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Saturday, January 9, 2016

Sears Elmhursts - A List

Catalog image of Sears Elmhurst (1930)
Image courtesy of Judith Chabot
In the past month, I've had the good fortune to locate three Sears Elmhursts. As I noted in my post about the Sears Elmhurst in Washington DC, the Elmhurst was considered a rare Sears model because so few had been found. But that's less true today than it was a couple of years ago. To date, nine 24 Elmhursts have been located. While that is still a small number, it's still more examples than have been found of other well-known Sears models like the Honor (9 17) or the Ivanhoe (8 14). As we know from a recent post by kit house researcher Cindy Catanzaro, the Elmhurst model was built as a "model" home in the Cincinnati area. Based on contemporaneous news articles, it's likely that the Elmhurst was built as a model house in other cities as well.

Knowing that, I've assembled a list of the known Elmhurst models, their location and whether those houses have been authenticated (based on publicly available information). Authentication of Sears houses is an important step as it informs kit house researchers that the house is an actual Sears house versus an "educated guess". By viewing these examples, kit house researchers should be able to identify the various identifying characteristics in the Elmhurst and variations between the model as shown in the Sears Modern Homes catalog and how the houses were actually constructed. For example, one of the Elmhursts that Cindy photographed was constructed with an addition that is documented in the newspaper article announcing its opening for public tours. I've also included approximate build dates for these houses, when known, to assist with researching this model.

Update 1 - I've found two more Elmhursts outside of New York City.
Update 2 - I've found another Elmhurst in the Washington DC area.
Update 3 - Lara Solonicke discovered and Judith Chabot blogged about an Elmhurst in North Carolina.
Update 4 - I've found another Elmhurst in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.
Update 5 - I've found another Elmhurst in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania.
Update 6 - Added two more examples
Update 7 - I've found another Elmhurst in Niskayuna, New York.
Update 8 - Judith Chabot blogged about an Elmhurst in Sewickley, Pennsylvania.
Update 9 - Another Elmhurst located in Alexandria, Virginia.
Update 10 - Another Elmhurst has been located in East Hampton, New York.
Update 11 - Judith Chabot found an Elmhurst in Morristown, New Jersey.
Update 12 - Judith Chabot found an Elmhurst in located in Half Moon, New York.
Update 13 - Cindy Catanzaro authenticated the Elmhurst located in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania.
Update 14 - I've found another Elmhurst in Brigantine, New Jersey that was built as a model home.



AddressCityStateBuild DateAuthenticated
2944 Brandywine St NWWashingtonDC1930Yes
5535 Dunham RdDowners GroveIL1930Yes
246 S ChandlerElmhurstIL1929Yes
2450 Boulevard PlIndianapolisIN1930Yes
1515 DaleSilver SpringMD1930Yes
1320 Midland DrUniversity CityMO1931No
7260 NorthmoorUniversity CityMO1930Yes
1116 S MainReidsvilleNC1930No
1903 Brigantine AveBrigantineNJ1930Yes
4 Log RdMorristownNJ1929Yes
6 Lenox TerraceSouth OrangeNJUnknown
23 Conklin TerraceEast HamptonNYNo
134 Park DrEastchesterNY1930Yes
798 Hudson River RdHalf MoonNY1929Yes
43 Pinecrest ParkwayHastings-on-HudsonNY1930Yes
52-19 Redfield StLittle NeckNY1929Yes
1463 Regent StNiskayunaNYNo
116 ReedPelham ManorNY1930Yes
1178 W Seymour RdCincinnatiOH1930Yes
7307 Reading RdCincinnatiOH1934Yes
2875 N Brodhead RdAliquippaPA1930Yes
827 Green LnClifton HeightsPANo
412 Edgeworth LnSewickleyPANo
608 Woodland TerraceAlexandriaVANo

If you have more information about these houses or find an Elmhurst in your town, let me know so that I can add it to the list!

4 comments:

  1. It's great to be finding more and more Elmhursts. Everybody loves them!
    I was excited when I found the mortgage for the University City house, even though it had been written about extensively already. It, too, was used as a Sears Model home for a short time, for the public to visit and see what a quality Sears home looked like.
    Judith
    Sears-House-Seeker.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! Watch for another one to join the list very soon!

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