Montgomery Ward Essex in Arlington Heights

121 W. Fremont, Arlington Heights.

Wardway Essex from the 1925 catalog

Arlington Heights has no shortage of interesting homes, but right across from the library stands a one-and-a-half story California bungalow that came straight from the Montgomery Ward catalog — the Essex.

I never could have identified this one on my own. Author Rebecca Hunter had it on her master list of catalog home locations.

Gordon-Van Tine, a kit house company in Davenport Iowa, sold the exact same house and called it No. 504. (Gordon-Van Tine fulfilled all Montgomery Ward house orders.)  There was a Wardway Homes sales office right in Arlington Heights, so it is likely that this house came from Wards, rather than Gordon-Van Tine. 

The Essex was sold by Montgomery Ward from 1922 to 1929. In some years, Wards also marketed this model under the name Van Dyke.

The house on Fremont first appears in the 1930 census and telephone directories, when it was initially occupied by renters.

In the Essex, the front door opens directly into the living room.

Original front door.

I could not dig up any information on the original owners. The only thing I found was this real estate ad from 1938, calling the house the "best buy in Arlington Heights". It was listed for $5,000.

Interestingly, there’s only one Wardway Essex listed on the national database — this very one in Arlington Heights.

2025 Update!

The Essex has been refreshed and is now listed for sale.

With only one Essex known in the entire country, this little bungalow is a true Arlington Heights original — a reminder of how everyday homes can carry extraordinary histories.

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.