Friend and fellow-Sears House aficionado Cindy Catanzara Goebel sent me some photos and asked, “Is this a Sears Riverside or Claremont?”
I didn’t have a clue, so I dug out the old catalogs and studied the two models.
And then I learned something new.
The Sears Riverside and the Sears Claremont are the same house – down to the details. The floor plans are identical, as are the room dimensions. Why did Sears use two different names on one house design?
Just to confuse us 70+ years later, I suppose. 🙂
In the late 1920s, this little Cape Cod was known as The Claremont. Sometime in the early 1930s, it was renamed The Riverside.
Cindy found this house by searching old mortgage records. According to her research, the house was built in 1929, and the original mortgage amount was $4,600.
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The Sears Riverside, as seen in the 1934 Sears Modern Homes catalog.
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The Sears Claremont appeared in the 1928 catalog.
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Not much difference between the two houses! The Claremont (1928) is on the right, and the Riverside is on the right. Why, they even have the same bushes in the front!!
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The Riverside was 24' by 36'.
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And so was the Claremont.
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So, the Riverside/Claremont (Rivermont?) was the same model with two names (1928 and 1934). And, best of all, it was a very attractive Cape Cod.
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And here is the Clareside (Rivermont?) in Mechanicsburg, Ohio. Notice the chimney on the end wall. Is there a fireplace in that 9x10 bedroom? I doubt it. Most likely, the wall was removed between the living room and bedroom, creating a more spacious living room. (Photo is copyright 2012 Cindy Goebel Catanzaro and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.)
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Another view of the Claremont and Riverside. (Photo is copyright 2012 Cindy Goebel Catanzaro and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.)
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This photo really shows that asymmetrical gable kissing the ground on one side. Very distinctive feature. (Photo is copyright 2012 Cindy Goebel Catanzaro and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.)
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To read the next fascinating blog, click here.
To read about the other kit houses in Mechanicsburg, click here.
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To further confuse things, the Sears Kendale is also identical to the Claremont and the Riverside! The Claremont and the Kendale were both featured in the 1932 Modern Homes catalog. :O
@lara
The floor plans are identical however there are some architectural features on the exterior that are very different. For example, the Kendale is brick and stucco specifically. The door on the Kendale is different as well.
We live in a Riverside, built by my wife’s grandfather. We’re not sure what year, we thought 1931 so that would make it the Claremont.
It still looks pretty much the came, down to the door. I’m trying to buy shutters that match the original. I can send photos if you are interested.
I’m a little confused. I see there are stairs in the floorplan, but is there a second floor?
@louise
Hi Louise. I live in a Riverside. The stairs in the back go to the basement.
We own a Riverside built in 1937. The only difference we could find between the two models is the floor plan of the kitchen. In the Riverside, the sink and range are on the outside wall; ours even had an exhaust vent in the wall above where the range originally was. In the Claremont, the sink and range are on the inside wall according to the floorplans.