a crescent or eyebrow window under the eaves four Americans was already a • double-hung windows with a single pane bo om and mul ple pane top customer at Sears. • arches over ves bules Between 1908 and 1940, the Sears • narrow pane windows Roebuck specialty catalog ffo ffered more than 450 diff erent models of ‘kit’ homes and many variations of them with prices ranging from $146.25 for the Golden Rod Cottage up to $5,140 for the Magnolia – the grandest of all the kit homes. TOUR OF SEARS HOMES Each home descrip on will have a numbered symbol which The average kit home had 30,000 parts, not including nails, screws, etc. It included 10 everything except the lot, foundation, and energy to assemble it. Each precut piece coincides with its loca on on the map. was perfectly shaped, no sawing was required, and all parts were number-keyed to a Whitehall ...... Page 4 Aurora ...... Page 16 blueprint. These ready-to-assemble homes refl ected the American taste of the period Barrington ...... Page 5 Rochelle ...... Page 17 complete with modern conveniences such as indoor plumbing and electricity. They were shipped mostly by rail car to buyers across the country. Brookwood ...... Page 6 Mount Vernon ...... Page 18 Cornell ...... Page 7 Bellewood ...... Page 19 When the Sears Modern Homes Department closed in 1940, the sales records and Avondale...... Page 8 Starlight ...... Page 20 promotional materials were destroyed, leaving it up to individual communities and homeowners to identify Sears Homes. Alongside Elgin and Carlinville, Downers Arlington ...... Page 9 Ivanhoe ...... Page 21 Grove boasts one of the largest collections of Sears Homes within Illinois with nearly Alhambra ...... Page 10 Elsmore ...... Page 22 150 homes. Lexington ...... Page 11 Marina ...... Page 23 Colchester ...... Page 12 Wilmore ...... Page 24 Lynnhaven ...... Page 13 Van Dorn ...... Page 25 For more informa on about Sears Homes, visit: h p://www.searsarchives.com/ Map ...... Pages 14-15 Elmhurst ...... Page 26 homes/1908-1914.htm For more informa on about historic preserva on in Downers Grove, visit: h p://www.downers.us/govt/historic-preserva on

Sears Catalog Homes 3 1 Oﬀ ered 1912 – 1926 2 Oﬀ ered 1926 – 1929 WHITEHALLCost $687 – $1,863 BARRINGToNCost $2,329 – $2,606

4706 Highland Avenue 911 Lincoln Street Designed with economy in mind, the home This Barrington model features six rooms and features six rooms and one bath. The dining one bath and was built as a rental unit just prior and living rooms are connected by a large to the Depression. The living room features a cased opening, which appears to make one fi replace fl anked by high large room. The front façade features a casement windows, while two-story bay window and a full-width a breakfast nook is front porch with wood columns. Recent provided in the rear. The renovations altered the front steps home is in the English and front door. Country Revival style with the practical interior Sears A skilled but mostly anonymous of American architecture. The Barrington model FACT group of architects designed the is similar to the Brookwood model and is identical to the Cambridge 447 diff erent kit homes for Sears. Each of the designs could be modifi ed in model, with the only diff erence being the exterior siding. numerous ways, including reversing the fl oor In 1910, only 10% of homes had electricity. By 1930, that plan, building with brick instead of siding, History FACT number jumped to 70%, providing a more convenient home and many other op ons. for buyers.

4 Sears catalog homes Sears Catalog Homes 5 Oﬀ ered 1932 – 1933 Oﬀ ered 1925 – 1938 BrookwoodCost $1,328 CornellCost $1,360 – $1,785

3 4540 Forest Avenue 4 4605 Forest Avenue The two-story The Cornell model Brookwood model includes six or features six rooms seven rooms and one bath. The and one bath. Brookwood model Originally, the home is similar to the featured a Barrington model full-width front but does not feature porch supported by a ﬁ replace nor a brick piers. A breakfast nook. renovation to the A 1950’s addition has been added to the west side of the original home. home eliminated During construction of the addition, uncovered plaster bedroom walls half of the original porch. The rectangular layout of the house permitted had notes written on them about President-elect Roosevelt visiting this model to be placed on narrow lots. President Hoover at the White House in December 1932.

7 4905 Parkway Drive 6 4819 Prince Street This Brookwood The Cornell model model, unlike the features a front 4540 Forest Avenue dormer, hipped roof, Brookwood and a front porch, model home, does which has been not feature an enclosed. The home addition. The steeply features numerous pitched vestibule roof windows, which with an arched made the Cornell a window opening is popular model. the primary feature A side addition of this property. The home was built by Otto Hummer, founder of the was made to this house incorporating the same materials as the Downers Grove Park District system, and is adjacent to historic Prince Pond. original structure.

6 Sears catalog homes Sears Catalog Homes 7 5 Oﬀ ered 1911 – 1912 8 Oﬀ ered 1913 – 1922 AvondaleCost $1,198 – $2,657 ArlingtonCost $1,294 – $2,906

4808 Forest Avenue 4817 Linscott Avenue This modern bungalow includes six This Arts and Crafts Style home rooms and one bath. The home’s includes seven rooms and one bath. exterior features include a Originally constructed with a projecting bay, a front porch with wrap-around front porch with tapered columns, and a hipped tapered, paired columns, this porch roof. Interior features include a has since been enclosed. The interior built-in buff et and mirror in the features include beamed ceilings in dining room, a living room fi replace the dining room with a fi replace in fl anked by window seats, and a the living room. beamed ceiling in both the living and dining rooms. A rear addition In the early 1930s, blends in with the historic home. Sears FACT bungalows such as the Arlington model, became the house of the future. In a new bungalow home, living rooms and dining rooms Central hea ng, indoor plumbing, and electricity were all new were essen ally one room, separated by only colonnades or an arch. Kitchens Sears FACT developments in home design that ‘Modern Homes’ incorporated, were also made smaller and more efficient with an increased emphasis although not all homes were designed with these conveniences. on organiza on.

8 Sears catalog homes Sears Catalog Homes 9 9 Oﬀ ered 1918 – 1929 Oﬀ ered 1921 – 1933 AlhambraCost $1,969 – $3,134 LexingtonCost $2,958 – $4,365

10 1240 Chicago Avenue This model includes seven to nine rooms and one-and-a-half baths. This Colonial Revival house includes a small front porch with stately pilasters and a sun parlor on the west façade with a balcony above. The interior includes afi replace in the family room and French doors throughout the groundfl oor. 4743 Saratoga Avenue The Alhambra home includes eight rooms and one bath. Original catalog renderings show the Alhambra with many Spanish Revival details that were not built on this 18 1340 Gilbert Avenue house. But it does detail a stucco exterior This home includes with a front dormer, overhanging eaves, a gabled front and an open porch and terrace (which has porch and, in since been converted to living space). The living room features a fi replace while the addition to a sun dining room has built-in sideboards. The parlor on the Alhambra model is similar to the Monterey east side, it also model, but with a diff erent roof and porch features a dining design. porch on the west façade. Both house This Sears home was built in 1924 at the prominent corner of Saratoga Avenue extensions include and Prairie Avenue in the E.H. Prince balconies above. Subdivision. This home is one of the largest This home is the largest Sears home in Downers Grove. kit homes in Downers Grove.

10 Sears catalog homes Sears Catalog Homes 11 11 Oﬀ ered 1929 – 1939 12 Oﬀ ered 1932 – 1933 ColchesterCost $1,527 – $2,037 LynnhavenLynnhaven Cost $2,600

4641 Seeley Avenue 4716 Lee Avenue The Colchester model includes This Country Revival infl uenced home includes six rooms and one-and- fi ve or seven rooms and one bath a-half baths. The steep front gable façade features a recessed entrance with an optional second fl oor. porch with a stone surround. The front façade also features a shed The front façade features a dormer. The interior includes a breakfast alcove off of the kitchen. round-arched front door, a crescent window in the front An easy way gable, and a brick chimney. Sears FACT to iden fy if Interior features include a a home is a fi replace in the living room and Sears Catalog Home is to a telephone room in the main hall. look at the lumber. Most Sears’ lumber was stamped In the 1920s over with a le er and a number. Downers 5,000 people moved to Grove Between 1908 and 1910, FACT Downers Grove and the real estate market was booming. The Sears some mes used local 1920 popula on was 3,543 and in 1930 it was 8,977. During mills who supplied lumber when demand was high so not all lumber will have that me, Chicago residents who were red of paying rent were moving to the those details. suburbs, including Downers Grove.

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5636 DUNHAM RD 21 23 Sears CatalogCata lo g HomesH o m es in Downers Grove 24 14 Sears catalog homes Sears Catalog Homes 15 13 Oﬀ ered 1933 14 Oﬀ ered 1929 – 1933 AuroraCost $989 – $1,110 RochelleCost $1,170

4725 Stonewall Avenue 4832 Wallbank Avenue This English Country cottage style Described in the 1932 catalog as home includes six rooms, one bath, “Americanized English architecture”, and a built-in basement garage, the Rochelle includes four rooms which was rare in 1933. The front and one bath. The double gable front entrance extends out from the façade is a unique feature along with main house with a gable. The the arched front door. The home was recently renovated with a large front façade features a prominent addition on the north façade to provide stone chimney. The home was an attached garage and additional built in 1933 by volunteer fi remen living space. for their chief. Sears In 1929, Sears’ popularity was booming as they were shipping an Sears Towards the end of FACT average of 250 units per month just from Cairo, IL. FACT Sears off ering its kit homes, their popularity Due to the state of the economy between 1929 and 1931, many was shown by the many children who Downers Village residents were without jobs, and money was scarce. The Grove learned to read by only using the Sears Roebuck Catalog and the family Bible. In FACT en re community worked together to nd fi jobs for the unemployed many rural homes, those were the only two books in a household. and provide food and coal to those in need.

16 Sears catalog homes Sears Catalog Homes 17 15 Oﬀ ered 1921 – 1925 16 Oﬀ ered 1931 – 1933 Mount VernonVernonCost $851 – $1,221 BellEwoodCost $1,259

1416 Warren Avenue 4927 Montgomery Avenue The Mount Vernon This small English Country Revival model includes four cottage includes ﬁ ve rooms and one rooms and one bath bath. The exterior features a steep with a gabled front front gable with a cat slide curve porch and hipped roof. over the arched front door. The interior features a ﬁ replace in the living room and In the early twen eth

breakfast alcove oﬀ Downers century, Downers Grove Grove of the kitchen. The FACT a racted not only Mount Vernon model is one of a few Sears homes that was not a pure homeowners, but also a number of businesses that became pillars kit. The four outside walls were small enough to be constructed in a of the community. mill and shipped with the rest of the kit. This was called a Simplex Sectional Home. The Simplex Sectional Home, as the name suggests, contained simple designs. The Mount Vernon model could be assembled with basic tools Sears Sears was s ll selling mail order homes in the early 1930s but their and required no sawing or nailing. Simplex homes such as these were FACT best sellers were the modest homes such as the Bellewood model. frequently only a couple of rooms and were ideal for summer cottages.

18 Sears catalog homes Sears Catalog Homes 19 17 Oﬀ ered 1913 – 1933 19 Oﬀ ered 1912 – 1918 StarlightCost $543 – $1,645 IvanhoeIvanhoe Cost $1,663 – $2,618

1244 Gilbert Avenue 744 Maple Avenue This bungalow style features ﬁ ve The Ivanhoe includes seven rooms and one bath. rooms and one bath. The home The home features two includes a clipped-gable dormer front hipped dormers and hipped roof. The original and a wide front porch which full-width open front porch has extends nearly the entire been enclosed. The home also f width of the home. This eatures a pantry o ﬀ of the kitchen. particular Sears home is a combination of the Ivanhoe and Model 200 called Model 264P230. The home originally had a walk-in ice box with outside access. A house kit was shipped in a railroad car, and because Sears Downers FACT FACTGrove of the switching roundhouse and railroad sidings in This home in Downers Grove is a rare, fully documented Sears home with Downers Grove, there was track room for the car to plans, construction documents, and Sears correspondence still in existence. remain for seven to ten days as it was being unloaded. The ownersnew could then follow the me culous instruc ons to build the house themselves, or they could have a contractor complete the house. Downers Grove has one oflargest the collec ons Sears Sears es mated that the average man could erect a ‘Modern Home’ FACT in about 90 days in good weather. of Sears homes, due in part to its convenient railroad sidings.

20 Sears catalog homes Sears Catalog Homes 21 20 Oﬀ ered 1916 – 1926 21 Oﬀ ered 1918 – 1921 ElsmoreCost $858 – $2,391 MarinaCost $1,289 – $1,632

5210 Grand Avenue 930 Summit Street This bungalow includes This bungalow includes ﬁ ve rooms and ﬁ ve rooms and one one bath. The home features a front bath. A projecting front gable and a nearly full-width front porch porch features triple with concrete columns and tapered wood piers. The interior includes a beamed columns and ceiling in the dining room. bargeboard trim at the gable. The home features a reception room, now commonly called a foyer.

To adver se the company’s new During the me Kit homes were oﬀ ered, Sears homes were Sears FACT and improved line of building Sears an a ac ve op on and a good value, immediately drawing supplies, a Modern Homes FACT prospec ve homeowners to the possibility of having a neﬁ specialty catalog, theBook of Modern Homes new home at a modest price. and Building Plans, appeared in 1908.

22 Sears catalog homes Sears Catalog Homes 23 22 Oﬀ ered 1933 – 1939 23 Oﬀ ered 1926, 1928, and 1933 WilmoreCost $1,191 – $1,414 VanVan DornDornCost $1,576 – $2,249

5730 Main Street 5636 Dunham Road This English Country Revival house This Dutch Colonial style home includes ﬁ ve rooms and one bath includes six rooms and one bath with an arched opening between with a semi-open stair and a full-width shed dormer on the the living and dining rooms. The front façade. This home was added two front gables are prominent onto and resembles the Van Jean features as well as the half-moon model. An arch over the front door front door. The home is identical to includes a crescent feature and the Jewel model and similar to the paired columns. Roxbury model.

Between 1930 and 1940, the Sears Sears off ered loans beginning in 1911, and by 1918 it off ered Downers popula on of Downers Grove FACT customers credit for almost all building materials as well as Grove off ering advanced capital for labor costs. Typical loans ran at 5 FACT increased by only 549 people due years, with 6% interest, but loans could be extended over as many as 15 years. to the Great Depression. Families were combining households in order to survive, History A bill for dairy products in 1934 was only $3.44 for 18 quarts leading to very li le real estate being sold. FACT of milk and 14 jars of cream.

24 Sears catalog homes Sears Catalog Homes 25 24 Off ered 1931 – 1933 ElmhurstCost unavailable Sears No offi cial tally exists FACT of the number of Sears mail-order houses that s ll survive today. It is reported that 70,000 to 100,000 houses were sold between 1908 and 1940 through Sears Modern Homes program with 447 diff erent housing styles.

5535 Dunham Road This English Tudor style home features six rooms and one-and-a-half baths with a steeply pitched roof with a curve over the front entrance. The exterior is clad with brick and half-timbered wood and stucco. The home features a decorative telephone niche in the front hall and semi-open stairs to the second ﬂ oor.

Sears The growing middle class was FACT leaving the city for suburbia as trolley lines and the railroad extended lifelines for families who needed to travel to the city. Likewise, companies were building factories on distant, empty parcels of land and needed to house their workers. Aﬀ ordable, mail-order homes proved to be just the answer to such dilemmas.

26 Sears catalog homes Preserving your property as a historic landmark is easier than ever and there’s no cost, so call the Village or visit us on the web and let us help landmark your historic home today. 630.434.5515 | www.downers.us/govt/historic-preserva on

This program receives Federalﬁ nancial assistance for identiﬁ cation and protection of historic properties under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended. The U.S. Department of the Interior prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, or disability or age in its federally assisted programs. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility as described above, or if you desire further information, please write to:

Offi ce for Equal Opportunity Equal Employment Opportunity Offi cer Na onal Park Service Department of Natural Resources P.O. Box 37127 or One Natural Resources Way Washington, DC 20013-7127 Springfi eld, IL 62702

The activity, which is the subject of the brochure, has beenfi nanced in part with federal funds from the Department of the lnterior administered by the Illinois State Historic Preservation ffiO ce, IDNR. However, the contents and opinions do not necessarily refl ect the views or policies of the Department of the Interior or the Illinois SHPO, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Department of the Interior or the Illinois SHPO.