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!

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.

The Real Deal in Highwood

I receive emails every week from homeowners who insist their house must be from Sears Roebuck but they cannot match it to any of the kits sold in the Modern Homes catalogs.

If a house does not strongly resemble any of the known Sears models, I always tell people the same thing: we need tangible proof. Without it, the house is not a Sears kit.  Tangible proof is incontrovertible evidence of the house's origin.

Here is what is not considered tangible proof:

• your neighbor telling you the house is from Sears
• a previous owner telling you the house is from Sears
• your house has the same general floor plan as a Sears model
• you just think it must be a kit house because it was built in the 1920's

Here are some things that constitute tangible proof:

• lumber that has stenciled four-character codes with a letter followed by three numbers such as A321
• a building permit with the words Sears Roebuck on it
• deeds or mortgage records showing the house was financed by Sears Roebuck
• original receipts, order forms, or paperwork from Sears Roebuck

With all this in mind, let's examine a little cottage in Highwood, shall we?

220 Everts Place, Highwood. Capture from Google Streetview.

Larry Pasquesi sent me an email and said his father built this Sears house in Highwood. The dormers and the addition on the left side are not original, but, even so, the house does not match any of the Sears kit models. The closest match I could find was the Sears Aurora.

Sears Aurora from 1933.

Capture from Google Streetview.

The width looks about right. The side windows do not match the Aurora's layout. The front door is off center. The shape of the front vestibule does not match. The basement windows are not in the right places.

We have many problems here.

I asked Larry for tangible proof. Without it, we could not determine whether this house was a Sears kit and I could not add it to the national database of Sears homes.

Fortunately, Larry has the original blueprints!

Proof! Photo courtesy of Larry Pasquesi.

Elsewhere on the blueprints is the job number. 13352-A This corresponds to the model number of the Aurora. The house in Highwood is a customized version.  Photo courtesy of Larry Pasquesi.

13352-A floor plan is on the left. 

Larry also provided some photos of the house a few years after it was constructed.

Face brick was an option on the Sears houses. The chimney led to the boiler in the basement. Photo courtesy of Larry Pasquesi.

The Aurora in Highwood retains its original front door, railings and flagstone path even today. Photo courtesy of Larry Pasquesi.

As a child, Carl Pasquesi came to the United States from Pievepelago, Italy.  He built the customized Aurora in Highwood around 1933-1934. Luckily for Carl, his father worked as a carpenter. With a new house ready, Carl returned to Italy to find a bride in 1936. He returned with new wife Ida.

In 1947, Carl started the Pasquesi Electric Company, which is still in operation today run by a Pasquesi descendant.

The Aurora is still owned by the Pasquesi family.

UPDATE!

Larry found the original order form. This type of documentation can also authenticate a Sears house.

 

Carl ordered the Aurora #13352 Modern Home with several changes including "add 2 feet to width of house", "oak floors throughout", and "omit siding and paint material therefore".

Carl paid cash, which is why we do not see a Sears Roebuck mortgage in the county records. The total was $1950 to be paid in November 1933.

A Jaw-Dropping House in Highwood

I was browsing through HARGIS, Illinois's database of historic buildings, and came across this jaw-dropping house in Highwood.

115 Michigan, Highwood. This photo was taken in the early 1970's and every original detail looks intact, from the horseshoe arches over the windows to the half-moon minaret. From HAARGIS.

I realized that I had just driven down that same street while taking photos of Sears houses in the area. How could I possibly have missed this stunning house?

You guessed it: the house is no longer there. It was demolished in 1986 as a bunch of new houses were built on the same block.

115 Michigan today. Screenshot from Google Streetview.

The original residence was built in the mid-1920's for Oliver Hogue, a sales director for Commonwealth Edison. According to the owners, the house was designed by noted architect Bertram A. Weber (more likely White & Weber). A real estate ad from 1982 said that the house was recently renovated, so it's not like it was in disrepair.

And from what I can tell, it doesn't seem like anyone tried to save the Hogue house, or even cared.

1982 ad in the Chicago Tribune.

So what does this have to do with Sears homes?

This house in Highwood and other historic residences are regularly demolished throughout the Chicago suburbs. Hundreds of Sears homes have been lost already. People often ask me: why don't homeowners landmark their Sears homes with the federal government so that they are protected from future demolition?

A Sears Vallonia being demolished in Berwyn. Still photo from Shaw Media YouTube channel.

Unfortunately, even if a property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it can still be demolished.  Federal or state governments have little authority to stop anyone from demolishing or altering a National Register-listed property.  Status on the National Register is largely honorific. The only time the federal government can intercede is if the owner takes preservation tax credits. 

The true power to prevent demolitions (or deterioration through neglect) lies with local governments. Not all municipalities have preservation ordinances, and some ordinances have more "bite" than others. Some towns can delay demolition permits, and some can outright prohibit demolition of landmarks. But even with such ordinances in place, owners can skirt the rules by claiming economic hardship or by rescinding landmark designation.

Preservation law is a complicated subject, and I'm not claiming to be an expert. The important takeaway is that there is no solid legal protection for any structure. This is why we still hear about Frank Lloyd Wright buildings and historic residences in the Chicago area being demolished.

A Spanish Bungalow Fit for a King

Sears Del Rey.

Sears first sold the Del Rey bungalow in 1920. With its long windows, low-pitched crossing gables, and ornamental brackets, it is an example of the Spanish Revival style popular in the 1920's. And it happens to be one of my favorite Sears models.

The Del Rey was very similar to a house plan first sold by Pacific Ready Cut Homes in 1919, and Sears may have licensed the design from the same architect.

There are many Del Reys in the Chicago area, in towns such as Algonquin, Blue Island, Crete, Downers Grove, Elgin, Homewood, Villa Park, and West Chicago. Let's take a closer look at some other Del Reys in the suburbs.

Highwood
 

244 Washington Ave., Highwood.

The Sears Del Rey came with two exterior options. A customer could choose a low-pitched roof over the front bedroom on the left side or a higher raised roof. The Del Rey in Highwood and every other Del Rey in Chicago has the higher raised roof.

This authenticated Del Rey was built in 1921. Mildred A. Shaw took out a mortgage of $3,233 from Sears for the house. She was married to Augustus H.P. Shaw.

Naperville

619 N. Ellsworth, Naperville.

There are two Del Reys in Naperville. This one was built in 1922. R.W. Harding took out a mortgage of $4,100 from Sears Roebuck in March of that year.  Former owners have reported the existence of shipping labels in the house.

Here is the second Del Rey in Naperville.

6 S. Huffman, Naperville. This Del Rey is reversed, which Sears Roebuck would do for no extra charge for most models. 

A clearer look at the side entrance. 

Note the original closet on the right side. 

The original owner, Lester R. Myers, took out a mortgage from Sears Roebuck in May 1926 for $6,000. The current owner reports stamped lumber as well.

Wheaton

917 E. Evergreen, Wheaton. This house was under contract in less than a week.

The front bedroom. 

This Sears Del Rey in Wheaton is authenticated. Martha C. Rupel took out a mortgage from Sears Roebuck for $5,800 in November 1926.

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.

We've Come a Long Way, Baby

In a post from the beginning of the decade, author Rosemary Thornton (in a now-defunct blog) compiled a list of the Sears models that had never been seen anywhere before.

Six years later, many of those previously unseen models have been located. This vast progress in finding Sears homes can be attributed to one simple thing: Collaboration.
 

In the last few years, researchers nationwide have begun working together to share information, search mortgage records, and wade through hundreds of old news articles and classified ads. When Rosemary compiled her list years ago, some of those rare models had already been identified by other researchers, but she was not privy to that knowledge. Thankfully, the days of researchers working independently and in isolation are over.

Let's take a look at a couple of the previously unseen models in the Chicago area that have recently been added to the national database of Sears homes.  In the last year, we added over 4,000 homes to the database--maybe some are in your town!

Sears Auburn. 84 S. Caroline, Crystal Lake. Authenticated with a mortgage record.  The Auburn was sold for only one year, which is why none have been located to date except this one.

Sears Auburn.

Sears Oxford. 217 North Ave., Highwood. Authenticated with a mortgage record.  The Oxford was sold only during the Great Depression, which is why none have been located to date except this one.

 

Sears Oxford. Scan courtesy of Antique Home.

   
More New Discoveries (too many to list in entirety)
Sears Birmingham (two found by Andrew Mutch, mining mortgage records)
Sears Cambridge (three found by Andrew Mutch)
Sears Gateshead (two found by Andrew Mutch)
Sears Marquette (first one found in Wisconsin)
Sears Rockhurst (several in Ohio found by Cindy Catanzaro)