The Sears Argyle took its name from Argyle Street in Chicago, an east‑west corridor running from the lakefront to Jefferson Park. It was a fitting name for a house meant to appeal to everyday families — practical, compact, and easy to love.
Sears described the Argyle bungalow: "It is a neat, well arranged, solidly constructed home, pretty without being too showy, not too large or too small, but just suitable for the average family." In other words, the perfect middle‑class bungalow. No wonder it sold so well.
The architect of the Argyle is Henry Lawrence Wilson.
Argyles can be found throughout the Chicago area. The Sears Argyle was a small house, about 1,000 square feet, and, as a result, many of them have been remodeled, expanded, disguised, and — in many cases — demolished.
Let's take a tour of some surviving Argyles.
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| 206 Highwood Ave., Highwood. |
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| 820 Rosemary Terrace, Deerfield. This authenticated Argyle was built in 1925 or 1926. |
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| 17W476 Hill St., Villa Park. Built in 1917, this Argyle has a lot of original details. (Google Streetview) |
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| 505 S. May, Joliet. There are five known Argyles in Joliet. |
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| 666 S. Wildwood, Kankakee. |
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| 2105 Pioneer, Evanston. Some Argyles have a brick veneer. (Google Streetview) |
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| 240 Lorraine, Glen Ellyn. How many Sears Argyles have we missed because they are hiding like this one? |
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| 419 N Poplar, Waukegan. This Argyle is authenticated otherwise no one would have recognized it. |
What about the Inside?
There is a Sears Argyle in Lexington, Kentucky recently listed for sale, and we can get a rare glimpse inside.
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| 169 Rosemont Garden, Lexington, Kentucky. |
The Sears Argyle continues to anchor neighborhoods across the Midwest. Long live the Argyle!
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.
8 comments:
What beautiful examples! Thanks, Lara!
Judith
Sears-House-Seeker.blogspot.com
There is a circa 1925 Sears Argyle at 824 N. Harrison in Little Rock, AR. That is the SW corner of Harrison and H.
Hi, Anon! That resembles an Argyle but it isn't one. The Argyle is small--it can only fit a single window in the front. It also has a bumpout in the dining room. Those are the first two features that I check. Thanks for your note and please email me if you see anything else promising!
I love the 1910's-1930's homes. The Argyle is one of my favorites. One that I would love to have seen a built and saved version of was the Honor-Bilt Hopeland (3036, 1919 I think) I grew up in rural Illinois where there are hundreds of the small Sears farmhouses around. I have yet to see a Hopeland. I love that someone had the smarts to renovate the one with the interior shots and one even seems to have period correct furniture. I used to live in a turn of the century building at 2221 N leavitt in Chicago, My grandfather actually owned a few of those buildings (2217, 2219, 2221) and possibly a couple more. They have since demo'd my birth home and built some cheesy ass condo in it's place. It sadens me to see how disposable developers feal old architecture is. There is maybe one example of the old building left in the neighborhood. I make an annual trip up to get my Sirelli's, and stop in at the any of the little Polish delis for some kabanosy to take home. My heart sank when I saw the atrocity that stood where such an inviting old residence had stood only a year prior. I am glad there are a group of us who appreciate the old stuff. Thanks for your articles. they make my day in todays world.
Thank you for your nice comment! We've never found a Hopeland yet. There's probably one hidden on a big farm somewhere.
515 Euclid Ave, Dravosburg, PA there is an Argyle.
Thank you!
I just bought "The Argyle" In Appleton, Wisconsin. former owner did a little modification but it's pretty close ! Great floor plan.
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