The Elsmore: Refinement and Comfort

If you only learn to identify five Sears Homes, one of them should be the Elsmore. It was a perennial favorite amongst kit home buyers, and for good reason. It was offered in two floor plans and both had several nice features, including spacious rooms, a living room...

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...

Wood River and Their Sears Homes

Thanks to Standard Oil (later known as Amoco, and later known as BP), Wood River, Illinois has 23 pretty little Sears Homes lined up on 9th Street (near downtown).  Standard Oil moved into Wood River in 1908, and in 1918, Standard Oil decided to build houses for their...