Is There Anything Better Than a Turkey Sandwich and a Sears Del Rey to Brighten Your Day?

Originally published by Laraine Shape on September 4, 2014

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315 Miami – a pristine example of the Sears Del Rey model. I think I’m in love!

Click here to see the original Sears catalog listing for the Del Rey model

Two days ago I woke up to a gray, rainy day and the ugly weight of two bogged real estate transactions thanks to an incompetent appraiser, nit picky underwriter, useless mortgage broker and a short sale from Hell. So, in order to get my mind off of things I decided to spend the day looking for Sears houses in the Mariemont, Terrace Park, Newtown and Milford area.

I knew from the Beatrice Lask thesis that there were a couple of Sears houses in Mariemont (a Maywood, a Willard and a Lewiston), but imagine my surprise at finding two more (and possibly four!) all in a row just outside the city limits. How fun! A Kilbourne model, a Crescent model and two suspected Hamilton models all snuggled up on the same street together. Makes me wonder about their history. Was it a builder that built all four? Or maybe a family that owned the parcel of land and wanted to stay close together?

And then there’s Terrace Park, a beautiful enclave of luxurious homes, a horse farm, a country club, a swim club, a prestigious elementary school and very little else. Oh yes…and a pink Victorian house (my favorite color). The landscape doesn’t feature much in the way of business which is just fine with me.

I discovered the eclectic mix of 9 Sears houses in Terrace Park via a historical society newsletter online. Unfortunately, there are only 8 of the 9 left…including a Del Rey model, a Kilbourne model, a Crescent model, a Dover model, a Fullerton model, a Somerset model, and 2 Martha Washington models. The 9th, a Stanford model at 709 Myrtle, is now, tragically, a vacant lot. A real estate FOR SALE sign stands in its stead.

By the way, Terrace Park has a building survey of all houses and buildings past and present. Hats off to the people who accomplished that task.

Just down the road a piece is Milford. Home of Lehr’s Meat Market and the nice deli lady who will make you a turkey and cheese sandwich on white bread with lettuce, tomato and mayo to eat on the fly. Milford is a sweet little city rich with Sears houses. As a matter of fact, there are so many of them in Milford I decided to do a separate post about them. Stay tuned

And last, but not least, is Newtown. The little village across the river from Mariemont. Home to that pretty blue craftsman bungalow I love, a fishery, a soft serve ice cream joint and the Main Street Cafe bleu cheese burger – an absolute MUST try next time you’re over that way. There’s a perfect little Vallonia model on Church Street that’s now serving as a dental lab, another Vallonia on Plum Street, a sweet yellow Oakdale model on Main Street that’s just as cute as it can be and a Sunbeam model also on Plum St.

In spite of the rain, I felt like a kid in a candy store. Next time my friend and Sears house mentor, Cindy Catanzaro, comes to Cincinnati I’m taking her over that way to show her all the eye candy for her Sears Facebook page.

Here’s the photo tour.

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3816 East St., Mariemont. Sears Maywood Model

Click here to see The Maywood model

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Click here to see the Lewiston model

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3828 Indianview, Mariemont. Sears Willard model

Click here to see The Willard model

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8514 Wooster Pike, Mariemont. Sears Kilbourne model (one of the 4 in a row)

Click here to see The Kilbourne model

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8534 Wooster Pike, Mariemont. Sure looks like a Sears Hamilton model (one of the 4 in a row)

Click here to see The Hamilton model

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Side view – 8534 Wooster Pike, Mariemont. What do you think?
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8548 Wooster Pike Mariemont – is this a second Sears Hamilton model? (one of the 4 in a row)
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8592 Wooster Pike, Mariemont. Sears Crescent model (one of the 4 in a row)

Click here to see the Crescent model

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Side view – 8592 Wooster Pike Mariemont Sears Crescent model
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308 Marietta, Terrace Park. Sears Martha Washington model.

Click here to see the Martha Washington model

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308 Marietta, Terrace Park. Sears Martha Washington model.
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315 Miami Terrace Park. Sears Del Rey model

Click here to see the Del Rey model

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330 Harvard, Terrace Park. Sears Fullerton model

Click here to see the Fullerton model

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Side View 330 Harvard Terrace Park. Sears Fullerton model.
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314 Harvard, Terrace Park. Sears Dover Model.

Click here to see the Dover model

 

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Side angle of the Dover at 314 Harvard, Terrace Park.
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210 Harvard Ave., Terrace Park. Sears Somerset model.

Click here to see the Somerset model

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Oh my gosh! Just look at those distinctive 5 piece eave brackets. 210 Harvard Ave., Terrace Park.
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903 Elm, Terrace Park. Sears Crescent model
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The Sears Crescent – what a beautiful porch entry. 903 Elm, Terrace Park
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736 Wooster Pike, Terrace Park. Sears Kilbourne model
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709 Myrtle Ave., Terrace Park. The Sears Stanford model that is no more.

Click here to see another Stanford model

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Oh, let’s not forget that pretty pink Victorian in Terrace Park!
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3700 Church St., Newtown. Sears Vallonia model

Click here to see the Sears Vallonia model

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6810 Main St., Newtown. Sears Oakdale model
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6810 Main St., Newtown. Sears Oakdale model

Click here to see the Sears Oakdale model

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Sears Sunbeam model in Newtown

Click here to see the Sears Sunbeam model

Comments made on original post

Andrew Mutch- Sept 6, 2014– I don’t think 903 Elm, Terrace Park is a Crescent. The windows and the front porch aren’t a good match. Also, I don’t think those are Hamiltons. Do you know what year they were built? Otherwise, that’s a lot of good looking Sears houses there!

reply– Laraine Shape- Sept 6, 2014- Andrew – Tsk tsk. I dare you to tell the Terrace Park historical society that about 903 Elm. As for the Hamiltons…you could be right about me
being wrong. They were built in 1929 and 1933 (8548). The size and footprints are right. I’m going to correspond with the owners and see if we can get an insight on the interior details.

reply– Andrew Mutch- Sept 9, 2014 -Living in a Hamilton, it’s the one I know well! They key difference is I’ve never seen a Hamilton without the hipped dormer on the
front and the side over the living room window (although I just saw my first Hamilton where someone added a 2nd floor and moved the hipped roof up a story – yikes!). Also, the roof line on the front extends over porch so that it’s enclosed.

As for the Terrace Park house, I would show them that house next to the Mariemont house, which is a good example of the type. I’ve gotten more cautious with the Crescents now that I’ve seen enough clones. In fact, I think I have a couple in the Ann Arbor that I
thought were Crescents but may just be knockoffs.

reply– Laraine Shape- Sept 9, 2014– Thanks for your input Andrew. You definitely know your stuff when it comes to Sears Houses. Cindy speaks very highly of you.

reply-Andrew Mutch- Sept 12, 2014-Thanks! Cindy’s been a wonderful resource in learning the ins and outs of the houses. I’m so glad that you’ve been documenting all of these houses. It’s great to have them as reference when trying to ID houses I find up here in Michigan.

 

Karrie- Sept 6, 2014– I love the houses on Wooster and every time I pass them I point them out to my husband.. I had no clue they were Sears homes. Very cool. Great blog.

reply-Laraine Shape- Sept 6, 2014– Karrie – thanks! It was a total surprise for me when I saw them. Such fun. I love Sears houses.

 

 

Meet the Beacon Street Architectural Triumph!

Originally published by Laraine Shape on August 19, 2014

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1347 Beacon St., Mt. Washington – Sears Sherburne model

The 1913 Sears Roebuck Modern Homes Catalog promoted this pretty (and fairly rare) 187 model as an “Architectural Triumph” and said, “when built on a
lot of proper size and painted in refined contrasting colors its effect is strikingly attractive.”

And so it is. This sweet 187 model, later named the “Sherburne,” is still a triumph 93 years later. What a beauty! Cincinnati is lucky to have her.

Built in 1921 and located at 1347 Beacon St. in the Mt. Washington area of Cincinnati, it’s a standout among at least 12 other Sears Roebuck kit houses.

Is it really a rare Sears Sherburne? I think so. Everything is right – from its window arrangement, to its unique cornice return above the porch, to its open second floor deck, all the way down to the size of its footprint (26 X 31).

Have a look at the catalog photo below and see what you think.

And who knows, maybe we’ll get lucky and get a chance to see the inside one of these days.

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Hamilton County Auditor Sketch of 1347 Beacon St

Comments from original post

Lara – August 19. 2014 -Wow that is in great shape. Nice find! “Architectural triumph” might be an overstatement.

Laraine -August 19, 2014- Thanks, Lara. Ha! The triumph is Sears wording, not mine. They must have had a great marketing department.

Cindy Catanzaro -August 19, 2014 -Great find, Laraine! Love this one!!!!

Laraine- August 19, 2014-Thanks, Cindy. And thanks for all your help. If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t know which end was up half the time when it comes to Sears houses.