The Sears Sadstone

In 2002, when I wrote The Houses That Sears Built, I lived in Alton, Illinois. Many, many times I drove past this house on the main drag, never really paying attention to it. It was probably a year after I’d written my book that I happened to notice this badly blighted house was a Sears Gladstone.

For a time, I wondered if I should even bother putting it on my “list” as a Sears House. It was such poor condition that its original beauty was hardly discernible. Would this help or hinder my cause of promoting Sears Homes in Southwestern Illinois?

Ultimately, I did add it to my list. A short time later, the house  (and its glommed-on addition) was demolished.

To learn more about Sears Homes in Illinois, click here.

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Nice house

Several times, I tried to get a photo of the house sans trash pile, but it seemed to be one of those houses that *always* had trash piled up in front.

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If you look closely at the second floor, you can see where the double windows were removed and replaced with storm windows. Nice tough.

If you look closely at the second floor, you can see where the double windows were removed and replaced with storm windows. Double icky.

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The Sears Gladstone was actually a very popular house (1916 catalog).

The Sears Gladstone was actually a very popular house (1916 catalog).

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By todays standards, it wasnt very spacious but in the early 1900s, this was considered an average

By today's standards, the Gladstone (an American Foursquare) wasn't very spacious but in the early 1900s, this was considered an average-sized home.

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As seen in the 1916 Modern Homes catalog.

As seen in the 1916 Modern Homes catalog.

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And heres a fine Gladstone in West Virginia.

And here's a fine Gladstone in West Virginia. This house can bee seen from I-64, and it's located about 30 minutes east of Charleston, WV. I always wave at it when I go by.

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Pretty cool, huh?  :)

Pretty cool, huh? 🙂

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To read more about Sears Homes (and see more photos), click here.

1 Comment

  1. Robert Robertson

    I think we are living in a Gladstone in Culver, Indiana.