Sears Cambridge in Eastchester, New York

Catalog image of Sears Cambridge (1930)
Image courtesy of Judith Chabot

One of my recent kit house discoveries was a Sears Cambridge in Eastchester, New York. This Cambridge is the next-door neighbor to the Sears Elmhurst that I previously shared. Of the four houses that I found on this block, the Cambridge model is the one that I've seen the fewest examples of in the wild. In fact, there are currently only three examples listed in the national list of Sears houses. Two of the houses, including this one, have been authenticated with Sears mortgages. 

The design of the Sears Cambridge was taken directly from the Sears Barrington. The Barrington model was first offered by Sears in 1926 and it appears to have been quite a popular model in the late 1920s based on the number of Barringtons that have been found across the country. Sears made clear the common design between the two models in the catalog description for the Cambridge. 

Excerpt from Sears Modern Homes Catalog (1930)
Image courtesy of Judith Chabot

The Cambridge first appeared in a special 1929 catalog issued by Sears that only included eleven models that Sears had designed to be finished in face brick. Some of the models, like the Cambridge had designs take directly from existing Sears models. Others were based on existing models but had modifications made to the floor plans. The Elmhurst was the lone example in the special 1929 catalog that wasn't based on or derived from an existing plan. 

Cover of Special 1929 Sears Modern Homes Catalog
Image courtesy of the Smithsonian

The Cambridge was only offered for a short time. After its appearance in the special 1929 catalog, it appeared in the 1930 and 1931 Modern Homes catalog, both times in a colored two page spread highlighting the features of the house. Unlike the Elmhurst and some other brick face models like the Colchester and Mansfield, neither the Cambridge nor its sister design, the Barrington, appeared in the 1932 Sears Modern Homes catalog or future editions. The fact that it was only offered for a short time and that its brick face finish made it a more expensive model could explain why a relatively small number of Cambridges have been identified to date. That said, because the house was only offered during the years when many Sears houses were financed through mortgages, more research into mortgage records will likely turn up additional examples of the Sears Cambridge.

Catalog image of Sears Cambridge (1930)
Image courtesy of Judith Chabot

The Sears Cambridge at 130 Park Drive is a wonderful example of the Cambridge model. Although the Cambridge and the Barrington share a common design, Sears did make some design changes to the Cambridge that can assist us in differentiating examples of the Cambridge from a standard version of the Barrington. You can see several of those changes in the house at 130 Park Drive. These differences include:

• Face brick exterior finish
• Half-timber and stucco finish on the front vestibule
• Tall and narrow design of the windows in front vestibule
• Batten style door with ornamental style hinges
• Curved design of the top of the  second story dormer
• Curved element on the chimney

130 Park Dr - Eastchester, New York
Sears Cambridge
Image courtesy of Google Maps

Catalog image of Sears Cambridge (1930)
Image courtesy of Judith Chabot

130 Park Dr - Eastchester, New York
Sears Cambridge
Image courtesy of Google Maps

Sorry about that tree! Still, you can see how nicely all the elements present in the catalog view of the house match up with the actual house, save for the bay window on the first floor which was likely not original to the house. Here's one final view of the Sears Cambridge with the Sears Elmhurst next door. 

130 and 134 Park Dr - Eastchester, New York
Sears Cambridge (right) and Sears Elmhurst (left)
Image courtesy of Bing Maps

I hope you enjoyed seeing the Sears Cambridge. It's a relatively rare model. Hopefully, we'll find some more examples to share!