Houses by Mail: A Guide to Houses from Sears, Roebuck and Company

By Katherine Cole Stevenson and H. Ward Jandl

Book Overview

It was the American Dream by Mail Order --Smithsonian Americans have ordered from Sears, Roebuck just about everything they have needed for their homes for 100 years--but from 1908 to 1940, some 100,000 people also purchased their houses from this mail-order wizard. Sears ready-to-assemble houses were ordered by mail and shipped by rail wherever a boxcar or two could pull in to unload the meticulously precut lumber and all the materials needed to build an exceptionally sturdy and well-designed house. From Philadelphia, Pa., to Coldwater, Kans., and Cowley, Wyo., Sears put its guarantee on quality bungalows, colonials and Cape Cods, all with the latest modern conveniences--such as indoor plumbing. Houses by Mail tells the story of these precut houses and provides for the first time an incomparable guide to identifying Sears houses across the country. Arranged for easy identification in 15 sections by roof type, the book features nearly 450 house models with more than 800 illustrations, including drawings of the houses and floor plans. Because the Sears houses were built to last, thousands remain today to be discovered and restored. Houses by Mail shows how to return them to their original charm while it documents a highly successful business enterprise that embodied the spirit and domestic design of its time. "After decades of obscurity, Sears houses have become chic." --Wall Street Journal "These were . spacious, solidly built homes." --Parade "Don't be surprised if your own cozy bungalow turns up in the book]."--Philadelphia Inquirer "A nostalgic and informative look at the tastes of Americans in the years before World War II."--Publishers Weekly "The bible to researchers of Sears' ready-cut homes."--Saturday Evening Post

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471143944
• ISBN13: 9780471143949
• Release Date: July 1995
• Publisher: Wiley
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.2" x 9.9"

Customer Reviews

AWSOME

This book is amazing - actual floor plans, and Sears would send you absolutely everything you need to build whatever house you choose.

A Great Book for Old Home Lovers and Bungalow Lovers Alike!

This is a magnificent volume of historic treasures by Sears, Roebuck, and Company. The charming residences in this book are fascinating to anyone who loves old houses or bungalows. The introduction is an interesting lead-in to the dozens of houses with floor plans and some with interior drawings as well. There are houses of many styles: bungalows, colonials, craftsmen style, and others such as Dutch Colonial and multi-units. Very cool!!!

A fascinating book about Sears Catalogue Homes

I'm the author of "The Houses That Sears Built" and my love of Sears Homes was ignited by this wonderful book. The first 43 pages are photos and stories about real people and their real Sears Homes. This section makes for a delightful and easy read. And it is also a great reference on historic architecture. Sears Homes were patterned after the most popular architecture and housing of the day, so once you get a feel for the dates on Sears Homes, you'll be able to "date" many houses with some accuracy. Also has specific info on how to tell if you own a Sears Home. Rose Thornton author, The Houses That Sears Built

Informative, entertaining & educational look at Sears kits

A "must have" for the Sears home owner! Not only did I find my house in this exhaustive resource, I found many of my neighbors' as well! This is a great read for anybody interested in kit houses of the past. If you know somebody with a Sears house, this would make an excellent, unusal gift for the upcoming holidays.

An exhaustive reference of catalog houses from Sears.

This is an excellent resource for amateur preservationists and architectural historians alike. The introduction is an excellent background into the how, why and where of these houses as well as containing some great turn of the century interior shots. I am privileged enough to live in a neighborhood filled with the sturdy beauties from this book and plan to use it to educate my neighbors about their 1900-1910 architecture.