Rebecca Hunter

Mail-order homes were popular from the early 1900s to the early 1950s. These homes were precut to order, using top quality materials that were purchased in bulk then cut to the exact size at the mill and shipped to the buyer. 

The buyer typically would hire a builder to put the materials, which were numbered, together. This process would save an estimated 30 percent in costs. There was no need for an architect and there was no waste from miscuts and wrong measurements. Even now, there are several newer Evanston upper bracket homes that were partially constructed at the mill. The Smart Home at the Museum of Science and Industry was built off-site.

Sears Roebuck is a name often associated with mail-order homes but there were about a half-dozen companies that specialized in pre-cut homes, including Montgomery Ward.

Following is a list of  Evanston mail-order homes provided by historical architectural researcher, Rebecca Hunter.

MODEL                           ADDRESS                           COMPANY
WESTLY                           1733 Brown                              Sears

Clyde                                 1801 Brown                              Sears

Lynhaven                        912 Brown                                 Sears

Lynhaven                         2021 Brown                              Sears

?*                                          1405 Brummel                         Sears

Verona *                         2815 Colfax                                Sears

Berwyn                           2336 Cowper                              Sears

non-Sears?                    1611 Dodge                                    ?

Rodessa                           2046 Dodge                                Sears

H 1510                             1815 Emerson                           Harris Bros

Westly                               2315 Emerson                            Sears

Alden *                             2108 Harrison                           Sears

Berwyn                             3242 Harrison                           Sears

Mitchell                            3304 Harrison                           Sears

Collingwood                    2103 Maple                                    ?

Colchester*                      2000 Noyes                               Sears

Barrington                        3012 Park Pl                               Sears

Ardara *                             2405 Payne                                Sears

Argyle                                 2407 Payne                                Sears

Argyle *                              2105 Pioneer                             Sears

Lustron 02                        2320 Prospect                         Lustron

H 1502                                2411 Prospect                          Harris Bros

Normandy                         2412 Prospect                              Sears

Van Dorn                            2437 Prospect                              Sears

Van Dorn                            2441 Prospect                               Sears

Vallonia                              2507 Prospect                               Sears

G 522                                   2321 Ridgeway                      Gordon-Van Tine

Osborn                                2430 Ridgeway                                Sears

Osborn                                2121 Simpson                                    Sears

Osborn                               2421 Simpson                                     Sears

Kilbourne                         2436 Simpson                                     Sears

Martha Washington       3340 Thayer                                         Sears

Belmont                             1008 Wesley                                            Sears

Today’s Closed Properties
2114 Dobson – Evanston – $150,000 (foreclosure)
135 Clyde – Evanston – $249,000 (foreclosure)
1500 Oak #2E – Evanston – $315,000
900 Chicago #705 – Evanston – $400,000 (foreclosure)
2229 Harrison – Evanston – $479,500
807 Forest – Wilmette – $650,000
1718 Bowling Green – Lake Forest – $745,000
2122 Orrington – Evanston – $815,000
2339 Cowper – Evanston – $850,000
501 Monroe – Glencoe – $925,000
865 Church – Lake Forest – $1,425,000
206 Cumberland – Kenilworth – $2,256,250

Under Contract – (list price=LP)
2028 Dodge – Evanston – $147,000 LP
1240 Park – Highland Park – $149,900 LP
834 Seward#308 – Evanston – $199,000 LP
1720 Greenwood – Evanston – $229,000 LP
1695 Second – Highland Park – $235,000 LP
8023 Lincoln – Skokie – $240,000 LP
900 Chicago #311 – Evanston – 300,000 LP
550 Sterling – Kenilworth – $380,000 LP
208 Wood – Wilmette – $399,000 LP
2714 Crawford – Evanston – $439,000 LP
2415 Lawndale – Evanston – $500,000 LP
140 Wooded – Lake Forest – $969,000 LP
340 Woodland – Lake Bluff – $1,138,000 LP
780 Hunter – Lake Forest – $2,195,000 LP
35 Green Bay – Lake Forest – $3,995,000 LP
Based on information from Midwest Real Estate Data for the period April 15, 2009 through April 16, 2009. Listing and solds by various Participants of MRED

For more real estate information, please call me at 847-512-2724 or email me at TPareti@rubloff.com

The clue came from a building permit where a contracter noted that the architect was Sears Roebuck. The contractor might have noticed markings on the original cabinetry, indicating it came from a Sears mail-order home.

Another clue was that the original building permit of the home built in 1920 did not list an architect, which was unusual at the time, and could mean that the building materials were pre-designed and put together by a builder.

So, I called an expert  – Rebecca L Hunter - who literally wrote the book on mail-order homes – Putting Sears Homes on the Map: A Compilation of Testimonials Published in Sears Modern Homes Catalogs 1908-1940 

Rebecca so far has been unable to determine if 2302 Noyes is a mail-order home. The best clue she said is to locate part numbers on the framing boards or ceiling  joists. So far, none have been found. But the homeowners were excited, nonetheless.

Rebecca has confirmed and documented hundreds of mail-order homes in Illinois and 29 other states. She says there are almost three dozen mail-order homes in Evanston.

On Thursday, I will list those homes and write some more about mail-order homes.
 

Today’s Closed Properties
2221 Central #3E – Evanston – $182,000
7636 Kenneth – Skokie – $210,600 (foreclosure)
3333 Noyes – Evanston – $423,750
400 Oak Ridge #400 – Lake Bluff – $600,000
2147 Thornwood – Wilmette – $750,000

Under Contract – (list price=LP)
1726 Lyons – Evanston – $52,900 LP
3439 Main – Skokie – $161,500 LP
1243 Ferndale – Highland Park – $198,000 LP
613 Case – Evanston – $209,000 LP
3380 Old Mill – Highland Park – $244,000 LP
525 Barberry – Highland Park – $264,900 LP
925 Windsor – Highland Park – $287,900 LP
414 South – Evanston – $289,900 LP
4414 Davis – Skokie – $293,000 LP
4501 Birchwood – $315,000 LP
2670 Summit – Highland Park – $429,000 LP
1787 Sunnyside – Highland Park – $839,000 LP
1164 Oak Grove – Lake Forest – $919,000 LP
331 Linden – Winnetka – $1,300,000 LP
Based on information from Midwest Real Estate Data for the period April 12, 2009 through April 14, 2009. Listing and solds by various Participants of MRED

For more real estate information, please call me at 847-512-2724 or email me at TPareti@rubloff.com