Sears Clyde in Northville, Michigan

The "Sears" Clyde was a popular model for Sears Roebuck. First introduced in 1920, it continued to appear in the "Modern Homes" catalog through 1929. There are over 200 examples of this model in the National Database of Sears Homes, testifying to both its popularity and distinctive design. This example of the "Clyde" is located in Northville, Michigan and it was one of the first Sears houses I located in the city thanks to its distinctive Craftsman-style elements. It's a good example of what to look for when identifying the "Clyde" model. Let's take a look! 

One of the main spotting features are those oversized 5 piece eaves brackets. This bracket design appears on a number of models and this "Clyde" has them in all the appropriate places. 

The earliest version of the "Clyde" was offered with two floor plans - one with a bathroom and one without! In 1925, Sears was only offering a single floor plan (with a bathroom). But two floor plans appeared again (both with bathrooms) in the later years, the main difference between the two models being the overall size of the house. This house is listed as being built in 1926 and follows the floor plan that appeared in the 1925 catalog. But that plan was offered every year the "Clyde" appeared in the catalog so we can't date it by that alone. 

One variation from the standard plan is the extended porch roof (with its own bracket!) We've seen this kind of porch roof extension before on "Clydes" so it either was an off-the-book option offered to customers or an addition that some customers made to provide more cover. Another common variation we see with the "Clyde" is a bump-out on both sides of the house. As you can see from this view, the "Clyde" in Northville doesn't have a bump out on the right side. 

By the way, the "Clyde" name was first given to another model which originally appeared in the "Modern Homes" catalog as the No. 118. The No. 118 was also a popular model for Sears but there's absolutely no way anyone will ever confuse the two! Here's an example of what some people call the "Big Clyde" in Stevensville, Michigan.

Northville's home to a number of kit houses, most of them from Sears. There's a cluster of them in the Oakland County half of the city in the "Oakwood" neighborhood (the city of Northville lies in two counties). But this Clyde, along with at least one other Sears house, is located in the Wayne County portion of the city, along with several other houses from other kit house manufacturers. It's located in a neighborhood that has a very diverse mix of houses ranging from homes built in the 1800s to modern homes that mimic designs of years past. Here's one more view of the house showing off the bump-out where the front bedroom is located on the floorplan. . 

I hope you enjoyed seeing this nice example of the "Clyde" in Northville, Michigan. Thank you for joining me and watch for more examples of Sears Modern Homes coming soon!