96 p. ; ill., plans ; 28 cm. ; trade catalog
Name: Jaimie & James Location: Evanston, IL Our house is a Sears kit home called The Fairy in the old Sears “Modern Homes” catalog. It started out as a two bedroom, however we made the living room into a large dining room, and made the bedroom in the front a small sitting room. We are located in Evanston, IL the first suburb north of Chicago. It is less than 600 Sq. feet, which is perfect for my husband and myself.
Sears Catalog Homes (sold under the Sears Modern Homes name) were catalog and kit houses sold primarily through mail order by Sears, Roebuck and Company, an American retailer.
Once, I bought a bag of dirt on the internet. I continue to be amazed by the variety of things you can buy on Amazon, but long ago, in the pages of the Sears Catalog, Amazon’s predecessor, you could even buy a house. Between the years of 1908 and 1942, the Sears Roebuck company sold more than 70,000 of these Sears Catalog homes, which were built in locations all over the country.
"Fireproof House for a Bride" was the title of the article. If you're curious about White, he wrote a book called "The Bungalow Book." Chapter 1 is published at Antique Home & Style. I've added the image of the living room to show the staircase at left. The plan is a modern, open bungalow style, even though the house itself is not a bungalow. Source: Ladies Home Journal
More Sterling Kit Homes
The A-frame house design is a tried and true style, and was especially popular for second homes and vacation cabins in the '60s. See retro A-frames here!
Could your old house be from a Sears catalog? Check out these popular Sears Foursquare kit homes that captures the essence of the early 1900s middle-class lifestyle.
The Kit Homes Berwick is a cosy and comfortable design that is perfect for a granny flat build or smaller site.
66 p. ; ill. ; 27 cm. ; trade catalog
63 p. ; ill., plans ; 27 cm. ; trade catalog
Lewis Manufacturing Co. Fifties Ranch Homes Bay City, Michigan Kit House Retailers 1950s Linoleum Colors and Patterns 1950s Kitchens
The manufactured homes of today are a direct descendant of the automobile era. The pulling power of a large engine made them possible. Before that our wheeled, moveable homes were limited to what a couple of strong animals could pull. When mass production of affordable cars with high towing capacity…
See more Aladdin Kit Homes from the 1950s.
114 p., ill., plans, 28 cm., trade catalog
Take an inside tour of a Sears house via original blueprints featuring original millwork matched to catalog images!
In the early 20th century, a handful of companies, including Sears, Roebuck and Co., sold tens of thousands of mail-order homes. Available in a variety of styles and at a range of price points, these “kit houses” would arrive via railroad boxcar as precut and fitted materials, which the owner or a local contractor would assemble into a new house. Sears ceased production of their catalog homes in 1940, but many still stand today. Check out these 12 mail-order houses that have not only survived, but look very much like they did in the heyday of the kit home.
www.antiquehome.org
72 p. ; ill., plans, photographs ; 30 cm. ; trade catalog
Plan Cut Homes
A compilation of American Foursquare kit houses sold by Wardway Homes, a mail order house catalog through Montgomery Ward.
618 p. ; ill. ; 28 cm. ; trade catalog This is the second half of this 1058 page catalog. the first half is also on the Internet Archive as a separate...
The Aladdin Company, Bay City Michigan
The Starlight
If you think houses built from kits are shoddy, cheap and obvious -- think again. Between 1908 and 1940, Sears sold about 70,000 kit homes in 48 states through their mail-order Modern Homes program, with 370 designs that you might not...
29 p., ill, plans, 28 cm, trade catalog
The Sears Elmhurst
Two story stately Colonial Revival with four bedrooms and a nice big pantry.
If you already own a 1960s house, are thinking about buying one, or just want to see how new suburban homes were designed back in the Kennedy era, check out these vintage ’60s home plans!
114 p., ill., plans, 28 cm., trade catalog
John Harvey Fenner, late of Bay City, Michigan, set up business as a lumber dealer in 1912. By 1916, the Ready Built House Company was providing kit homes to home buyers across the US. Few records exist of the Fenner Company. It's location on the Northern shore of the Willamette River is obscured by time
Aladdin's 1953 catalog of homes has a cross section of homes that span the styles of the late 30s and 40s minimal traditional to the increasingly popular ranch style. Many of the homes retain the simplicity of the pre-War homes and lack the garages that became so prevalent after World War II. The slide show
48 p., ill., plans, 28 cm, trade catalog
64 p. ; ill., plans, photographs ; 28 cm. ; trade catalog
Interior: Rembrandt
The subject of shutters on mid-century homes has become a contentious debate in the world of MCM home ownership. Purists believe that there is no room for shutters on mid-century homes.
Plan Cut Homes
Liberty 1939 www.antiquehome.org
