My friend Rebecca is working on a new project and asked me to find this 1910s kit home in Lynchburg, Virginia. Most folks have heard of Sears Kit Homes, but in addition to Sears, there were six companies selling kit homes through mail order. Their names were Gordon Van Tine, Montgomery Ward, Aladdin, Harris Brothers, Lewis Manufacturing and Sterling Homes.
According to Rebecca, there’s a Sterling Windemere in Lynchburg. She found a testimonial in an old Sterling Homes catalog and the location listed for this house was Lynchburg. I’ll be driving up to Lynchburg soon to find this house. If anyone knows the address or area, it sure would be helpful to have that!
Please leave a comment below with the address or write me at thorntonrose@hotmail.com.
Note, one of the distinctive features of this house is that paired staircase landing window (midway up the side wall). That’s a fairly unusual feature, as most landing windows were single. Also note the grouped columns (three on the corners), with the brick foundations. And note how the second-floor windows come right up to the eaves of the house. Lastly, there’s a hipped dormer in the attic with two small windows. On the home’s front (first floor), the door is to the side and there are three windows in the living room.
There are a gazillion foursquares in Lynchburg, but I’m hoping to find THIS foursquare! Thanks for your help!
Sterling Homes "The Windemere" from the 1917 catalog.
Here's a photo of a Sterling Windemere in Bay City, Michigan. Note the paired windows on the stair case landing. Photo is courtesy of Dale Patrick Wolicki.
This image is from the 1917 Sterling Homes catalog. It was to be a demonstration of how quickly (and easily?) a Sterling Windemere could be erected on a lot. After two days of work, the house was sheathed in.
This picture shows how close the house was to completion by the fourth day.
Proving the superiority of Sterling pre-cut homes, this Windemere was built on this lot in just 11 days. Note, this did not include the fireplace chimney and windows. This view shows the other side of the Windemere which (unfortunately) is quite non-descript.
Sterling Homes was based in Bay City, Michigan. Here's a picture from the cover of their 1917 catalog.
To learn more about identifying kit homes, click here.
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It is on Elmwood Avenue. The exterior has been re-done, and the house is opposite. The door and stairs are on the right, instead of the left.
Rose’s Reply: Google Maps offers no street view of that area. Do you live close enough that you could snap a phone photo and send it to me?