A Storybook Sears Stratford in Homewood

1852 Sycamore, Homewood.

Sears Stratford.

The Sears Stratford was a rustic English bungalow sold from 1930 to 1933.  The exterior featured brick and stone, but because customers purchased their own brick and stone locally, Stratfords can be found in a variety of colors and finishes.

Designed by architect David S. Betcone, the Stratford had a storybook style that made it one of Sears’ most distinctive late-era homes.

This cream-and-brown Stratford is in the heart of Homewood. It has been thoughtfully remodeled, but still retains its vintage character.

The front vestibule and the coat closet. The arched front door is an original from Sears, as is the coat closet door. The small window next to the front door is in that closet.

The Stratford has a spacious 13'x17' living room with a cozy wood-burning fireplace. The recessed built-in bookcases were standard in this model. The triple front windows, which were originally full-length French doors, fill the space with light.  

The remodeled kitchen features quartz countertops and floating shelves. 

The doorway on the right leads to the basement stairs and the back porch. The area where the corner cupboard stands today was originally designed for the refrigerator.

A small hallway off the dining room leads to the two first-floor bedrooms.

This is the rear bedroom.

 Upstairs, the finished attic holds two additional bedrooms, one currently used as an office. 

A master bath was added as part of the renovation, complete with a floating vanity. 

The original owners, George and Ruth Jones, built the Stratford in 1931.  George was a general foreman at the Railway Express Agency in Chicago, a national package delivery service much like today's UPS.

George died in 1958, and Ruth continued to live in the house until at least 1978.

Homewood has more Sears homes to see!

• A Sears Verona once home to legendary geologist J. Harlen Bretz
• A Sears Lewiston still boasts original features and a rich family history
• A Sears Homestead and a Harris Brothers Hancock
  
  

Copyright Disclaimer: All photographs in this post (unless otherwise noted) are from real estate aggregate Redfin.com and are used in this post for the purposes of education, consistent with 17 USC §107.

What Does This Sears House Have in Common with the "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre"?

63 Sunset, Glen Ellyn. A Colonial Bungalow with a formal, double-columned front porch, the Sears Crescent still appeals to today's buyers. 

Sears Crescent.

The Sears Crescent is the number one Sears house in Illinois by far. You can find one or more of these homes in almost every community, but one Crescent in Glen Ellyn hides a spooky secret in its basement.

The Sears Crescent came with two floor plans, and the one in Glen Ellyn was the larger one.

The door on the left leads to the basement stairs, and the doorway on the right leads to the kitchen (it originally had a swinging door). 

The kitchen area has been reconfigured to accommodate an eat-in area.

The front bedroom. 

The back bedroom now is a master suite with an attached bath. 

Photo courtesy of Katie Keeley.

There are a couple bedrooms upstairs. 

What the real estate photos did not show was the basement. Katie Keeley lived at 63 Sunset for a year, and sent me the following photos.

An oddly placed brick wall in the basement. According to Katie: "The brick wall in the basement was under the main floor fireplace, so we assumed it was part of that. But it was odd that there was no access to the chimney in the basement, despite all the brick there." What's behind that door on the right? Photo courtesy of Katie Keeley.

Oh. My. God. Katie wrote: "[The room] had metal hooks in the ceiling. There were no shelves or anything else in there. Just the one hanging light bulb. Spooky, right?"  Photo courtesy of Katie Keeley.

Closeup of the mysterious hooks, perfect for hanging… something. "My children were scared of this room," Katie wrote.  

This room gives The Texas Chain Saw Massacre vibes! 

Before we panic, let's consider a plausible explanation.

This creepy room could be a curing room rather than a place to murder people. In the early 20th century, curing rooms were used to preserve hams and other meats, salted and wrapped in cheesecloth, and hung from sturdy ceiling hooks.

There is evidence to support the curing room hypothesis. The original homeowner was Arthur F. Swanson, who took out a mortgage from Sears Roebuck in March 1925 for $6,100.

Arthur worked as an office clerk for Swift & Company stockyards in Chicago. A meat packing company! The hooks could very well have been part of a practical curing setup.

Of course, because Arthur is no longer around to ask, we'll never know for sure what the creepy room was used for, so draw your own conclusion. Happy Halloween!

To uncover another eerie Sears home mystery, click here!

Copyright Disclaimer: All photographs in this post (unless otherwise noted) are from real estate aggregate Redfin.com and are used in this post for the purposes of education, consistent with 17 USC §107.

A Stately Sears Haverhill in Evanston

1010 Isabella, Evanston. Capture from Google Streetview.

Sears Haverhill.

The Sears Haverhill was sold from 1933 until 1940. Sears marketed the Haverhill as an economical Colonial. Considering the Haverhill debuted in 1933, the slowest year for residential building in decades, "economical" was the operative word and affordability was everything.

The Haverhill had six rooms, two full baths, and a half bath—a surprisingly generous layout for a modestly priced kit. Sears promoted the Haverhill as a “home of good taste” that delivered comfort and efficiency without unnecessary cost. The home represents the practical elegance of Sears’ later catalog years. It was designed to look refined but not extravagant, to offer modern comforts without excess. 

This Haverhill in Evanston was built in late 1932 or early 1933.

The dormers are original to the house as the attic was initially finished as a recreation room. The side porch was an option on many Sears models.

The current owners have enclosed this porch and made it a sunroom, but originally it looked like this. The railing is original from Sears.

That same railing design appeared in the catalog illustration for the Sears Jefferson model, one of several examples where Sears reused decorative details across different homes.

The front entrance was modeled after the one on "General Strong's home, which was built 'way back in the Revolutionary days," according to the Modern Homes catalog. I took this photo before the current owners purchased the house, and the house needed some sprucing up. 

The Haverhill front entrance as shown in the catalog illustration.

This appears to be an original light fixture.

These railings are original from Sears and can be found on other Sears models.

The Haverhill has an identical floor plan to the Sears Alden. However, the Haverhill exterior is brick veneer, it has a fan-light entrance, and has more windows in the front.

A fireplace came standard with the Haverhill—the catalog charmingly described it as “friendly.” The fireplace anchors the main living room, with a door leading out to the sun porch..

In the kitchen, the original cabinets from Sears are still in place, a rare survival story.

The first-floor half bath retains its pink tile, a cheerful touch that likely dates to the home’s earliest years.

Three bedrooms on the second floor, and two full baths. The master bedroom has a separate dressing room and two wardrobes.

The master bedroom. 

The master bath features a walk-in shower—something only a few Sears models ever offered.

The original owners were Johannes and Grace Krawetz. Johannes graduated from Northwestern University in 1923 with a degree in chemistry and went on be president of the Phoenix Chemical Laboratory. In August 1932, the couple purchased the lot on Isabella Street. With baby Arthur due that October, they needed a home of their own.

The Krawetzes moved into their new Haverhill and stayed for the rest of their lives. Johannes died in 1974, and Grace followed in 1984. Their son Dr. Arthur Krawetz and his wife Sallie Posniak lived in the house following his parents' deaths. Like his father, Arthur worked for Phoenix Chemical Laboratory. He passed away in 2015, and Sallie sold the home the following year. The real estate listing identified it as a Sears house.

Today, the Evanston Haverhill is still doing exactly what Sears promised: offering good living for generations to enjoy.

Copyright Disclaimer: All photographs in this post (unless otherwise noted) are from real estate aggregate Redfin.com and are used in this post for the purposes of education, consistent with 17 USC §107.