Sears Oakdale... R.I.P.

528 S. Prospect, Park Ridge.

The Sears Oakdale, from the 1918 Modern Homes catalog.

The Sears Oakdale (also known as Modern Home No. 149) is a Colonial style two-family house that was offered from 1909-1918.

The Cook County Assessor says the Oakdale in Park Ridge was built in 1913.

Sears offered several models of multi-family housing, but I'm not sure how many were sold. This one in Park Ridge is the only one I have seen.

Uh-oh, what's that in the front window?

This Oakdale is doomed.

The property owners have told neighbors that inside the house is beyond repair and it must be demolished. Funny, the outside looks fine.

Something weird was going on with the property, however. In 2007 it sold for $704,000 and in 2011 it sold for $290,000. Was it completely stripped inside?

So the massacre of 100-year-old houses in Park Ridge continues. R.I.P. 

The coming attraction.

Gordon-Van Tine Hudson

950 Warrington Road, Deerfield.

Gordon-Van Tine Hudson, from the 1929 catalog.

This Gordon-Van Tine Hudson in Deerfield is a Dutch Colonial built in 1928 or 1929. The long sloping roof that extends over the porch lends a cottage feel to it. The house has two broad dormers on each side that provide a full second floor. 

The price was $2661 in 1929.

Gordon-Van Tine advertisement featuring the Hudson in Popular Mechanics, February 1929.

In 2003, architect Bud Dietrich remodeled and expanded the exterior and interior of the house.

The Hudson before the renovations. Eek... siding! Photo courtesy of Bud Dietrich.

The Hudson after the renovations. Photo courtesy of Bud Dietrich.

The cedar shake shingles are new. As delivered, the Hudson originally came with cedar shingles that were gray stained. The original door was replaced with a bright blue round-top door and a canopy was added.

For more photos of the house after the renovations (including the interior), check out Dietrich's Flickr set.

Did Sears, Roebuck Sell Homes in Canada?

In this post I will re-examine another common “fact” about Sears homes that is frequently mentioned in the media and on internet sites.

Were Sears homes sold in Canada?
"The largest American company involved in the business, Sears, did not sell catalogue houses in Canada."

"There are no records indicating that Sears ever marketed Modern Homes in Canada."

Sears never mentioned sales to Canada in any of the Modern Homes catalogs. However, it would be straightforward for Sears to ship a kit home by railroad to Canada from their mill in Cairo, Illinois. We do know that Sears shipped homes to Alaska, so shipping homes to Canada would be just as easy.

In that era, there was a tariff on building materials shipped from the United States, so that is one reason we don't find many Sears houses in Canada.

Edmonton
There is an authenticated Sears Columbine in Edmonton.

11146 66 St. NW, Edmonton, Alberta. Photo courtesy of Allie Korpesio.

 

The Columbine had an optional second floor, which this house does not have. The porch is enclosed and the pergolas have been removed. There is no fireplace (a common cost-savings decision). There is an addition off the back. The stucco exterior is not original to the house.

The Columbine in Edmonton was built in 1928 by a local builder, George Francis Jeffrey. The first occupants were John and Hilda Gallagher who purchased the home in 1930 and lived there for more than 20 years.

The current homeowner located the original building permit and under the heading "Plans" was "SR" for Sears, Roebuck.

Sears Modern Home No. 135--A Very Early Sears House

6954 Hobart Avenue, Chicago.

No. 135 from the 1913 Sears Modern Homes catalog.

This model No. 135 was constructed in 1909, and Sears homes built in the early years (1908 to 1910) are rare finds. In 1909, Sears sold the customer all the materials needed to build the house, but the lumber was not pre-cut. 

No. 135 must have been a popular early model for Sears because it was offered for several years (1909 through 1915).

The plat of survey was dated July 7, 1910. Plat provided by Marillyn Machon.

Plat of survey showing the house. Hobart Avenue was called Ericsson Avenue in 1910.

Charles Schneider, a German immigrant, and his wife Mary Anna purchased the lot in 1905 and the house from Sears in summer of 1909. The building permit shows that the No. 135 is the oldest documented Sears house in Chicago! Charles worked for Sears, Roebuck as a maintenance manager. Mary Anna's brother (a building contractor) and a family friend built the house together.

Daughter Helen Schneider remembered the horse-drawn wagon bringing the lumber and other materials from the Norwood Park train station. This must have been very exciting for a seven-year-old.

After the basement was completed, Charles learned that Sears was transferring him to Dallas.  His brother-in-law finished the house and Charles later sold it. And, as often happens, Charles was then transferred back to Chicago and managed to buy back his house in 1913.

The house in 1917 with Helen Schneider age 14 and an unidentified girl. That is a wooden flagpole in the foreground. Photo courtesy of Marillyn Machon.

Now that's a match!

The Schneider family owned the house for 91 years! Helen and her husband, Charles Kane, lived in the house after their marriage in 1923. Helen lived there until her death at age 101 in 2004. 

The changes made to the exterior of the house were done in 1952. The Kanes removed the front porch and added a bay window in the dining room.

Floor plan for No. 135 from the 1913 Modern Homes catalog. Was the house built in Chicago the one owned by the Schneiders?

Helen's daughter, Marillyn Machon, remembers a pergola covered with morning glory vines next to the dining room window. 

The house was originally on a double lot. Marillyn found arrowheads in the yard. The house was likely built over an old Indian trail.

The house that was purchased for about $733 in 1910 was sold for $450,000 in 2004. The Sears house sold in one day and had five offers.

UPDATE!
Maybe the wrong offer was accepted. The people who purchased the house in 2004 chose to demolish it in September 2013.

Sears Avalon

Between the First World War and the Great Depression, more than 80,000 bungalows were built in Chicago. Finding a Sears home in the city is like finding a needle in a haystack.

We're going to Norwood Park this week. 
 

6721 W. Hurlbut, Chicago.

 

The Sears Avalon, a Craftsman bungalow.

 

Photo from Realtor site.

 

Photo from Realtor site.

 

Photo from Realtor site.

This Sears Avalon was constructed in the summer of 1925 on an oversized 50×150 lot. It cost $6,000 to build. The original owner (and builder) was Joseph Alsdorf.  Alsdorf listed the house for sale in September 1925 for $14,500.

The 1928 city directory has Charles A. and Augusta Florian living in the house. By 1930 they had moved out.

The architect of the Sears Avalon was Ernest N. Braucher.