Hopewell's Sears Homes

A Walk Down Memory Lane

Smithsonian called them “the American dream by mail order.”

The magazine was describing Sears homes — a line of ready-to-assemble houses that Sears, Roebuck and Co. sold by mail and shipped by railcar from 1908 to 1940. Sears sold between 70,000 and 75,000 homes during those decades. Many still stand across the country, including a cluster in one small section of Hopewell.

The city’s Sears homes are predominantly in the Crescent Hills area, says Libbi Newsome, marketing manager for the Tourism Office/Visitor’s Center for the City of Hopewell. Two brothers owned the land and developed it with a higher-end home in mind for business owners and professionals. Between 1929 and 1937, a significant number of them — “40-plus” in Newsome’s estimation — built homes they ordered through the Sears catalog for generally just under $5,000.

“After decades of obscurity, Sears houses have become chic,” says The Wall Street Journal.

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What was so special about them that they’ve become part of Americana and spawned a subculture of ardent fans? For one thing, their relative affordability, made possible by the mass production of building materials. For another, the range of styles — 447 in all — from large, elaborate homes to small, cottage types. Over time, Sears began offering three product lines. Honor Bilt homes were the highest quality and most costly, some with cypress siding and cedar shingles. Standard Built homes retained heat poorly and were positioned as the choice for warmer climates. Simplex Sectional homes were simple, many as small as a couple of rooms.

Another appeal of the homes: They incorporated the latest in early 20th-century technologies. Some Sears homes even had electricity, central heating and indoor plumbing. "Balloon style" framing, which required just one carpenter, was another innovation, as were economical and easy-to-install drywall and asphalt shingles.
 

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Hopewell Sears Home Tour
Pick up a brochure for a self-guided walking/driving tour at:
Tourism Office/Visitor’s Center for the City of Hopewell
4100 Oaklawn Blvd.
Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week
(804) 541-2461
 

Sears Mail-Order Homes
To see the catalogue for the old Sears mail-order homes
visit: www.searsarchives.com/homes/byimage.htm