April 13, 2021

The Sears Sherburne, an "Architectural Triumph"

4560 Wolf Road, Western Springs. Photo from Realtor site.


Sears Sherburne (a.k.a. the No. 187) from the 1913 Modern Homes catalog. The Sherburne as delivered had wood shingle exterior with sections of Stonekote (cement plaster). The foundation and chimney were intended to be cobblestone, but I have only seen Sherburnes with brick.
 


An older view of the house that shows the bumpout for the interior staircase. It also shows the upper-story windows without awnings. Photo from Western Springs by Betsy Green.


The other side of the house that shows the bumpout for the dining room with its distinctive window configuration. Photo from Realtor site.


 Photo from Realtor site.


 Photo from Realtor site.


The same window was shown in the Sears general merchandise catalog.

 

That is a replacement railing. The original Sears woodwork was very elaborate. Photo from Realtor site.


Photo from Realtor site.


This was originally the dining room; it now serves as a sitting room. Photo from Realtor site.



 
Photo from Realtor site.


Photo from Realtor site.


The same bedroom as shown in 1913.


Due to a lack of documentation in Cook County, I do not have much information on the Sherburne in Western Springs. It must have been built before 1924 because that was when Sears discontinued the Sherburne.  In 1920, Wolf Road in Western Springs was just an unpaved dirt street named “East Boulevard.” 





4 comments:

Architectural Observer said...

In spite of the numerous updates, this house still retains a great deal of its original character. The intended staircase design seen in your link is one of the most fanciful by Sears I've seen; the current version, while nice enough, pales in comparison. One can never have too many newel posts!

Anonymous said...

My wife and I are the current owners of this house. The sitting room has been returned to its original use as a dining room; I am unsure whether its coffered ceiling is original or a later alteration. At some point, the original windows were taken out, with the leaded uppers sealed into place and modern plate glass set in metal/plastic/vinyl sashes. At some point, we'd love to have a carpenter reproduce the original stair railing.

Anonymous said...

Additionally, as one can perhaps see from the pictures, a small addition was added at some point to double the size of the kitchen, which now extends past the rear of the original floorplan.

Sears Homes of Chicagoland said...

Congratulations on your Sherburne!

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