Sears offered 370 designs of homes during their 32 years in the kit home business (1908 – 1940), and not surprisingly, some models were more popular than others. One of the more unusual models is the Sears “Honor.”
The only Honor I’ve ever seen was in Washington, DC and that was in 2003. I’ve not seen one since then. And it’s a distinctive house, so they’re easy to spot!
Here are a few photos of the Honor-Bilt “Honor” in DC. And thanks to Catarina Bannier, a Realtor for sending me these wonderful photos. (You can visit Catarina’s website here.)
To learn more about why they’re called “Honor-Bilt” click here.
The Honor, as seen in the 1921 catalog.
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Nice spacious floor plan and there's a half bath on the first floor!
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And there's a cubby in the kitchen (pantry) for the refrigerator!
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Close-up of the Sears Honor (1921).
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And here it is, looking absolutely wonderful! One of the chimneys is missing, but that just means someone opted to not have the living room fireplace. I am puzzled as to why there's a plumbing vent over the dining room, though. Photo is copyright 2011 Catarina Bannier and can not be used or reproduced without written permission.
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And in the basement, Catarina found the model number written on the floor joist! This is a very good way to authenticate a Sears Home. The model number was scribbled in blue grease pencil before it left the mill at Cairo, IL. The floor joists were among the first pieces of lumber that'd be placed as the home was built, so they were on top of the bundles that left the Sears mill. Here, you can see the model number "3071." Photo is copyright 2011 Catarina Bannier and can not be used or reproduced without written permission.
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In addition to names, Sears Homes were also given model numbers. The "Honor" was #3071.
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And the Honor still has its old "ice box" door on the back porch.
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To learn a lot more about ice box doors, click here.
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Back in the day, better-quality iceboxes had a little service door in the rear. It was called a "Service Door." This enabled the the Ice Man to put a 10-pound block of ice into the ice box without traipsing through the house. Sawdust was used in the Ice House to insulate the blocks of ice, and as the Ice Man walked up to the house, he'd brush the sawdust off the ice as he walked. Invariably, some of that sawdust ended up in the kitchen.
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There was a corresponding door built into the house (shown above), that was a little bigger than the corresponding door on the ice box. This little door had another name: "The Jealous Husband's Door." Hauling those 25, 15 and 10 pound blocks of ice around all day really made a fellow fit and tan. I'm sure there were a few "Ice Men" that were real hotties! 🙂
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Inside the house, the old ice box is still in place!
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To learn more about Sears Homes, click here.
To learn more about “The Jealous Husband’s Door,” click here.
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Absolutely love the eyebrow windows on the second floor. Imagine the pain in the neck it is to put roofing shingles on them.
Rose, thanks for the “Honor” (no pun intended)!
Funny, I have been wondering about the shingles, too. When you look at the roof from the sides, it almost looks like they’re molded around the edge.
What a cool ice box advertisement! Any idea how often the “iceman” had to come, i.e., how long this kept your food cool?
Oh, one more thing: it does have the fireplace in the living room (I’ll try to find an interior picture), so the missing one must be the one for the stove or furnace. Don’t remember, but maybe they moved it further back. As for the plumbing vent, I have no idea! There is an extra bath upstairs, but they put it in the back, above the kitchen, next to the hall bath.
They must have liked them here in Michigan. I know of three – one each in Ann Arbor, Berkley and Clawson.
There is another one in Havertown PA. I lived in it. Beautiful home