This post was originally published by Laraine Shape on December 5, 2013
To a SEARS Roebuck kit home enthusiast, finding an authentic Sears four-family in great condition is like finding a crop of morel mushrooms to a
mushroom hunter. Pure gold. Imagine finding six of them within a mile of each other!
Welcome to Wyoming Ohio. A Norman Rockwellesque vision of tree-lined
streets and architectural eye candy like nothing you’ve ever seen. Everything from Victorian “painted ladies” to stately stone mansions. If you were looking for architectural heaven and found Wyoming, you’d be doing all right.
And when it comes to exceptional examples of Sears kit homes, it’s a veritable treasure trove. All told, Wyoming has about 2 dozen Sears Modern Kit Homes including the five four-family apartments shown here.
Here’s a look at the five apartment homes (dubbed The Atlanta) billed by Sears as
“A four-family apartment house with five rooms and bathroom for each family, that can be built at a very low cost and will make an exceptionally good paying investment. A light shaft in the center gives light and ventilation for the halls and bathrooms. A private porch provided for each family.”
A Sears Atlanta at 414 Poplar Ave. Wyoming, Oh
A Sears Atlanta at 35 Sherry Rd., Wyoming, Oh
A Sears Atlanta (with enclosed porches) at 1100 Springfield Pike, Wyoming, Oh
A Sears Atlanta (with enclosed porches) at 1114 Springfield Pike, Wyoming, Oh
A Sears Atlanta (with enclosed porches) at 1056 Springfield Pike Wyoming, Oh.
And here’s number 6. It’s in Hartwell which is within spitting distance of Wyoming
136 Sheehan in Hartwell (right next door to Wyoming)
Sears Houses in Cincinnati 
If you take into account inflation, the Atlanta was one of the most expensive houses Sears ever sold. There supposedly was one in Chicago at one time. It’s 34′ wide which would rule out a standard Chicago city lot and most areas of the city. Still looking! It’s nice to have all these photos as reference.
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I just discovered that Houses By Mail mistakenly put the image of the Atlanta, with all of the information, name, and floor plan of the older 2-family building, the No. 131. Likewise, on the next page of HBM, it shows the image of the real No. 131, with the information, name, and floorplan of the Atlanta. See pages 338 & 339 of HBM.
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