In Spring 2002, my new book on Sears Homes had just been published, and the Webster Grove Public Library (Missouri) was one of the first places that offered me a speaking gig.
A few days before the big event, someone called me and asked, “Have you been out to the Webster Groves Library today?”
I told them I had not, and asked why. The response was, “I’ll pick you up in a minute. Ride out there with me. You need to see this.”
When we pulled up in front of the building, there was a massive banner spanning the tall columns outside and it said, “The Houses That Sears Built – Rosemary Thornton – This Friday at 7:00 p.m.”
I’d never seen a sight like it. My name – on a great big banner – way up high where the whole world could see it.
That night, I sold 40 books, which was about 32 books more than I’d ever sold before. People stood in line to buy a book. People stood in line, waiting patiently for me to autograph their book. People said many nice things to me. It was one of those defining moments in my life, where I first had hope that maybe – just maybe – I could turn this passion for old kit homes into a real job.
Earlier this month, I returned to Webster Groves to poke around and see if I could find some kit homes I might have missed the first time (in 2002).
Not surprisingly, I found several, but my #1 favorite was this Aladdin Sonoma, just about one mile from the Webster Groves Library.
I’ve been hoping to find a real-life example of this sweet little house for a long, long time so it was quite a treat to find it in Webster Groves.
To read a more recent blog on Webster Groves, click here.
And “Webster Groves, Part III” can be found here.
Want to learn more about Aladdin kit homes? Click here.
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Because of its diminutive size, this was known as an "Aladdinette" house (1919).
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An interesting feature of this house was that it used a roll-away bed to save space.
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Oh, what a cute little house! This "Sonoma" is the mirror image of the house shown above, and the pergola and exterior door has been converted into an enclosed porch. It's hard to see from this angle, but the roofline for the original house is a perfect match to the catalog page.
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That extra-deep eave is missing from the chimney but I'd surmise that it went missing after the first roof replacement job in the 1940s.
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That extra bit of depth on the eave by the chimney is distinctive, but would have been a hard item to countenance when it came to maintenance (1919). I've flipped the image (above) to match the house in Webster Groves. Notice the clipped gable.
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The view down the long side is also a good match.
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And last but not least, this darling home still has its original 9/1 windows.
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What a fine house! And to think that I found it in Webster Groves!
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To learn more about identifying Sears Homes, click here.
Want to learn more about Aladdin kit homes? Click here.
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Nice find! And, the assessor measurements are spot on too!
Hi Rosemary and Rachel.
I am a member of the Webster Groves city commission on historic preservation, and we’re currently trying to identify Sears homes in Webster to designate as historic sites.
Your post is amazing. It also introduces the idea that we should perhaps broaden our search to include other kit homes. Any suggestions as far as how to proceed (actually to start) would be welcome.
Just finding your site is a great first start. There seems to be an embarrassment of riches here.
@Patrick
I’m sure she’s available for hire!!!
Indeed I am!