Harris Home No. 1028

229 S. Walnut, Arlington Heights

Harris Home No. 1028 from the 1924 Harris Homes Beautiful catalog.

 

Looks like a pretty close match to the Harris Home No. 1028. It is missing the funky windows in the front and has had an addition in the rear. Photo courtesy of the Arlington Heights Historical Society.

 

Photo from an early 1960's real estate listing. You can clearly see the rafter tails here, just like in the catalog illustration. Photo courtesy of the Arlington Heights Historical Society.

According to the Arlington Heights Historical Society, this house was rumored to have been a Sears house, but it actually was from Harris Brothers.  

This Harris Home No. 1028 was built in 1929. The original owners were Joseph A. and Mary Wisersky and their two children, Thomas and Leona. Mr. Wisersky worked for Illinois Bell Telephone Company for over 40 years. The Wiserskys owned the house until the early 1960's.

Joseph Wisersky in 1943. Photo from the Daily Herald.

Photo courtesy of the Arlington Heights Historical Society.

Sears Stanfords

As you might imagine, it is very difficult to identify the simple Cape Cod models from Sears since there are thousands of extant houses in that style. Colonial Revival Cape Cod houses became popular during the Great Depression and were sold in large numbers until the early 1950's. The first Cape Cod that Sears sold was the Stanford (in 1931). The Stanford was aptly renamed the Cape Cod in subsequent years.

I have identified only three Stanford/Cape Cod models to date. It makes it much easier when previous residents of the houses let me know of their existence.

Sears Stanford in Ohio
Caroline Shoberg currently lives in Arlington Heights and attended a presentation on Sears homes I gave in May. She told me that she was raised in a Sears Stanford in Painesville, Ohio, outside Cleveland.

185 Newell St., Painesville, Ohio, from the 1970's. This house is the real deal--every little detail matches the Sears Stanford model. Photo courtesy of Caroline Shoberg.

The Sears Stanford/Cape Cod model.

Photo courtesy of Caroline Shoberg.

The shutter-less house today, from Google Streetview.

The Stanford/Cape Cod came in two floor plans, and this house is the smaller of the two because it has a door on the right side of the house. Photo courtesy of Caroline Shoberg.

The smaller floor plan.

Caroline's father, Claire Brassington, built the house in 1931, the first year the model was offered. Claire was a carpenter by trade. Caroline's grandfather dug the foundation with his horse and a scoop.  

The house is still owned by the Brassington family.

The sun porch was added in 1936. Photo courtesy of Caroline Shoberg.

Caroline (upper left) and her family in front of the fireplace. Claire and his wife, Belle, are seated. That is a Sears mantel. Claire made the clock as well as the house. Photo courtesy of Caroline Shoberg.

There's the original sink! Photo courtesy of Caroline Shoberg.

Sears Cape Cod in Rockford
There is another Sears Stanford/Cape Cod in Rockford, built about 1937.

2028 Douglas, Rockford. This is the larger floor plan as evidenced by the door next to the fireplace. Photo courtesy of Steve Solonickne.

The Sears Stanford/Cape Cod model.

The larger floor plan.

Photo courtesy of Steve Solonickne.

Charles and Alice Eklund were the original owners. The Rockford Public Library has posted an old article about the Sears Cape Cod, linked below.

Photo from Rockford Register Star, 1982.

A Sampling of Kit Houses of Lombard

A few weeks ago, I featured a Sears house in Lombard that I found, but that is not the only one! Lombard has dozens of Sears houses and even more from Harris Brothers and the other kit home manufacturers.

Jean Crockett of the Lombard Historical Society was kind enough to send me some photos which are just a small sampling of the kit houses in town.

162 S. Grace, Lombard. Photo courtesy of Jean Cooper.

Sears Salem.

235 W. Harrison, Lombard. Photo courtesy of Realtor site.

Sears Sunlight from 1927.

330 S. Ahrens, Lombard. Photo courtesy of Jean Cooper.

 

Harris Home No. 1502. 

 

724 S. Charlotte, Lombard. House built in 1934 by Stephen Zeisel. Photo courtesy of Jean Cooper. 

 

Sears Bridgeport from the 1936 catalog. Before 1933, the Bridgeport was called the Wexford.

 

Kit Houses in Trouble

There are two kit houses in Chicagoland that are for sale, vacant, and may not be long for this world.

Sears Avalon in Harvey
Our first house is a Sears Roebuck house in Harvey.

272 E 150th St, Harvey. Still an adorable house--can someone save it?

Sears Avalon.

Back of the house. It sits on a 60-foot wide lot.

Update! The house sold for $3,500.

Harris Brothers Roselle in Roseland

Our second kit house is from Harris Brothers on the west side of Roseland, in the Fernwood neighborhood.

10232 S Emerald Ave, Chicago.

Harris Brothers Roselle.

Some original elements still left in the bathroom.

Update! The house sold for $10,000.