November 18, 2014

A White... er... Red Beauty in Oak Park

Kit home researcher Andrew Mutch was kind enough to share a Sears home testimonial from a poster he recently bought on eBay.

Testimonial letter by H.F. Meacham of Oak Park, Illinois. Scan courtesy of Andrew Mutch.


Photo of "The Preston" that Meacham sent into Sears. Only one shutter has been attached at this point. Scan courtesy of Andrew Mutch.

 

The Sears Preston from the 1923 Modern Homes catalog. Notice that the Sears Preston in Oak Park had a sun room added--a common upgrade.

 
Sears nicknamed the Preston the "White Beauty". It was a very expensive model so naturally there were not many sold.

Using census records, Andrew located the Preston in Oak Park. The "White Beauty" has been covered in red brick!

900 Fair Oaks, Oak Park.

A better photo, courtesy of the Cook County Assessor.

 
Closeup of the original door.

Our letter writer, H.F. Meacham, didn't actually live in the Preston. His brother, Dr. William C. Meacham did. The Preston was built in 1920 or early 1921. 

H.F. Meacham lived next door in this house:






The Meacham brothers, both surgeons, built Sears houses side-by-side in Oak Park. Tune in next week to see what model they built next door!




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