Sears Home Club Plans

1940 was the final year of the Sears Roebuck "Modern Homes" catalog and in many versions told of the history of "Modern Homes", it was the end of the "Modern Homes" era. But in actuality, 1940 was the year that Sears expanded their "Modern Homes" program in a brand new direction with the introduction of their "Home Club Plan" developments. 

The "Home Club Plan", occasionally referred to as "Club Colony Plan" and "Home Club Colonies", where Sears took on the role of developer and builder of homes using plans and materials from Sears, was the logical extension of its efforts to reduce costs through standardized designs and mass production and construction. At least 400 homes were built through this program with the majority of the homes based on designs that Randolph Evans created for Sears Roebuck. The "Home Club Plan" approach met with mixed results - some were quite successful and others never got off the ground. But in its way, the "Home Club Plan" developments provided the framework for the kind of development that would come to dominate the post-World War 2 suburban landscape in the United States. 

This page is your starting point for learning about the "Home Club Plan" developments that were built between 1940 and 1943. Each of the proposed and built Home Clubs are listed below. More details about those developments and the Home Club Plan program generally will be added over time. If you have details to share about any of these developments, please leave them in the comments! 

Home Clubs by State

Massachusetts

• Southbridge: 200 homes proposed. No indication that the development ever happened. Earliest newspaper reference was November 1939. I've now determined that this proposal was not a Home Club development despite newspaper references that may have said otherwise. 

New Jersey

• Bergenfield: 50 homes proposed. Unknown number constructed. 
• Cranford (Sunny Acres): 171 homes constructed in 3 phases. 
• Denville: Two phases. 20 homes in the first phase which "sold out". Second phase of 30 homes announced but unclear if it any were built. 
• Floral Park (Milford or New Milford): Unknown number of houses built. 
• North Plainfield (Green Acres): 41 homes built in the first phase. 42 were proposed in a second phase that was not constructed. 125 homes total were to be built. 
• Westville: 64 homes proposed. Cancelled in October 1940 shortly after the initial newspaper announcements. 
• Woodbridge Township/Fords: 150 homes proposed in September 1941. No indication that the development actually happened. 

New York

• Ossining (Briarcliff Manor): 51 homes were proposed. Although 41 home sites were committed, it was cancelled due to war time restrictions.  
• Grand Island (Grandyle): 50 homes constructed in one phase. 
• Sidney: 64 homes proposed. Some houses were built but likely no more than 30. 
• White Plains: Multiple newspaper references but no details of actual development plans. 

Ohio

• Elyria: 30 homes constructed in one phase. This was the only "Home Club" development outside the territory of the Port Newark "Modern Homes" office. 

Pennsylvania

• Hellertown (Mountainview): 379 homes proposed. 61 homes constructed in the first phase. Future phases were not built by Sears.