The Westly was one of Sears’ most popular bungalows, sold from 1912 to 1930, and it’s easy to see why.
 |
| Sears Westly. |
With its original details intact, the Westly has the charm of a Swiss chalet. Grouped wooden pillars, decorative railings, a balcony tucked into the front dormer, an asymmetrical roofline, and exposed rafter tails beneath wide eaves all give the house its distinctive character.
Unfortunately, over time, many of the Westlys had those details unceremoniously removed. In many cases, the top balcony has been removed and the wide front porch has been enclosed. These changes turn the Westly into a bland single dormer bungalow.
In the catalogs, Sears succinctly stated that the Westly was: "Built everywhere. Every customer satisfied." They were right about that—a Westly can be found in nearly every Chicago suburb. Today, we’re highlighting five especially nice examples.
Western Springs
 |
| 3917 Johnson, Western Springs. |
Downers Grove
 |
| 1905 Curtiss, Downers Grove. This authenticated Westly has the original railings, pillars, and brackets. John Szydlowski took out a mortgage from Sears Roebuck for $5000 in 1925. You can see interior photos here. |
Warrenville
 |
| 28W355 Main Street, Warrenville. Harry Knell took out a $4,050 mortgage from Sears Roebuck in July 1921 to build this Westly. |
Berkeley
 |
| 5919 W. Elm St., Berkeley. This house is an authentic Sears Westly that was verified from stamped lumber. Photo courtesy of Jan and Greg Montalbano. |
Alsip
 |
| 11960 S. Keeler Ave., Alsip. |
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment