Sears Was the Amazon.com of the 20th Century-- Part 1: "God Almighty, Sears Roebuck and Gene Talmadge"

From the May 14, 2017, Chicago Tribune "Chicago Flashback"  by Ron Grossman.

As I read the nearly weekly accounts of the demise of Sears, this makes for a sad article.  It is a victim of the American people and that guy and his hedge fund who bought it and K-Mart.

From 1906 to 1987, Sears, Roebuck and Co. shipped the ingredients of a middle class life from its sprawling distribution center at 925 S. Homan Avenue in Chicago.  And, sprawling it was.  One of the buildings alone stretched a block wide  and a quarter-mile long with every inch used.

By July 4, 1906, Sears was receiving 75,000 letters a day.  In response, the mail-order company sent its 6 million customers everything from clothing, shoes, furniture, white leghorn chickens, a fully assembled Sears buggy and even kits to build a two-bedroom home.

Many of Sears' early customers were farmers out in rural areas where stores were rare and prices high.  Sears proclaimed itself to be "The Cheapest Supply House on Earth."

"The poor dirt farmer ain't got but three friends on this earth:  God almighty, Sears Roebuck and Gene Talmadge," said Georgia's populist governor in the 1930s and 1940s.

--CootSears

Sears Kit Homes in Chicagoland-- Part 1: The Legacy

From the December 2, 2019, Chicago Tribune "Cataloging History" by Darcel Rocket.

"Once upon a time, you could purchase a home for less than $5,000.  The Barrington. The Lexington.  The Sheridan.  The Hazleton.  The Malden."

Sears, Roebuck and Co., well, Sears, sold thousands of mail-order kit houses from the early 1900s to 1942.  All you had to do was pick the model you wanted from the catalog and as long as you had the money and rail connections, you were good to go.

Joe and Mary Beth Turek have a Barrington kit home in Downers Grove, which back then cost $2,606 and came with everything from trim, windows, millwork and flooring and some 30,000.  Some assembly required.  Actually, lots of assembly.  You could either build it yourself or hire someone to do it.

The Hoffman Estates-based company has filed for bankruptcy and its days, sadly, are numbered.  But many of their kit homes still stand.

Probably the Legacy of Sears.  --Cooter

Sears Home Legacy-- Part 4: For the "Man of Average Abilities"

Compared to conventional construction, homeowners saved about 30% by building their own homes from a kit.  Sears Roebuck promised a "man of average abilities could assemble a Sears kit home in about 90 days."  About half were constructed by owners.  Professionals built the remainder, charging and estimated $450 in 1908.  (I would have had to have a professional build my home as I have a problem with tending to hit my thumb.)

The first home catalog, issued in 1908, was 68 pages and offered  44 house designs ranging in price from $695 to $4,115.  By the time Frank Novak's Crystal Lake house was built at 297 McHenry Avenue in 1927, the options had grown.

His Hamilton bungalow featured built-in seating in the dining room and a "delightful" window configuration.  Frank Novak bought his home 25 years ago from the original owner.

--CootSearsHomer

Sears Home Legacy-- Part 3: Bob's House

My brother Bob sent me an e-mail about his Sear home in Goldsboro, N.C..  he said that it was built in 1920 and cost $4500..  It came without an optional bathroom which would have cost another $500.

--Cooter

Sears Home Legacy-- Part 2: 750 Pounds of Nails

Homebuyers could select from 447 models.  Options included reversing floor plans, swapping wooden siding for brick, adding storm doors and windows, the addition of screen doors and asphalt shingles and the color of cabinetry hardware.

Entire homes from pre-cut lumber to carved staircases, down to nails and varnish--  would be delivered by rail.  Each kit contained 10,000 to 30,000 pieces of house-- the framing materials numbered to ease construction.

The Chelsea model, for example, came with 750 pounds of nails, 22 gallons of paint and varnish and 20,000 shingles.  There were also extensive instructions.

My brother lives in Goldsboro, N.C., in a Sears home.

--DaCootNail

Sears Home Legacy-- Part 1: A Catalog Home

From the Sept. 24, 2015, Northwest Herald (Illinois) "Sears home legacy to be explored at historical society program" by Kurt Begalka.

McHenry County resident Frank Novak doesn't just live in any old house.  he lives in a Sears home.  Most people don't know it, but at one point in the early 1900s, many Americans were buying their homes from the Sears catalog.

According to sears archives, about 70,000 pre-fabricated "modern homes" were sold between 1908 and 1940, including many in McHenry County.

Architectural historian Rebecca Hunter of Elgin talked about these homes, their impact and continuing legacy at a 2 p.m. Sept. 27 program at the McHenry County Historical Museum in Union.  The cost is $5 and includes museum admission for society members and $10 for nonmembers.

--Coothouse