The Milford came in two floor plans—one just a bit wider than the other (two and a half feet, to be exact).
The architect behind the Milford was Alexander H. Bacci, who clearly understood the assignment when it came to cozy Cape Cod charm.
Cape Cod homes are all over the place, and most were built from about 1930 through the post‑WWII boom. How do you know if your Cape Cod or one in your neighborhood is actually a Sears Milford?
Let’s play architectural detective.
There are a few identifying exterior features of the Milford that can help you spot one on the street.
1. The Doorway
Look for a front door with a dentil shelf topped by four little panes (although the catalog illustration shows more than four). The doorframe stretches almost to the roofline, and there are no sidelights.
2. Window Alignment
The four front windows line up neatly with the top of the door.
3. Dormers Sitting Low
The two front dormers are set somewhat low, about a foot and a half above the roofline.
4. Chimney Placement
The chimney is off-center in the middle of the roof for the larger plan with the interior fireplace (shown in the catalog illustration). For the smaller floor plan, the chimney will be on the side of the house.
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| Another view of the larger floor plan. |
How about interior clues?
1. Fireplace Location
The Milfords have a fireplace that came standard. The larger floor plan will have a fireplace on the inner wall of the living room. The smaller floor plan will have a fireplace on the outer wall.
2. Center Staircase
The house has a center staircase. The larger plan will have a coat closet adjacent to the stairs.
3. Tiny Breakfast Nook
In the larger plan, the kitchen will have a teeny breakfast nook on the outer wall—perfect for a very small table and maybe one additional cat.
4. Chimney Projection Upstairs
In the larger plan, one upstairs bedroom will have a chimney breast bump‑out.
Armed with these clues, let’s go Milford‑spotting around Chicagoland.
Wilmette
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| 1333 Ridge Rd., Wilmette. Built 1936. Discovered by Judith Chabot. |
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| The classic Milford door: four panes of glass, dentil molding above. Textbook. |
Westmont
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| 3918 N. Lincoln, Westmont. Meets all our external criteria. The chimney is on the outer wall so it must be the smaller floor plan. |
DeKalb
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| 915 N 9th St., DeKalb. Built 1937. This Milford is authenticated. A former owner reported marked lumber inside. |
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| This is the larger floor plan, complete with the breakfast nook. The door leads to a pantry. |
Chicago Heights
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| 1223 Sunnyside, Chicago Heights. This Milford is picture perfect! |
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| The wider floor plan accommodates a coat closet next to the center stairs. That's an original Sears door, complete with La Tosca door hardware. |
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| The living room has the expected interior fireplace. |
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| Does this look familiar? The nook is identical to the one in the DeKalb Milford. You need a tiny table to fit in that nook. |
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| Upstairs, a bedroom shows the front dormer. |
If a Milford pops up on your daily walk or Zillow scroll, let me know!
Copyright Disclaimer: All photographs in this post (unless otherwise noted) are from real estate aggregate Redfin.com and are used in this post for the purposes of education, consistent with 17 USC §107.
4 comments:
Oh, gee, I forgot that I had found that one in Wilmette! It was from a mention of the Blume Brothers contractors, about their building a Cape Cod on that street, in a 1936 Chicago Tribune article. Here's that one with a Sears mortgage, in the St. Louis area.
The Milford is an unusually thoughtful Cape Cod design; most others are so pared down that they barely resemble the historic originals. The four-paned transom over the door is an especially nice feature which adds to the Colonial-era character of the house immensely. Like many houses of the era, the rooms are a bit snug, but the plan looks very practical and livable. I'll be keeping my eyes open for this one!
I live in one and the only variation that I'm not sure was original is the closet in the kitchen next to the nook is a powder room in my home. I'm in Westchester NY.
It's hard to say. By the time the Milford was sold in the 1930's, first floor half-baths were commonplace and maybe the original owners wanted one.
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