Sears Americus in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York

One of the more popular Sears models, at least according to our national database of Sears houses, is the Sears Americus. It's also one of the most distinctive models that Sears sold, easily singled out from other homes of the same era. To date, over 175 examples of the Americus have been located around the United States. It's hard to say whether its popularity on the list is due to its actual sales number or its distinctive design, which makes it easy to identity. Whatever the case may be, once you've seen one Sears Americus sporting its original design, you should have no problem spotting more. Fortunately, I have a fine example of the Sears Americus to share. Let's check it out!

This Sears Americus is located in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. It's one of over 20 Sears houses that have been located in and around Hastings-on-Hudson, which is located in Westchester County, New York. This example was recently repainted and one of my regular readers Jeff Alterman shared some photos he took of the house. Jeff's photos help show off some of the unique features of the Americus. All images of the house in Hastings-on-Hudson are the property of Jeff S. Alterman.

Catalog image of Sears Americus (1923)
Image courtesy of Archive.org

47 Hillside Ave - Hastings-on-Hudson, NY - Sears Americus
Image courtesy of Jeff S. Alterman

One of the distinctive features of the Americus is the > shaped porch roof. You can see that in this view of the side of the house. You can also see how the right hand side of the second floor extends farther forward over the porch than the remainder of the house. This house actually is larger than the standard floor plan. Where the foundation color changes is where the addition to the house starts.

47 Hillside Ave - Hastings-on-Hudson, NY - Sears Americus
Image courtesy of Jeff S. Alterman

Although this side is obscured by a tree, you can see how well the windows and other exterior elements match up to the original catalog view.

47 Hillside Ave - Hastings-on-Hudson, NY - Sears Americus
Image courtesy of Jeff S. Alterman

Catalog image of Sears Americus (1925)
Image courtesy of Archive.org

Last but not least, Jeff was able to get a close up of 2 of the more easily spotted elements on the Americus. If you see a house with these original elements together, you've almost surely spotted an Americus. The Craftsman-inspired porch columns are a design that Sears used on a number of different models. They are topped by the decorative angled blocks. Just above them on the Americus is a set of decorative brackets that you might find on an Italianate Revival house. Yes, Sears sometimes mixed and matched architectural styles in a way that makes architectural purists scoff. But in the case of the Americus, they make our job of identifying the house that much easier!

47 Hillside Ave - Hastings-on-Hudson, NY - Sears Americus
Image courtesy of Jeff S. Alterman

In case we had any doubts of the provenance of this house, I was able to track down a mortgage between William C. Reed of Sears Roebuck and the original owners of the house which authenticates this house as being from Sears. But just one look was enough for me to be convinced it's a Sears Americus. Thank you again to Jeff S. Alterman for allowing me to share these photos with all of you. Do you know of another example of the Americus or any other Sears houses? Let us know in the comments!