Friday night, Milton and I turned on the television and saw “The Five” (talk show on Fox News, with five commentators, including Bob Beckel). Within 30 seconds, the program showed a picture of Bob Beckel’s house, and I exclaimed to Milton, “Oh my goodness. It’s a Sears Crescent!”
Sure enough, after I got a close look, I saw it was a Christmas Crescent.
What is a Sears house? Sears homes were 12,000-piece kit houses, and each kit came with a a 75-page instruction book. Sears promised that “a man of average abilities” could have it assembled in 90 days. The instruction book offered this somber warning: “Do not take anyone’s advice on how this house should be assembled.” The framing members were marked with a letter and a three-digit-number to facilitate construction. Today, these marks can help authenticate that a house is a kit home.
Searching for these homes is like hunting for hidden treasure. From 1908-1940, about 70,000 Sears Homes were sold, but in the 1940s, during a corporate housecleaning, Sears destroyed all sales records. The only way to find these homes is literally one-by-one.
Or one television show at a time. 🙂
At some point, the classic Crescent windows in Mr. Beckel’s house were discarded and replaced (and that’s a real pity) but the house does have its original cypress clapboards. The small shed dormer was probably added later, but it *might* have been original to the house. There was some usable space on the 2nd floor, and dormers are a frequent addition to the Sears Crescent.
Mr. Beckel, did you know you have a Sears house? If you’re like 90% of Americans, you did NOT know – until now!
To read more about the Sears Crescent, click here.
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Bob Beckel's house, all decked out for the holidays. Although it's barely visible in this photo, at the top of the porch's arch, you can see a faint triangle there. This is one of the classic signs of a Sears Crescent.
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Sears Crescent from the 1921 Sears Modern Homes catalog.
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This photo shows that triangle on the porch's peak more clearly. And notice the three large columns on the corners of the porch. All classic Crescent features. And it has its original siding!
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The Crescent was offered from 1918-1928. Image above is from the 1928 catalog. Note the unusual windows, the triangle in the porch's peak, and the three columns. That massive porch is its most distinctive feature.
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The dormers were original to this Crescent in Raleigh, NC.
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A darling little Crescent in Wheeling, WV, sitting like a jewel atop the hill.
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One of my favorite Crescents in Bloomington, IL. It still has the original lattice work, as shown in the catalog images. And like Mr. Beckel's house, it has the optional fireplace.
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In 1928, the "super-sized Crescent" (as Mr. Beckel has) was a mere $2,195. The larger floorplan is shown in the upper right. The 2nd floor layout is on the lower right.
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Jerome Kelly from an unnamed city really loves his little Crescent.
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To learn more about the Sears Crescent (with interior views), click here.
Want to learn how to identify kit homes? Click here.
Are there more kit homes in Beckel’s neighborhood of Brookmont? Without a doubt. There was a Sears Modern Homes Sales Center nearby, and these were only placed in communities where sales were already strong. Plus, sales went way up after one of these retail stores was opened in the area.
To contact Rose, please leave a comment below.
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How can I get help learning about my home? I can’t match it up exactly to a Sears but I’m not sure I’ve seen all of the plans. Thanks.
That’s a pretty Christmas Crescent! Good eye 🙂
Rose, many of us have Sears kit houses in Brookmont, and we are all aware, including Bob Beckel.
Mine is a 1928 Winona, I think.