SEARS Home Delivery
The Sears & Roebuck Mail Order Catalog, a ubiquitous presence in early 20th-century America, held sway over a significant portion of the population by 1908, with one-fifth of Americans being subscribers. The catalog, which could be ordered for free from anywhere in the country, opened the door to a world of possibilities, offering delivery of desired items right to one's doorstep. At its zenith, the Sears catalog boasted an impressive array of over 100,000 items within its 1,400 pages and weighed a substantial four pounds.
Today, those very 1,400 pages serve as a time capsule, providing us with a glimpse into American life during the first decade of the 20th century. It offered a comprehensive inventory of items, ranging from sheep-shearing machines and cream separators to telephones and china cabinets. However, the Sears catalog didn't merely chronicle a world; it itemized it. In 1908, this bastion of consumer convenience embarked on one of its most audacious ventures: offering houses.
Sears Modern Home - 1921 Sears Modern Homes Catalog
From 1908 to 1940, the Sears Modern Homes Program pioneered the concept of complete mail-order houses, commonly known as "kit homes." Prospective homeowners could peruse dozens of models in the Sears Modern Homes Catalog, order blueprints, submit a check, and within a few weeks, their dreams would roll into town aboard a train car, secured with a small red wax seal, akin to the seal on a letter.
This seal, bearing the promise of a new beginning, was ceremoniously broken by the new homeowner. Inside the boxcar, they'd discover an assembly of over 10,000 pieces of pre-cut framing lumber, 20,000 cedar shakes, and practically everything needed to construct their home, down to the doorknobs. The lumber was pre-cut, much like an enormous IKEA set, accompanied by a detailed instruction booklet. Sears assured customers that, with rudimentary skills and no carpenter's aid, they could have their Sears mail-order home ready in less than 90 days.
Sears went on to dispatch approximately 75,000 homes across the nation, revolutionizing the housing landscape. They played a pivotal role in transitioning from custom-built homes to the concept of standardized and affordable housing. Long before suburban housing developments became commonplace, it was the Sears kit home that introduced Americans to 20th-century domestic life. Yet, this chapter in housing history was almost forgotten.
Sears was not the first company to offer kit homes or mail-order catalogs, but it became a dominant force in the market, thanks in part to the marketing genius of its founder, Richard Sears. By 1907, Sears and Roebuck were selling an astounding $1.3 billion worth of merchandise to American households each year. At this point, Richard Sears identified an opportunity to sell even more.
Most American families were living in multi-generational homes at the time. Sears saw this as a chance to encourage newlyweds to move into new homes, equipped with the latest goods from Sears, rather than old homes with aged possessions. Thus, the Sears Modern Home Program was born and gained significant popularity after World War I, as returning veterans required housing.
Sears prefabricated the majority of these homes in expansive mills located across the country. The largest of these mills, situated in Cairo, Illinois, covered nearly 40 acres, and the diversity of home designs offered was astonishing. The first Modern Homes catalog had over 40 models, but Sears eventually expanded the selection to 447 different designs, each with a name that reflected its architectural style.
Sears Magnolia in Benson, North Carolina- Photo Credit Rosemary Thornton
Sears' catalog offered a complete lifestyle package. They sold not only houses but also furniture and everything one would need to furnish their new abode. Sears emphasized convenience at every level, even demonstrating in their catalog how much easier it was to construct a home using their precut parts.
These kit homes often marked the first time many families had insulation and central heating. In some neighborhoods, a Sears kit home was the sole residence with electricity.
In 1911, Sears introduced mortgages for their kit homes, making it easier for more people to join the ranks of homeowners. This move initially contributed to their success but turned into a public relations disaster during the Great Depression when the company had to foreclose on many of its customers.
After a prolonged decline in sales, Sears closed its Modern Homes department in 1940. Some other kit home manufacturers survived, but the Sears kit home era came to a close. World War II ushered in a new era of housing development, suburban expansion, and prefab homes.
Many Sears homes eventually changed hands, with new owners either ignorant or indifferent to their origin. Over the years, the company's reputation shifted from one of quality to convenience, causing homeowners to feel reluctant to admit they lived in a Sears catalog home. Consequently, some of these homes were extensively renovated, others demolished, and the records for the remaining ones were lost, making it challenging to identify Sears homes today.
About two decades ago in Elgin, Illinois, Rebecca Hunter embarked on a mission fueled by curiosity. Armed with an old Sears catalog, she strolled through her neighborhood, hoping to spot real-life homes that matched the catalog's designs. Hunter wasn't an architecture or Sears expert; she was just intrigued.
Elgin was not renowned for its Sears homes, and when Hunter began, she didn't expect to find any. However, within minutes, she encountered her first Sears home, a craftsman-style Avalon that precisely matched her catalog. Encouraged by this discovery, she continued her quest, meticulously documenting styles and locations.
To verify her finds, Hunter reached out to homeowners, asking them to inspect their homes for special beams bearing part numbers from Sears or shipping labels on baseboards. Together with fellow kit home enthusiasts, Hunter has identified over 200 Sears homes in Elgin.
Remarkably, most of these homes have remained largely unaltered since the 1920s. The unique conditions in Elgin, precipitated by the closure of the Elgin Watch Factory in 1964, preserved these homes from the renovations that swept through the 1960s and 70s. Instead, the Sears homes in Elgin stood as silent witnesses to a bygone era, frozen in time.
Hunter's research, along with contributions from other enthusiasts, sparked renewed interest in historic kit homes, not just in Elgin but nationwide. Today, a dedicated team of kit home hunters employs various methods to identify and document Sears and other kit homes, often going about it the old-fashioned way, by driving through obscure Midwest towns in small groups.
These diligent house hunters have unearthed nearly 50,000 kit homes, helping to preserve a unique part of American architectural history. So, if a group of researchers with cameras and an old Sears catalog ever knocks on your door, don't be alarmed; they're there to celebrate and protect an important legacy. Who knows? You might be living in an undiscovered Sears kit home, a piece of history waiting to be unveiled