Before 1918, Sears Homes were given numbers, not names. From a marketing perspective, it was brilliant to assign names to these models. After all, would you rather tell Mum and Dad that you’re buying “Sears Modern Home #2089” or that you’ve just purchased The Magnolia?
Pre-1916, some of these houses had very long model numbers, such as the house shown here. It was apparently a fairly popular house for Sears, as I’ve got four real-life examples below, and yet it was offered only for a few short years, appearing last in the 1916 catalog.
Does this look like a Sears House to you? Didn't look like one to me at first, but it sure is! It's the venerable 264P202, and judging by the photos below, it's a design that you should memorize, because it was apparently fairly common! This one is in Benld, IL.
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An interesting aaside: Do you know how Benld got its name? A fellow named Ben L. Dorsey purchased the land foor its rich mineral rights (coal, really) and it was developed into a tiny town. The name “Dorsey” was already taken, so Ben L. Dorsey chose the name “Benld,” a combination of his first name and subsequent initals.
For the flatlander tourist, it might help you to know that it’s pronounced, “Benn-ELD.”
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The original catalog page (1916) shows that this house sold for $1,165 and by 1917, it was gone. In 1918, Sears Homes were given names instead of numbers. The 264P202 never had a name, so we know it was gone by 1918.
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This wonderful example of a 264P202 is in Okawville, IL. Look at the detail on the columns! It's a real beauty in original condition, but...
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A broader view shows that this old house has been converted into a Funeral Home, and that brick ranch globbed onto the side is actually a not-so-sensitive addition.
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This 264P202 is in West Chicago. Of the four examples shown on this page, three of these homes have porte cocheres.
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Close-up of the original catalog image (1916).
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Here's one in Searcy, Arkansas that is being offered for sale at $128,000. In the listing, this house is described as "One of the last Sears Roebuck houses left in White County."
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To learn more about “one of the last Sears Roebuck houses in White County,” click here.
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The house in Searcy has a bathroom that's in beautifully original condition. Left is the 1916 Modern Homes catalog. Right side is the house in Searcy.
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Nice floor plan.
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To learn more about Sears Homes, click here.
To see an abundance of awesome photos of the house in Searcy, click here.
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Given the history of the short life in the catalog, not appearing long enough to ever have a name, the build date of 1925 given in the real estate listing for that Searcy house is several years off, eh?
And the crayola-colored paint in some of those rooms, plus the black woodwork, is going to present quite a challenge for the new owners if they have decided to go with a more “age appropriate” (to the house, of course) color palette to be sure.
I wish them lots of luck, plenty of Kilz, and the help of many friends who are not work-shy!!