The Sears House Where President Gerald R. Ford Lived

1960 Prospect SE, Grand Rapids, MI. 

Sears No. 124.

An older, different view from Google Streetview. The house even has the rectangular cutout over the front porch that is shown on the catalog illustration.

Gerald R. Ford was born Leslie Lynch King, Jr., on July 14, 1913 in Omaha. He would become the only president of the United States not elected by American voters.

Ford's mother, Dorothy Gardner, grew up in Harvard, Illinois and  attended Northwestern University. In September 1912, the 21-year-old Dorothy married Leslie Lynch King in Harvard. The couple then moved to Omaha.

Dorothy Gardner.

After the marriage, Lynch became abusive. A month after her son's birth, Dorothy fled Omaha with her mother and the baby. They moved to the Sears house in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Dorothy's parents, Levi and Adele Gardner, lived.

Dorothy and little Leslie Lynch King, Jr. on his baptism day in 1914. Photo from the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum. .

1974 photo from the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum. The house was built about 1912, and was listed in the 1913 Grand Rapids city directory.

Toddler Leslie in front of the house. Photo from the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum. 

Sears Roebuck in its Modern Homes catalog stated that a No. 124 was built in Grand Rapids. This is likely the house.

Photo from Realtor site.

Photo from Realtor site.

Photo from Realtor site.

Dorothy was granted a divorce in December 1913. In 1917, she married Grand Rapids businessman Gerald Rudolph Ford. She and Leslie moved out of her parents' Sears house. 

Almost immediately, they started calling Leslie the name Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr.  In 1935, Leslie legally changed his name to that of his stepfather.

Ford served 25 years in Congress. From 1965 to 1973, he was House Minority Leader. 

Ford became vice president in October 1973 after President Richard Nixon named him to succeed Spiro T. Agnew. Agnew had pleaded no contest to a single felony charge of tax evasion and resigned from office. 

In August 1974, Vice President Ford became President after Nixon resigned. Ford nominated Nelson Rockefeller to fill the Vice Presidential vacancy.

Ford served until January 20, 1977 as the 38th President of the United States. In 2006, President Ford died in California. 

A Modernized Sears Ridgeland in West Chicago

805 E. Washington, West Chicago. Photo from Realtor site.

Sears Ridgeland.

An English cottage, the Sears Ridgeland was sold from 1933 to 1940. In earlier years, the same house was sold under the Maplewood nameplate.

This Sears Ridgeland in West Chicago was built in 1936. Interestingly, it has a Washington St address, and sits on the corner of Ridgeland Ave.

The house is missing the living room fireplace (optional for buyers) and the shutters. Two dormers have been added in the upstairs bedrooms. The house also has many replacement windows and aluminum siding instead of the original red cedar shingles.

The exterior dimensions are 24' x 28', and remain unchanged from the original floor plan. Photo from Realtor site.

Despite all the exterior changes, the rehabbed interior retains the original flow.

The front door leads to the living room. The dining room and kitchen are to the right. There is a first-floor bedroom that Sears said could be used as a den, library, or sun parlor. There were two additional bedrooms upstairs.

The vestibule has been integrated into the living room. Photo from Realtor site. 

Photo from Realtor site.

The walls between the dining room and living room have been removed.  The little hallway has been opened up so now you can see the stairs from the living room.  Photo from Realtor site.

 Photo from Realtor site.

As on the original floor plan, the door leads to the backyard and the basement stairs. Photo from Realtor site.

The first floor bedroom.  Photo from Realtor site. 

The bathroom is in the same location on the first floor. Photo from Realtor site..

One of the upstairs bedrooms with a new dormer that adds much-needed sunlight to the room. Photo from Realtor site.

Theodore A. and Florence Risch purchased the Ridgeland from Sears Roebuck in 1936. Theodore worked as an "advertising layout man" for Runkle, Thompson, Kovats, Inc., a Chicago printing company.

By 1950 they had moved to Antioch.

A Dignified Lady in Palos Park

8516 W. 122nd Place, Palos Park. Photo from Realtor site.

The Sears Martha Washington. See that bench? It was $6.00 extra.

The Sears Martha Washington is a classic Dutch Colonial with an Early American name. The Modern Homes catalog called the Martha Washington model "a vision of hospitality and brightness". 

This Martha Washington in Palos Park was recently listed for sale. Let's take a look!

There are three large rooms on the first floor. Notice that the staircase is on the side of the house. Many of the houses that look like the Martha Washington have a center staircase.

Sears must have sold many Martha Washingtons because it was unusual for them to show an illustrated cross-section of a house's interior. The model had an interior fireplace.

Photo from Realtor site.

The brickwork on the fireplace is found in many Sears houses. Photo from Realtor site.

From the Sears Building Materials catalog.

Photo from Realtor site.

There is an addition off the rear of the house to accommodate an expanded kitchen and dine-in area. Photo from Realtor site.

A sunroom was optional with the Martha Washington for owners who had a wider lot. It makes a sunny office in the 21st century. Photo from Realtor site.

The expanded kitchen. Photo from Realtor site.

The Martha Washington had three bedrooms and a second-floor sunroom that many owners have converted into a bedroom today. This is one of the front bedrooms. You can tell from the little window. Photo from Realtor site.