The Columbine (from the Latin word for “dove”) is Colorado’s state flower; it’s a perennial plant that grows naturally in meadows and forests.
And it’s also a fairly unusual Sears kit house.
The Sears Columbine has several unusual features, which makes it easy to identify. But this model was not very popular, which means you’re probably not going to find too many of them.
Sears Columbine as seen in the 1921 catalog.
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And the 1928 catalog. Notice it's a little different from the 1921 picture.
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In 1928 (left) the dentil molding is gone. And interesting, the two catalog images (1928 and 1921) are from different angles. I don't think I've seen any other Sears catalog images that showed the house from two different angles in different years.
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The floorplan in both 1928 and 1921 was the same.
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In the lower left of the 1928 catalog page was the slightly different version of the Sears Columbine. The front porch was the only difference between "A" and "B" models.
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Here's a Columbine (Model B) in Elgin, IL. Rebecca Hunter has discovered that Elgin has more than 200 Sears Homes, making it THE largest collection of Sears Homes in the country. Photo is copyright 2010 Rebecca Hunter and can not be used or reproduced without written permission.
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To read about Rebecca’s newest book, click here.
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Sears Columbine, as seen in 1921.
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Here's a beautiful Columbine in Wheaton, IL. The large addition (to the right) was very tastefully done.
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The pretty Columbine from a slightly different angle.
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To learn more about how to identify Sears Homes, click here.
To read about Rebecca’s new book, click here.
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I have a Columbine house. It’s located at 710 Scarboro Drive in Syracuse, NY. Google it and you’ll see pictures.
Hi. I am so happy that there are people still interested in these old homes. I love in Willow Street PA, in a Columbine with the garage kit building also. Not much has changed and there have only ever been two owners. The original owners have both passed, but they must have been a fun couple. After their passing their nephew purchase the home because attached to the uniqueness and history of the home, were fond memories of a different era.
The original owners would entertain a lot, and the company often included soldiers home on leave or home for good. The had Quoit pits dug in the basement and shuffleboard painted on the floor. The bare bones of the house and garage are mostly original except the kitchen and bathroom. The original tub and sink were still here when I moved in, but the tub was being removed at the time. I moved into this house in January 1998. I had to wait to actually move in 3 weeks later than expected because there was a blizzard that year and the driveway was not accessible. My son hadn’t turned one yet, but we would just come over and sit in the empty living room breathing in all the life and energy this home had. It just felt happy. Originally, I rented the house from the nephew and second owner, eventually purchasing it ourselves last summer.
Unfortunately the home was let go and maintenance on the exterior had been lacking during my years of renting. Now that we are the owners of the diamond int the rough, we plan on restoring it back to what she originally was, at least as much as we can. We had to take the old cast iron sink out a few months ago and replace it with something temporary, in hope of restoring the original sink and reinstalling it.
If you have any tips or information that might help us get her back to the original state, I would be so happy to hear from you. The porch is my favorite part of the property and the only thing missing from the original is the spindles that wrap around. 4 of the 6 columns are still original and hopefully salvageable. The kitchen was remodeled when the nephew purchased the home, and the hallway door was taken out and drywalled closed. We hope to open that back up. We just discovered the swinging door for the kitchen, which we never even knew existed. The windows, sadly, are original but in desperate need of being replaced. The windows have so much character, but I don’t think there is any chance of saving what is there. Any suggestions?
Not sure if you were interested or not, but you seem to have a lot of the information I had been seeking online, so thought it was worth sending a note your way. We really do love this old gal and want to bring her back to life.