Sears Homes Were Built After 1940

In this post I will re-examine another common “fact” about Sears homes that is frequently mentioned, but is incorrect. 

Did Sears really stop selling pre-cut homes in 1940?
"If your home was not built between 1908 - 1940, it cannot be a Sears Home."

"... by 1940, Sears stopped selling kit homes, as many people had lost their jobs and defaulted on their loans."

The facts
In 1938, Sears sold $2.75 million of houses (over $43 million in today's dollars!), but, nevertheless, Sears issued its last Modern Homes catalog in 1940.

Despite oft-cited misinformation, the Sears Modern Homes division continued selling houses after the last catalog was issued. Most Modern Homes sales offices stayed open and Sears continued advertising its pre-cut homes in 1941 and 1942. In these years, Sears positioned itself in more of an advisory role.

Ad from July 1941 in Waterloo, Iowa newspaper.

Sears would assist potential home buyers through the process of obtaining financing (usually through FHA), selecting a contractor, and ordering all the building materials from Sears. In 1941, Sears said they had more than "60 up-to-date plans" from which to choose.

Sears Avalon

249 N Plum Grove Rd, Palatine.

Sears Avalon, from the 1923 Modern Homes catalog

This simply perfect Sears Avalon was built in 1925. The California-style bungalow and its wraparound porch are unchanged.

The Modern Homes catalog said that "the kitchen is entirely out of sight from the living room and dining room." Funny how that would not be a selling point today.

Herman F. Miller owned an 80-acre farm on Roselle Road and got a lucrative offer for his property by employees of the Cudahy Packing Company who wanted to construct a golf course. So Herman retired from farming in 1925 and built the Sears house in downtown Palatine.

Herman died in 1954 at the age of 77. His wife, Caroline, lived in the house until her death in 1960.

After Caroline's death, the house passed to their son, George, who lived with his family nearby on south Hale Street. He kept the Avalon and rented it for many years. In December 1972, George sold the house to John  M. Sharp.

The Avalon in Palatine was recognized by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency as a historic architectural property. Here is a photo of the house taken during an architectural survey in the early 1970's.