I first heard of Sears houses around 15 years ago when I listened to an interview with Carol and Lee Cole on the Genealogy Guys podcast. For many years, the Coles maintained the Terrace Park, Ohio Building Survey, a project of the Terrace Park Woman’s Club. During the interview, the Coles mentioned that there were several Sears houses in Terrace Park. I had no idea what a Sears house was, but it didn’t sound like anything one would find in Terrace Park. After all, Terrace Park is a fairly well-to-do community and Sears, at least in my lifetime, had more of a working class reputation.
From 1908 to 1940, Sears, Roebuck and Company sold kit homes, garages, and other structures by mail order or through sales offices. Estimates vary, but between 60,000 and 100,000 kit houses were sold. The kit included blueprints, instructions, pre-cut and numbered lumber, millwork, paint, shingles, and other construction materials. They were not pre-fabricated homes; the property owner or their contractor built the house. The building materials were of high quality, but reasonably priced. Through the years, Sears offered hundreds of different designs at a variety of price points. The homes could be customized. If you wanted the floor plan reversed, it could be done. If you wanted one style of house, but the porch from a different model, Sears could make it happen.
Ohio has more Sears houses than any other state and Greater Cincinnati has the most verified Sears homes of any area. Beginning in 1912, the millwork for Sears kit houses was produced at a division of Sears, Norwood Sash and Window Manufacturing Company in Norwood, Ohio. Prospective local buyers were invited to visit the plant and place home orders there. In 1921, Sears also opened a showroom at 129-131 West Fourth Street in Downtown Cincinnati. Sears homes were often delivered by train, but could also be delivered by truck in the area near the Norwood plant. The convenience of having Norwood Sash and Door in the Cincinnati area with truck delivery to your lot undoubtedly contributed to the number of Sears homes here.
In the years since I first learned about them, I have read about Sears houses in several communities near Fairfax, including Mariemont, Madisonville, and Oakley. The Eastwood Historic District in the Madisonville/Oakley area is on the National Register of Historic Places, primarily because it has 10 Sears houses, each with a different design.
A few months ago I started wondering whether there were any Sears kit houses in Fairfax. It would make sense, given the popularity of Sears houses in this area and the fact that many of the homes in Fairfax were built in the years when Sears kit houses were available. I was determined to find out and began reviewing the sales catalogs and pictures of Sears houses available online and comparing them to houses in Fairfax as I travelled through the village, both in person and online. Thankfully, I didn’t get far in this endeavor before discovering I didn’t need to reinvent the wheel. It would have been quite a challenge to identify Sears houses with my lack of architectural knowledge, though I was able to spot a few before learning that the work had already been done.
In the early 1990s, the late Beatrice Lask surveyed Sears kit houses and wrote “Sears, Roebuck Catalogue Houses in the Cincinnati Area” as her master’s thesis at the University of Cincinnati. Mrs. Lask identified 14 Sears houses in Fairfax. I learned that there are a number of researchers around the country searching for Sears houses and there is a National Database for Sears Catalog Homes now with 23 houses in Fairfax listed. Cindy Catanzaro, who manages the Sears Houses in Ohio blog, provided me with invaluable assistance for this article..
Below are the models of Sears houses (and possible Sears houses) that have been identified in Fairfax, with copies of the corresponding catalog pages. I have taken the present day photos from publicly available online resources, rather than stalking the streets of Fairfax, taking pictures of homes, and freaking people out. I have not included the exact street addresses and removed street numbers from the images of these homes.
Berwyn
Fairfax has two of the Berwin model. The first, which is quite recognizable in comparison with catalog page above, is in the 3700 block of Lonsdale:
From Google Street View, 2025
The second example can be found in the 6300 block of Bedford. Modifications have been made to this house, most notably the addition of a second floor. Sears offered financing for their homes beginning in 1911. The original mortgage holder on this house was a Sears executive, E. Harrison Powell:
Conway
From 1927 Honor Bilt Modern Homes by Sears, Roebuck and Co., archive.org
Fairfax’s Conway model can be found in the 5800 block of Hawthorne.
Crafton
From 1938 Modern Homes by Sears, Roebuck and Co., archive.org
Two Crafton models are located side by side on the 3900 block of Lonsdale.
From Google Street View, 2025
This 1931 foreclosure decree granted to Sears, Roebuck & Company helps to document the residence pictured on the right as a Sears kit house:
This house on the 5800 block of Elder is a custom Sears home. It is a possible Crafton with an alternate front porch. The original mortgage holder on this property was Sears, Roebuck executive E. Harrison Powell:
From Google Street View, 2025
Dundee
From 1927 Honor Bilt Modern Homes by Sears, Roebuck and Co., archive.org
There are two examples of the Dundee model in Fairfax. One is in the 3700 block of Watterson:
The other is in the 3700 block of Germania:
Fosgate
Most Sears homes in Fairfax are Honor Bilt models, Sears' top of the line kit houses. The Fosgate was a more modest Standard Built model. Yet, around 100 years after construction, there are still two Fosgate homes in Fairfax. One is located at the 3800 block of Carlton:
The other is on the 3900 block of Germania:
From Google Street View, 2025
Hamilton
One Hamilton model has been definitively identified in Fairfax. It is located in the 3700 block of Germania:
In addition, there were three Fairfax homes that Beatrice Lask identified as Hamiltons. Current researchers speculate that they could actually be a combination of the Hamilton and Starlight (see below) models, but haven’t yet authenticated them as Sears houses. The Hamilton/Starlight mashup was apparently not uncommon in the Cincinnati area. Two of these homes are on the 3700 block of Germania.
From Google Street View, 2025
The other possible Hamilton/Starlight combination is in the 5800 block of Elder:
Josephine
The village’s lone Josephine model is in the 3800 block of Watterson:
From Google Street View, 2025
Kismet
Fairfax’s Kismet model can be found in the 6200 block of Murray:
From Google Street View, 2025
Mitchell
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From 1930 Honor Bilt Modern Homes by Sears, Roebuck and Co., archive.org
There is a Mitchell model in the 3800 block of Carlton:
From Google Street View, 2025
Olivia
From 1927 Honor Bilt Modern Homes by Sears, Roebuck and Co., archive.org
The village has an Olivia model in the 3900 block of Germania:
Rodessa
There are three verified Rodessa homes in Fairfax. One is in the 3700 block of Watterson:
Two are next door to each other in the 3700 block of Carlton.The first is fairly recognizable as a Rodessa:
From HamiltonCountyAuditor.org, 2021
In her 1993 survey, Beatrice Lask identified a neighboring house in the 3700 block of Carlton as a Rodessa as well. Since then, a second floor was added to this house. This home was not listed on the National Database, likely due to the addition, confusion over another Rodessa being located next door, and an incorrect build date on the Auditor’s website. However, it is now listed on the National Database. Below are pictures of the house before and after the remodel:
From HamiltonCountyAuditor.org, 1993
Mrs. Lask also identified a house in the 3800 block of Watterson as a Rodessa. However, further research indicated that the floor plan and dimensions of the house don’t match either Rodessa model. This home is currently listed as a possible Sears house. (Note: In addition to viewing the interior of a home, publicly available online resources and exterior features of a house can help researchers deduce the layout of the interior of the house.)
From Google Street View, 2025
Solace
From 1927 Honor Bilt Modern Homes by Sears, Roebuck and Co., archive.org
Fairfax has a Solace model in the 3700 block of Germania:
From Google Street View 2025
Somers
From 1927 Honor Bilt Modern Homes by Sears, Roebuck and Co., archive.org
The village has a Somers model in the 3900 block of Warren:
From Google Street View, 2025
Starlight
From 1927 Honor Bilt Modern Homes by Sears, Roebuck and Co., archive.org
Fairfax has a Starlight model in the 3700 block of Carlton:
From Google Street View, 2025
The original mortgage holder for this house was Sears, Roebuck executive Walker O. Lewis:
From recordersoffice.hamilton-co.org
Sunlight
From 1927 Honor Bilt Modern Homes by Sears, Roebuck and Co., archive.org
Fairfax has a customized Sears Sunlight model in the 3900 block of South Whetzel. The original mortgage on this house named Sears executive E. Harrison Powell as the mortgage holder:
From HamiltonCountyAuditor.org, 2021
Windsor
From 1927 Honor Bilt Modern Homes by Sears, Roebuck and Co., archive.org
The village has a Windsor model in the 3700 block of Lonsdale:
Do you think you might have a Sears kit house? This article lists ways to identify Sears homes.
Does your Fairfax home have an interesting history? Email me and share the details!
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