The Sears Elmhurst, Part II

Recently, Rachel Shoemaker was looking through a Sears Modern Homes catalog (1930) when she discovered a testimonial for a Sears Elmhurst built in Flushing, New York. She then did some extra digging and was able to glean the home’s current address. In fact,...

The Niota: 1200 Square Feet For $942

Not a bad deal to buy 1,200 square feet of kit house for less than $1,000, even in 1916! The Sears Niota – despite its being a good value and a cute house – was not a popular model for Sears.  And yet, according to a small promotional ad that appeared in...

The Ivanhoe, By Sears

The Magnolia was Sears biggest and best (and most expensive) kit home, but the Ivanhoe was a close second. I’ve only seen a few of these in my travels, and one of them was in Lewisburg, WV and the other was in Elmhurst, Illinois. According to the testimonials...