Many people grew up with the Sears catalog and its many wonders. Almost every imaginable item would appear for sale from the glossy pages. Did you realize that Sears even sold homes from their catalog? It’s true!
In a video clip hosted by Nancy Recchie from Benjamin D. Rickey & Company, we find out that Sears sold homes in model kits. They could be assembled right on your lot when ordered from their 1906 catalog. They wanted to sell more than just home furnishings, so they branched out into home sales.
After a customer ordered their home, it would be shipped by train. Every piece was numbered and cut to order for easy construction. The kits contained everything you needed, including heating, wiring, and even plumbing.
Sears offered different styles that fit every type of neighborhood. These houses were built to last, and some even had 10 to 12 rooms. They ranged in price from $800 to $6,000. Different models were referred to as ‘Four Squares, Bungalows, and Craftsman.’
The video also features Jennie McCormick, who is a Worthington Historian. She noted that the Sears houses were still standing today, and they fit in perfectly with the surrounding neighborhood. A local builder named Robert Bazzard put them up in 6 weeks in 1927.
He built the ‘Walton #1’ and the ‘Walton #2,’ which had different floor plans and siding. One siding was brick, and the other was wood. These houses were the version known as ‘Bungalows.’
In 1929, the economy tanked, and builders couldn’t sustain themselves. Sears also faltered because they had a mortgage division that went under due to the economic stress. The homes were no longer available after 1940. However, for many years prior, Sears proved the power of American ingenuity with their ‘Kit Houses.’
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