August 19, 2014

A Tiny Cottage Purchased from the Gordon-Van Tine Catalog

340 Prospect Ave., Glen Ellyn. Photo courtesy of Realtor site.


No. 588 from Gordon-Van Tine.


The former owners believed this tiny bungalow is from Sears Roebuck. It is a kit house; however, it is from Gordon-Van Tine. The No. 588 was a small two-bedroom house, about 900 square feet. (Gordon-Van Tine produced an identical house for Montgomery Ward called the Claremont.)


The former homeowners put their front patio to use as additional living space. Photo courtesy of Realtor site.


Photo courtesy of Realtor site.
 

The homeowners knocked down the wall separating the dining room from the kitchen. Photo courtesy of Realtor site.


The house was completed in early 1924. The original owners were Fred Meyers, his wife, Ruth, and their newborn Charlotte. Fred was a salesman for a box company in Chicago. By 1930 the Meyers had moved to Indiana.

Update!
The delightful little cottage has been, erm, altered significantly.

340 Prospect Ave, GLEN ELLYN, IL 60137



According to the real estate listing, this house was a "Candidate for the Renovation of the Year Award 2016 presented annually by the Glen Ellyn Historic Preservation Commission!"











4 comments:

Laraine Shape said...

Oh how sweet! Love it. They even have my favorite artist on the wall - Steinlen.

Architectural Observer said...

If the Glen Ellyn Historic Preservation Commission actually considered this (ahem) renovation seriously as a candidate for an award other than "Best Example of Lip Service to Historic Preservation Trying to Pass as Thoughtful Design" -- for even one second -- I would suggest that an entire replacement of the sitting board would be appropriate. To their credit, however, they apparently gave the award to a more deserving house. Well, at least it was nice... it was very attractive prior to its recent ill-conceived bloating.

Sears Homes of Chicagoland said...

From the Commission's website: "The Restoration of the Year Award is presented annually by the Glen Ellyn Historic Preservation Commission in recognition of an outstanding effort (completed within the prior calendar year) to restore the exterior of a home or building in a manner fitting its historic character while adhering to Glen Ellyn's restoration guidelines and contributing to the preservation of Glen Ellyn history. In order to qualify for this award, a home must be 50 years or older. Entries are judged on the extent to which the exterior restoration is in keeping with the home's historic character."

OK.

Anonymous said...

Yikes! They completely got rid of all the charm. Breaks my heart!

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