A Custom Sears Home on the Hill!

Beginning in 1930, Sears began heavily promoting their custom home design and construction services.  Instead of choosing from standard house plans, customers could work directly with a Sears architect to design the house of their dreams. Sometimes, these custom houses would loosely resemble kit house models found in the Modern Homes catalogs.

Chicago Tribune ad from 1931. Sears could build you a custom house "costing from $35,000, down to homes that may be owned for a little as $6.00 a week." 

One custom Sears home from this era still stands on a hill in Highwood.

43 Pleasant Ave., Highwood. The house was built in 1930.

In the springtime, this home nearly disappears behind lush foliage!

This custom Tudor Revival cottage features a steeply pitched cross-gabled roof, prominent front chimney, arched entry door with stone surround, and asymmetrical brick-and-limestone façade. The walls are multi-toned brick with limestone blocks. Its tuck-under garage takes advantage of the hilly lot.

The house resembles the Sears Colchester, capturing the same Tudor aesthetic found in many Sears kit homes of the early 1930s.

The Sears Colchester, from the 1930 Modern Homes catalog.

The house has three bedrooms in total.

The house was purchased in July 1930 by George C. and Ruth Kenry, shortly after their marriage. The couple financed the house through Sears Roebuck, taking out a mortgage for $3,350.

George was the chief train dispatcher at the Highwood station for the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad. Ruth owned a candy shop in Waukegan.

Beyond his work on the rails, George was also president of the Waukegan Flying Club. The club helped found the Waukegan airport in the summer of 1928 when commercial aviation was still in its infancy.

The Kenrys sold the house in June 1933 to James F. Gherardini.

Nearly a century later, the house on the hill still reflects the dreams of its first owners and the vision of Sears’ architects. 

Highwood has more Sears homes to see!

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