The original owner added the gracious front porch, perfect for parties or just relaxing and watching the world go by. Note the added garage at right. Photo: Alice V. McKenna.
June 25, 2013
Lovely houses can attract multiple offers — this one had five in fierce competition. I guided my clients through this difficult process. As a result, they got exactly the house they wanted. I feel really good when that happens.
Located in Takoma Park’s Historic District, this Colonial Revival-style house was purchased for about $4,200 as a Sears Roebuck kit house in the early 1920s. High quality, ready-to-assemble kit houses were mail ordered from the Sears Modern Homes catalog and delivered by railroad. According to Wikipedia:
“More than 70,000 of these were sold in North America between 1908 and 1940. Shipped via railroad boxcars, these kits included all the materials needed to build a house. Many were assembled by the new homeowner and friends, relatives, and neighbors, in a fashion similar to the traditional barn-raisings of farming families. Sears offered the latest technology available to house buyers in the early part of the twentieth century. Central heating, indoor plumbing, and electricity were all new developments in house design that “Modern Homes” incorporated….”
This was the Lexington model, which was one of the nicest ones. According to SearsHomes.org, there were two Lexington models. You can also read more here.
Cover model: The 1922 catalog featured the Sears Lexington on the cover. Image: Wikipedia.
In Takoma Park’s Historic District.
Photo: Alice V. McKenna
This house has a story. Among other things, during WWII soldiers lived in the attic.
Under the stairs, mirrored doors on closet and powder room reflect light in the hallway
— and Agent Alice with her camera during the inspection. Photo: Alice V. McKenna
