A Sears Hillsboro and the Most Famous Home Run in Baseball

Inside this Sears Hillsboro, a piece of baseball history sat in a cardboard box for decades.

6654 N. Oshkosh, Chicago.

Sears Hillsboro. The architect was David S. Betcone, who designed many of the Sears models in the 1930s.

This authenticated Sears Hillsboro in Edison Park was built in 1932.

You can distinguish a Hillsboro from similar homes by the terrace that stretches across the front facade, and the attached garage tucked behind the house.

The Hillsboro has a distinctive arrangement of windows and door on the side of the house (bathroom window, hallway window, side door).

 

The original owners of the house were Matt Kandle and his wife, Harriet. Matt worked as a foreman at R.R. Donnelley & Sons.

Matt built the house himself, according to his great-grandson Kirk Kandle. Matt was a "stickler for quality and precision," according to Kirk. Matt liked the idea of buying a kit house from Sears because he could specify every option he wanted down to the smallest detail.

The original front door still survives today.

Matt was also an an inventor and lifelong learner. In 1932, Kodak introduced the Standard 8 home movie camera, and Matt borrowed one from his employer. He filmed everything: family life, vacations, skits, and even the construction of the Hillsboro itself.

Matt also filmed one of the most controversial moments in sports history.

On October 1, 1932, Matt and his daughter Gladys attended Game 3 of the World Series between the New York Yankees and the Chicago Cubs. Naturally, Matt brought the camera. He was seated about 15 rows behind third base.

In the fifth inning, Babe Ruth of the Yankees stepped up to bat. He gestured toward the outfield — a moment that has become one of the most debated gestures in sports history.  Purportedly he was indicating that he was about to hit a home run into center field, which he subsequently did moments later. Ruth's "Called Shot" has become legend and Matt captured it all on film.

This is a still photo from the film shot by Matt Kandle in 1932.  Photo copyright is owned by Kirk M. Kandle.

 

The footage didn’t settle the debate over whether Ruth actually called the shot or made another gesture to the fans or the dugout; however, it is a celebrated piece of baseball history and is rare footage of Ruth actually playing and taking strikes (unlike newsreel highlights).

The Yankees won Game 3, and clinched the championship the following day.

For decades, the film sat in a cardboard box in the basement of the Sears Hillsboro. Somehow it survived intact — never discarded, never damaged. Today, Kirk owns the valuable film and keeps it in a safety deposit box.

Matt passed away in 1951, and Harriet sold the house soon afterwards. But the legacy of their home — and Matt’s remarkable footage — lives on.