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[gentle music]
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- Jenny Pederson:
Welcome, everyone,
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to today's
History Sandwiched In.
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So, we are excited to have
you all join us this afternoon.
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For those of you that are
joining us for the first time,
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welcome
to History Sandwiched In.
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This is a regularly occurring
lecture series
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that runs from March
through November,
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and we highlight a range of
topics relevant to the people,
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places, and spaces of Wisconsin,
as well as the larger Midwest.
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As we get started,
I am very excited
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to introduce Jim Draeger.
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He is presenting
"Postal Perfect Architecture:
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Sears and Roebuck Houses."
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A note that any opinions
expressed today
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are those of our speaker
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and not those of the
Wisconsin Historical Society
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or the society's employees.
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As we get to our speaker,
a brief introduction.
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Jim Draeger,
co-author of Bottoms Up:
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A Toast To Wisconsin's
Historic Bars And Breweries
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and Fill 'er Up: The Glory Days
of Wisconsin Gas Stations,
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worked in the field of historic
preservation and architecture
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at the Wisconsin Historical
Society for more than 32 years,
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most recently as the State
Historic Preservation Officer.
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From roadside architecture
to Northwoods resorts,
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Jim celebrates the importance
of ordinary buildings
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through his research,
writing, and lectures.
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Please join me
in giving a very warm welcome
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to an amazing presenter,
Jim Draeger.
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[audience applauds]
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- Jim Draeger: So, we're just
gonna jump right in here.
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About 40 years ago,
I worked in--
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out of Nashville, Tennessee, for
a consultant doing architectural
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and historical surveys.
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We'd go to a community,
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and we'd photograph every
building over 50 years old,
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research the history of them,
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and basically write
the architectural history
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of that community.
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And one day, I was
in Gaffney, South Carolina,
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and I was walking
along the street,
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and I see this building
on the top left side,
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and the owner
came out of the house
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and told me it was
a Sears and Roebuck house.
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And at that time,
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there wasn't much information
available publicly about those,
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and I had never
heard of 'em before.
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But I made a little note
on my clipboard
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that said Sears and Roebuck,
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and then continued
on doing the work,
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and a little while later,
the owner of the house
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on the bottom right came out
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and said their house was
a Sears and Roebuck house too.
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So, years later,
I was able to confirm
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that the one at the top
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was actually a Sears and Roebuck
house called the Alhambra.
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And you'll see some other
examples of that today.
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And the one on the bottom, I
could not find until last year.
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So, it took me 42 years
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to be able to identify
this one on the bottom.
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And it comes from a catalog
that was produced in Oklahoma
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by a company called
Aurelius-Swanson Company.
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So, just because somebody says
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a building is a Sears house
doesn't mean it's a Sears house.
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I've come to see that as, like,
when somebody hands you a tissue
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and they say,
"Do you need a Kleenex?"
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It's like that.
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It's just become
a generic term for these
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in our popular culture.
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So, where do
these houses come from?
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Well, there's a long history
of house designs
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coming out of books
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that predates Sears
by a significant amount of time.
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The first books that described
architecture for builders
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were called builder guides.
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And the book on the very top,
The Works of Asher Benjamin,
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is one of these
builder's guides,
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and it was designed
to teach carpenters
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how to do
new construction techniques.
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So, if you wanted to know
what was going on,
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you know, the way
that you learn new techniques
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was by looking through the--
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pawing through these builder's
guides and getting ideas.
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So, they would have
technical information
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on how to build circular
staircases and things like that.
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But they'd also have some plates
with just designs in them,
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like a door surround
for the entry of a house
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or a fireplace mantel
or something like that.
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So, they're kind of
inspirational idea books
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for both architects
and for builders.
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Out of these
grow more complex works,
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like the work in the middle,
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The Model Architect
by Samuel Sloan.
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And in Samuel Sloan's book,
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he produced a number of plates
with designs of houses
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that were elevations
of the houses.
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So, he'd actually give you
a design and a floor plan.
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And as the builder
or the architect,
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you'd have to fill in
all of the stuff
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that he didn't provide for you,
like measurements, for example.
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But a lot of houses were built
from these plan books.
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And the building
adjacent to that page
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is a house
in Janesville, Wisconsin
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that was built according to
one of Samuel Sloan's designs.
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The book we see
on the bottom right
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is a book designed
by George Barber.
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George Barber was an architect
who moved down
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to Knoxville, Tennessee,
after the Civil War.
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So, he's a Yankee
moving into the South.
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He was a carpetbagger.
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And as a carpetbagger, he was
having a hard time finding jobs.
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And he decided
that he would just try to see
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if he could sell blueprints
by mail.
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So, he started up a company
and advertised in magazines,
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and you could send away
to Sloan using--
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finding an illustration
in one of his catalog books,
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and he would send you
the complete set
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of blueprints for the house.
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And he would also--
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He designed these very elaborate
Queen Anne houses,
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and he would also source
the millwork for you
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to a local lumber company
that he worked for
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so you could get the turn posts
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and the fireplace mantels
and things like that
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to be able to accomplish
his designs.
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And his houses were built
all over the country.
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This one happens to be
in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
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And he was successful enough
that others came after him
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and also started doing
these blueprint books
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back in the 1880s, 1890s,
into the early 20th century.
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But the catalog house,
as we have come to know it,
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came from a little company in
Bay City, Michigan, that was--
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The man who was the principal
of the company
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had seen an advertisement
in a magazine
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for a build your own boat kit.
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They would ship you all
of the materials, flat packed.
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And then, you would
build the boat
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out of the pieces
that they sent you.
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Everything was cut to length,
and it was a kit, basically.
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And he thought, "We could
do that for houses."
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So, in 1904, he starts up a
build-it-yourself house company
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called Aladdin Homes
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that quickly became
the largest manufacturer
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of mail order houses
in the country.
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In 1918,
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Aladdin's sales accounted for
2.37% of all the housing starts
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in the United States.
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So, think about that.
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2% of all the housing starts
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in the United States
were Aladdin homes.
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Very successful.
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At its peak year in 1926,
it sold 3,650 houses.
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Another company
that was instrumental
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in the startup
of these mail order houses
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was a company called
Gordon-Van Tine Company
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that was based
in Davenport, Iowa.
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And Gordon-Van Tine
was a millwork company,
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so it sold all the
decorative pieces for houses.
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Staircases, baseboards,
fireplaces, door surrounds,
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windows and doors,
all of that kind of stuff.
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And they began
selling this stuff
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through catalogs.
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And the success
of Gordon-Van Tine
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as a millwork company
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was that they would package
these components all together
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with a set of blueprints,
kind of like
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what Samuel Sloan was doing,
but all in house.
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And this eventually became
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a mail order house business
as well.
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And they publicized themselves
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through periodicals
and magazines.
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You can see these are--
The illustration on the top
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is from a magazine ad
for Aladdin Homes,
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selling one of their houses,
five-room home
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for the low, low price of $493.
[audience chuckles]
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So, many of these early houses
were very affordable houses
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that were targeted
at a working-class buyer.
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The image on the bottom
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is from the
Gordon-Van Tine company catalog,
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and one of the things
these companies would do
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to try to sell their houses
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was to offer testimonials
in the catalogs
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from people
who had already bought them.
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This one was a testimonial for
someone in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin,
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who bought a house and
built it at 550 Third Street.
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It took a little bit of finding,
because it changed--
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the house changed numbers,
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or the street changed numbers
and names both.
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So, it took a little digging
to find it,
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but this building
is still around yet.
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And he's bragging
about buying his plan number 116
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and made
very little change to it,
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though others made more.
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Sears and Roebuck followed
on the heels of these companies,
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though they were involved
in millwork business
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much earlier
than they were involved
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in the catalog house business.
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Sears was founded in 1886
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as a general merchandise
mail order business,
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and as you probably all know,
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they sold literally anything
you could imagine
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through the Sears
and Roebuck catalogs.
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They began selling
millwork and plans in 1895,
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and they were not all that
successful in that business.
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As a matter of fact,
they hired a new manager
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and told him to come in
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and shut down
the millwork business,
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because they were
losing money on it.
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But he convinced them
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to go into the mailer house
business instead.
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And was very successful
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to the point that Sears
eventually became
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the largest supplier in the
United States of catalog houses.
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And we're looking at here
an illustration of one
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of their millwork catalogs.
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They continued to publish
just millwork catalogs
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all through the period of time
that they produced houses,
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but they also had
house catalogs, too,
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and the one on the right
is a house catalog.
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This is one of their
earliest catalogs from 1908.
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Sadly, no records remain
of Sears home sales.
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The Sears company threw them
all out, like many companies do.
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And so, it makes it
really difficult to determine
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where did these houses go,
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how many were actually built,
all of that sort of thing.
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And it was also
complicated by the fact
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that Sears ran a
home construction division
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that would build any house
for you.
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You could go to the
Sears Home Construction office
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and bring in
a set of blueprints,
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and they would spec that out,
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out of their
millwork operation,
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and they would construct
that house,
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actually construct
that house for you.
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And they would also
work with you
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if you ordered a house
through the catalog.
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They'd make sure
that house was delivered,
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and they'd resolve whatever
issues you had with the house.
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This house has the lovely name
of Modern Home 122,
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and it's located
in Cochrane, Wisconsin.
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The first home catalog
of 1908 offered 22 models,
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00:13:01,615 --> 00:13:03,483
and the early plans
for their houses
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were all referred to by number.
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After the mid teens,
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00:13:07,988 --> 00:13:11,425
romantic and picturesque names
were given to these
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as part of the marketing schemes
for the houses,
248
00:13:14,161 --> 00:13:17,331
so they got fancy names
after a while.
249
00:13:17,397 --> 00:13:19,132
Sears also promoted their houses
250
00:13:19,199 --> 00:13:23,637
on the basis of cost, quality,
quick delivery.
251
00:13:23,704 --> 00:13:26,874
Mail order houses were
advertised in the Sears catalog,
252
00:13:26,940 --> 00:13:30,777
but they were also advertised
in popular publications
253
00:13:30,844 --> 00:13:34,982
of the time,
like House Beautiful magazine.
254
00:13:37,618 --> 00:13:40,287
One of the things
that made Sears very successful
255
00:13:40,354 --> 00:13:42,122
in the home business
256
00:13:42,189 --> 00:13:46,994
was Sears offered home financing
beginning in 1911
257
00:13:47,628 --> 00:13:50,097
at a time
where home mortgages were rare.
258
00:13:50,163 --> 00:13:52,733
Most people didn't
have mortgages on their houses
259
00:13:52,799 --> 00:13:55,769
until after
the Great Depression.
260
00:13:55,836 --> 00:13:57,571
And so, if you wanted
to build a house,
261
00:13:57,638 --> 00:14:01,775
banks didn't really borrow money
for people to build houses.
262
00:14:01,842 --> 00:14:03,377
If you wanted to build a house,
263
00:14:03,443 --> 00:14:05,712
you usually borrowed money
from your neighbors,
264
00:14:05,779 --> 00:14:09,149
or maybe the butcher down the
street would give you a loan.
265
00:14:09,216 --> 00:14:11,618
There was an informal
kind of loan network
266
00:14:11,685 --> 00:14:16,256
that arose for people
who wanted to build a house.
267
00:14:18,659 --> 00:14:21,995
So, Sears stepped
into a brand-new market
268
00:14:22,062 --> 00:14:24,598
with these home mortgages,
269
00:14:24,665 --> 00:14:28,836
and their payment plans
included cash payment
270
00:14:28,902 --> 00:14:32,439
as the building was being built
and easy payments over time.
271
00:14:32,506 --> 00:14:37,044
The payment plan was 2.5% down
and 1% a month.
272
00:14:37,110 --> 00:14:40,180
Mortgages could go
as long as 15 years.
273
00:14:40,247 --> 00:14:43,150
And at this time, most people's,
274
00:14:43,217 --> 00:14:45,185
if they could get financing
for their houses,
275
00:14:45,252 --> 00:14:46,954
it was only about
five-year mortgage.
276
00:14:47,020 --> 00:14:50,958
So, 15 years was
a long mortgage for the time.
277
00:14:51,024 --> 00:14:55,028
You could also include the cost
of the lot in your mortgage,
278
00:14:55,095 --> 00:14:57,631
which is also very interesting.
279
00:14:57,698 --> 00:15:00,601
So, I think this
had a great deal
280
00:15:00,667 --> 00:15:04,037
to do with the success
of the Sears Company
281
00:15:04,104 --> 00:15:06,240
in the boom years of the 1920s.
282
00:15:06,306 --> 00:15:08,976
But it ended up
hurting the company badly
283
00:15:09,042 --> 00:15:10,177
during the Depression,
284
00:15:10,244 --> 00:15:13,714
and we'll talk more
about that later.
285
00:15:15,148 --> 00:15:18,485
Sears houses reflected
popular tastes of the time
286
00:15:18,552 --> 00:15:20,487
with designs
that were often simple,
287
00:15:20,554 --> 00:15:23,190
austere, and slightly dated.
288
00:15:23,257 --> 00:15:26,860
The interesting thing about
looking at these catalogs
289
00:15:26,927 --> 00:15:28,262
is there are a lot of houses
290
00:15:28,328 --> 00:15:31,665
being offered in styles that
aren't really popular anymore.
291
00:15:31,732 --> 00:15:33,700
They're more conservative.
292
00:15:33,767 --> 00:15:37,638
And I think it was a matter
of knowing their market
293
00:15:37,704 --> 00:15:40,774
and knowing the people
who were buying these houses,
294
00:15:40,841 --> 00:15:43,844
they're a little afraid of doing
something too outlandish.
295
00:15:43,911 --> 00:15:45,846
They want to be a little
more conservative
296
00:15:45,913 --> 00:15:48,248
in their buying habits.
297
00:15:48,315 --> 00:15:52,486
So, this is a Sears model
called the Maytown.
298
00:15:52,553 --> 00:15:55,589
And up on the top,
you see two examples,
299
00:15:55,656 --> 00:15:59,226
one in Chilton, Wisconsin,
and one in Reedsburg.
300
00:15:59,293 --> 00:16:03,997
And they're basically
Queen Anne houses being built
301
00:16:04,064 --> 00:16:07,134
long after the Queen Anne
was no longer popular.
302
00:16:07,201 --> 00:16:10,637
This is about 10 years after,
or even 15 years
303
00:16:10,704 --> 00:16:13,774
after Queen Anne houses
were no longer considered
304
00:16:13,841 --> 00:16:17,177
to be modern architecture
anymore.
305
00:16:19,379 --> 00:16:24,651
And Sears also did testimonials
for their houses as well.
306
00:16:24,718 --> 00:16:29,156
The house on the top is a house
in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
307
00:16:29,223 --> 00:16:32,960
It was built by a man
named Mr. Kroger,
308
00:16:33,026 --> 00:16:36,230
and the one on the bottom
was built
309
00:16:36,296 --> 00:16:40,801
by someone named Jules Mommaert
from Green Bay, Wisconsin.
310
00:16:40,868 --> 00:16:44,071
And the challenge
that these companies had
311
00:16:44,137 --> 00:16:48,008
is to get people
to buy a house sight unseen.
312
00:16:48,075 --> 00:16:51,445
How many of you have ever
bought a house sight unseen?
313
00:16:51,512 --> 00:16:52,613
Anybody?
[audience chuckles]
314
00:16:52,679 --> 00:16:54,014
A couple have, excellent.
315
00:16:54,081 --> 00:16:56,149
Brave people, right?
316
00:16:56,216 --> 00:16:59,453
It didn't work out so well?
[laughs]
317
00:16:59,520 --> 00:17:02,956
Yeah, so, you know,
they've got to convince people
318
00:17:03,023 --> 00:17:06,193
to look at an illustration
in a catalog
319
00:17:06,260 --> 00:17:10,330
and jump from that to actually
buying a house from them.
320
00:17:10,397 --> 00:17:13,800
So, one of the ways to do that
was to offer testimonials
321
00:17:13,867 --> 00:17:16,336
from satisfied customers
322
00:17:17,204 --> 00:17:19,840
who gush about
what great houses they are,
323
00:17:19,907 --> 00:17:23,377
and how much people
should be willing
324
00:17:24,545 --> 00:17:27,548
to purchase one of their houses.
325
00:17:29,216 --> 00:17:31,018
This, what we're looking at
right here
326
00:17:31,084 --> 00:17:33,153
is the instruction manual
327
00:17:33,220 --> 00:17:35,556
for building
a Montgomery Ward's house.
328
00:17:35,622 --> 00:17:37,891
Montgomery Ward
also produced houses,
329
00:17:37,958 --> 00:17:40,427
not in the numbers
that Sears did,
330
00:17:40,494 --> 00:17:43,764
but they produced houses
here as well.
331
00:17:43,830 --> 00:17:45,832
And I was lucky enough
332
00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:50,337
to be able to buy
this erection manual on eBay
333
00:17:51,471 --> 00:17:52,873
about a decade or so.
334
00:17:52,940 --> 00:17:55,442
It's the only one
that I know exists.
335
00:17:55,509 --> 00:17:58,745
None of the Sears ones
have ever been discovered.
336
00:17:58,812 --> 00:18:01,048
And this is
the actual instructions
337
00:18:01,114 --> 00:18:06,186
that were given to the purchaser
of a pre-cut house
338
00:18:06,253 --> 00:18:09,289
to explain to them
how to put it together.
339
00:18:09,356 --> 00:18:11,024
And it begins
340
00:18:12,659 --> 00:18:17,130
with cautionary note after
cautionary note, [chuckles]
341
00:18:17,197 --> 00:18:21,935
which is repeated again
and again in the booklet.
342
00:18:22,002 --> 00:18:25,939
One of the things they tell you
is don't cut a board.
343
00:18:26,006 --> 00:18:27,441
Everything's pre-cut.
344
00:18:27,508 --> 00:18:29,309
So, if you cut a board,
345
00:18:29,376 --> 00:18:31,345
that board is supposed
to go somewhere else,
346
00:18:31,411 --> 00:18:33,680
and you're gonna be
in trouble if you do that.
347
00:18:33,747 --> 00:18:36,617
So, what they told you instead
348
00:18:36,683 --> 00:18:41,688
is stack the lumber in your yard
in a very specific order.
349
00:18:41,755 --> 00:18:44,458
And you can see
this illustration here
350
00:18:44,525 --> 00:18:47,294
is the correct method
for piling lumber.
351
00:18:47,361 --> 00:18:51,665
And they show you how to
how to stack all this lumber.
352
00:18:51,732 --> 00:18:53,300
So, as you're building
your house,
353
00:18:53,367 --> 00:18:55,135
you're starting
at the front of the pile,
354
00:18:55,202 --> 00:18:56,937
and you're moving
to the back of the pile.
355
00:18:57,004 --> 00:18:58,939
When you get to the end,
your house is done.
356
00:18:59,006 --> 00:19:00,607
[audience laughs]
357
00:19:00,674 --> 00:19:04,244
So, all of these
pre-cut houses did this,
358
00:19:04,311 --> 00:19:07,047
had these instructions
to help people,
359
00:19:07,114 --> 00:19:09,049
because many of the people
who built--
360
00:19:09,116 --> 00:19:11,785
who bought these houses
built them themselves.
361
00:19:11,852 --> 00:19:15,956
It was a "do it yourself kit"
kind of endeavor.
362
00:19:16,023 --> 00:19:19,359
Many people hired carpenters
to build them for them,
363
00:19:19,426 --> 00:19:22,429
but many people built their own.
364
00:19:22,963 --> 00:19:24,665
They also offered guarantees
365
00:19:24,731 --> 00:19:28,635
to convince people
to buy their houses,
366
00:19:28,702 --> 00:19:32,973
and all of the companies offered
guarantees of various kinds.
367
00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:35,843
Those of us that have been
around modern lumber
368
00:19:35,909 --> 00:19:37,377
would probably
be shocked to know
369
00:19:37,444 --> 00:19:41,548
that the Aladdin Home Company
offered you a dollar a knot
370
00:19:41,615 --> 00:19:43,217
for any knot, every knot
371
00:19:43,283 --> 00:19:47,154
that you found in the
finished materials of the house.
372
00:19:47,221 --> 00:19:48,655
So, think about that.
373
00:19:48,722 --> 00:19:52,292
We were looking
at a $493 house before.
374
00:19:53,227 --> 00:19:56,430
It was very,
very good quality materials.
375
00:19:56,496 --> 00:19:58,232
They sourced their materials,
376
00:19:58,298 --> 00:19:59,967
all these companies
sourced the materials
377
00:20:00,033 --> 00:20:01,668
from the finest
quality materials
378
00:20:01,735 --> 00:20:04,938
that were available,
because they had to sell you
379
00:20:05,005 --> 00:20:07,241
on these houses sight unseen.
380
00:20:07,307 --> 00:20:11,712
So, Sears houses used
southern yellow pine
381
00:20:11,778 --> 00:20:13,447
for the 2x4 material,
382
00:20:13,514 --> 00:20:15,682
the framing material
for the house.
383
00:20:15,749 --> 00:20:20,354
That-- If you're lucky enough
to own a Sears house today,
384
00:20:20,420 --> 00:20:22,990
if you want to drive
a nail into that stud,
385
00:20:23,056 --> 00:20:27,461
you have to drill a hole first,
because that wood is so dry
386
00:20:27,528 --> 00:20:31,765
and so hard that you
can't just pound a nail into it.
387
00:20:31,832 --> 00:20:34,101
All of the trim material
on the outside of the house
388
00:20:34,168 --> 00:20:37,905
was made out of cypress,
which is very rot resistant,
389
00:20:37,971 --> 00:20:40,541
so they went over and above.
390
00:20:41,475 --> 00:20:43,977
So, what did they guarantee
with these guarantees?
391
00:20:44,044 --> 00:20:46,880
Well, in the--
Sears guaranteed, first of all,
392
00:20:46,947 --> 00:20:49,850
lumber and millwork
are as represented.
393
00:20:49,917 --> 00:20:51,218
So, it's good quality.
394
00:20:51,285 --> 00:20:55,155
If they shipped you
a damaged piece of material,
395
00:20:55,222 --> 00:20:56,557
you could just write Sears,
396
00:20:56,623 --> 00:20:59,660
and they'd send you
a replacement for it.
397
00:20:59,726 --> 00:21:02,729
That it meets or exceeded
standard lumber grade,
398
00:21:02,796 --> 00:21:06,733
so better than average quality
lumber.
399
00:21:06,800 --> 00:21:07,901
Immediate shipment,
400
00:21:07,968 --> 00:21:09,870
so as soon
as you place your order,
401
00:21:09,937 --> 00:21:11,238
they ship your house to you.
402
00:21:11,305 --> 00:21:15,876
So, you better be ready
before you send that mail,
403
00:21:16,877 --> 00:21:18,545
that coupon in.
404
00:21:20,547 --> 00:21:23,550
You could return it
for a refund,
405
00:21:24,384 --> 00:21:26,820
not after you built it.
[audience laughs]
406
00:21:26,887 --> 00:21:31,358
but if you got the material,
if you got the material,
407
00:21:31,425 --> 00:21:34,361
and you didn't like
the quality of the material,
408
00:21:34,428 --> 00:21:37,030
they would give you
a full refund,
409
00:21:37,097 --> 00:21:41,535
and just ship it back to us,
and we'll take it back.
410
00:21:41,602 --> 00:21:43,570
And then, they stood
behind their materials
411
00:21:43,637 --> 00:21:48,609
and would replace anything
that was damaged as well.
412
00:21:48,675 --> 00:21:50,277
This is an advertiser.
413
00:21:50,344 --> 00:21:54,815
Well, it's a promotion
in one of their catalogs
414
00:21:54,882 --> 00:21:58,552
for how easy it is
to build a Sears house.
415
00:21:59,152 --> 00:22:02,689
And they'd run these
in the catalogs periodically
416
00:22:02,756 --> 00:22:07,027
to convince people,
yes, you too could build one.
417
00:22:07,094 --> 00:22:12,599
And you can see here that
this person built a Sears house.
418
00:22:12,666 --> 00:22:15,602
It was a carpenter
who built this,
419
00:22:15,669 --> 00:22:17,604
so someone who had
some experience,
420
00:22:17,671 --> 00:22:20,874
but built the entire house
in 583 hours,
421
00:22:20,941 --> 00:22:24,878
which is much faster
than conventional construction.
422
00:22:24,945 --> 00:22:28,715
Part of that is because of the
system of these pre-cut houses,
423
00:22:28,782 --> 00:22:31,952
every board
was already cut for you.
424
00:22:32,019 --> 00:22:36,523
Everything except the exterior
siding was already cut to size,
425
00:22:36,590 --> 00:22:40,727
so you could just pick up
board labeled A-110
426
00:22:42,629 --> 00:22:45,299
and find a board labeled C-83
427
00:22:48,335 --> 00:22:50,604
and nail the two of 'em
together
428
00:22:50,671 --> 00:22:54,074
and proceed on
through the instruction book
429
00:22:54,141 --> 00:22:57,477
until you had
your house completed.
430
00:22:57,945 --> 00:23:03,750
So, imagine you're a newlywed
like Spencer and Sylvia Nelson,
431
00:23:04,484 --> 00:23:06,253
and you wanna build
a new house
432
00:23:06,320 --> 00:23:07,955
to start your life together,
433
00:23:08,021 --> 00:23:12,025
but you happen to live
on Washington Island
434
00:23:12,793 --> 00:23:15,262
off the tip of Door County.
435
00:23:15,662 --> 00:23:19,266
How do you get a house
to Washington Island?
436
00:23:19,333 --> 00:23:21,468
Well, everything's got
to be shipped, right?
437
00:23:21,535 --> 00:23:25,005
They got to ship it all over
on a barge.
438
00:23:26,373 --> 00:23:28,809
Well, they decided that they
would build a Sears house
439
00:23:28,876 --> 00:23:30,577
for that very reason.
440
00:23:30,644 --> 00:23:33,313
So, they had a Sears house.
441
00:23:33,380 --> 00:23:37,184
They bought a kit called
the Sears Wilmore,
442
00:23:37,251 --> 00:23:40,420
and Spencer
hired a local carpenter
443
00:23:40,487 --> 00:23:42,623
to nail the house together,
and they built the house.
444
00:23:42,689 --> 00:23:44,224
And this is the one
that they built.
445
00:23:44,291 --> 00:23:48,762
That's actually a picture that
they sent to me of their house
446
00:23:48,829 --> 00:23:50,130
after it was constructed.
447
00:23:50,197 --> 00:23:54,301
And there's the catalog's
design for the Wilmore
448
00:23:54,368 --> 00:23:56,170
down on the bottom.
449
00:23:56,570 --> 00:24:00,574
Sears also offered
masonry houses as well.
450
00:24:01,141 --> 00:24:05,345
You could build a brick
or stone house from Sears.
451
00:24:05,412 --> 00:24:06,647
The way they did that
452
00:24:06,713 --> 00:24:10,450
is they just omitted
the exterior cladding material,
453
00:24:10,517 --> 00:24:12,219
and you bought that locally.
454
00:24:12,286 --> 00:24:16,690
So, you bought your brick
or your stone locally.
455
00:24:16,757 --> 00:24:20,894
And they even published
a specialty catalog
456
00:24:20,961 --> 00:24:24,464
of masonry houses
that could be built.
457
00:24:24,531 --> 00:24:28,135
So, this illustration
from the catalog here
458
00:24:28,202 --> 00:24:32,739
is of a design of theirs
called the Stratford.
459
00:24:32,806 --> 00:24:36,343
And up in the top left,
that's a house
460
00:24:36,410 --> 00:24:40,314
that was built in Baraboo
from a Sears kit.
461
00:24:40,914 --> 00:24:44,384
The one on the bottom left
is not too far from here.
462
00:24:44,451 --> 00:24:48,922
It's on Emerson Street,
just off of Park Street,
463
00:24:49,857 --> 00:24:53,293
and that house
is reputedly built from stone
464
00:24:53,360 --> 00:24:56,330
from the second
capitol building.
465
00:24:56,396 --> 00:24:59,633
But I haven't tried
to verify that.
466
00:25:00,834 --> 00:25:02,603
And that's a design
called the Crescent.
467
00:25:02,669 --> 00:25:06,540
We'll see more of the Crescent
as we go on.
468
00:25:06,607 --> 00:25:12,079
Sears offered over 470 different
house designs over time,
469
00:25:13,180 --> 00:25:14,281
and part of the reason
470
00:25:14,348 --> 00:25:18,485
why they were able to offer
so many designs
471
00:25:18,552 --> 00:25:23,457
is that they reused components
from one design to another.
472
00:25:23,524 --> 00:25:25,292
These are two houses.
473
00:25:25,359 --> 00:25:26,693
The one on the left-hand side
474
00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:29,997
is from Janesville,
called the Woodland,
475
00:25:30,063 --> 00:25:34,601
and the one on the right-hand
side is the Americus.
476
00:25:34,668 --> 00:25:37,671
And you can see that
they both use
477
00:25:38,071 --> 00:25:41,308
these very particular
porch posts
478
00:25:41,775 --> 00:25:47,447
that were a Sears designed,
specialty designed porch posts.
479
00:25:48,115 --> 00:25:51,251
So, when they were
assembling these kits,
480
00:25:51,318 --> 00:25:53,453
when you placed your order,
481
00:25:53,520 --> 00:25:55,956
they'd go through the
millwork warehouse,
482
00:25:56,023 --> 00:25:58,759
and they'd say, "Okay,
we need two of these windows.
483
00:25:58,825 --> 00:26:01,228
"We need four
of these porch posts.
484
00:26:01,295 --> 00:26:03,197
We need three of these doors."
485
00:26:03,263 --> 00:26:04,998
And they just go through
and fill the order
486
00:26:05,065 --> 00:26:06,233
from the kit of parts.
487
00:26:06,300 --> 00:26:08,669
And then, if somebody
ordered a different house,
488
00:26:08,735 --> 00:26:10,270
that packing list would change.
489
00:26:10,337 --> 00:26:12,172
It's kind of like
buying from Amazon,
490
00:26:12,239 --> 00:26:14,341
and they're packing it all
in one box.
491
00:26:14,408 --> 00:26:16,977
Kind of like the same thing.
492
00:26:17,778 --> 00:26:20,347
And so, over two dozen plans
493
00:26:22,850 --> 00:26:25,719
featured this particular
porch post.
494
00:26:25,786 --> 00:26:29,022
So, they had
over two dozen designs
495
00:26:29,456 --> 00:26:33,293
that used
that one particular element.
496
00:26:33,360 --> 00:26:36,063
Most house designs were
only offered for a few years
497
00:26:36,129 --> 00:26:39,933
before being replaced
by newer designs.
498
00:26:40,901 --> 00:26:45,339
But an exception are some
perennially popular designs
499
00:26:45,405 --> 00:26:46,907
like the Wesley,
500
00:26:46,974 --> 00:26:51,144
which debuted
in the Sears catalog in 1912
501
00:26:51,211 --> 00:26:53,347
and lasted until 1940.
502
00:26:53,680 --> 00:26:56,683
So, it was a very popular
design.
503
00:26:57,084 --> 00:26:59,286
And here are some Wesleys here.
504
00:26:59,353 --> 00:27:00,521
As we're looking at these,
505
00:27:00,587 --> 00:27:04,358
the one on the top left
is in Ripon, Wisconsin.
506
00:27:04,424 --> 00:27:09,730
The bottom left is one
that's also in Ripon, Wisconsin.
507
00:27:09,796 --> 00:27:13,200
They're actually just
a few blocks from each other,
508
00:27:13,267 --> 00:27:15,502
and the one on the bottom
right-hand side
509
00:27:15,569 --> 00:27:16,670
is here in Madison.
510
00:27:16,737 --> 00:27:19,173
It's on Baldwin Street
near Tenney Park.
511
00:27:19,239 --> 00:27:22,843
You can actually see it
from the park.
512
00:27:22,910 --> 00:27:26,580
But not all their houses
were ordinary designs.
513
00:27:26,647 --> 00:27:32,286
This is a Sears house that was
built in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin,
514
00:27:32,352 --> 00:27:36,490
and the catalog name
for this was the Osborn.
515
00:27:37,724 --> 00:27:40,527
And when my son was born--
this is a true story--
516
00:27:40,594 --> 00:27:43,730
When my son was born, my wife's
like, "What should we call him?"
517
00:27:43,797 --> 00:27:47,301
And I said, "How about
if we call him Osborn?"
518
00:27:47,367 --> 00:27:50,838
Which is the true story of
how he came to be called Nick.
519
00:27:50,904 --> 00:27:52,706
[audience laughs]
520
00:27:53,373 --> 00:27:55,042
[chuckles]
And...
521
00:27:56,243 --> 00:28:00,647
I'm gonna read you
something from the catalog text,
522
00:28:00,714 --> 00:28:03,183
the ad copy for the Osborn,
523
00:28:03,784 --> 00:28:07,087
'cause they promoted
these things by describing them
524
00:28:07,154 --> 00:28:09,389
in marketing language.
525
00:28:09,790 --> 00:28:11,391
"Bungalow authorities agree
526
00:28:11,458 --> 00:28:14,361
"that this type of architecture
has come to stay.
527
00:28:14,428 --> 00:28:16,396
"They claim that as years go by,
528
00:28:16,463 --> 00:28:18,632
"the bungalow will be
even more in demand
529
00:28:18,699 --> 00:28:20,367
"than at the present time.
530
00:28:20,434 --> 00:28:22,336
"And should one wish to sell,
531
00:28:22,402 --> 00:28:26,206
he will have little difficulty
in finding a buyer."
532
00:28:26,273 --> 00:28:27,941
Resale value.
533
00:28:28,775 --> 00:28:33,080
"While the Osborn is neither
extreme nor extravagant,
534
00:28:33,146 --> 00:28:35,616
"it has all the earmarks
of a cozy,
535
00:28:35,682 --> 00:28:39,152
well-planned,
and artistic house."
536
00:28:39,686 --> 00:28:43,123
And this was quite
a popular model for Sears.
537
00:28:43,190 --> 00:28:46,527
As somewhat odd
as this house looks,
538
00:28:47,494 --> 00:28:51,298
it has a very Japanese look
to the design.
539
00:28:52,232 --> 00:28:54,968
The way the roof kicks up
at the peak,
540
00:28:55,035 --> 00:28:56,703
at the tip of it,
541
00:28:57,337 --> 00:29:00,607
and the way the porch posts
are cross stacked
542
00:29:00,674 --> 00:29:05,212
are elements taken out
of Japanese architecture.
543
00:29:05,279 --> 00:29:09,383
And you can see these houses
all over Wisconsin.
544
00:29:09,449 --> 00:29:13,587
I've documented 15 of these
so far in Wisconsin,
545
00:29:13,654 --> 00:29:19,026
and I'm sure there are probably
more hiding out there as well.
546
00:29:19,092 --> 00:29:21,695
And Sears houses
came in all sizes
547
00:29:21,762 --> 00:29:24,565
for all different clientele.
548
00:29:25,165 --> 00:29:28,368
This is one of the smallest ones
that I ever discovered.
549
00:29:28,435 --> 00:29:32,573
I was actually stunned
when I came down the street
550
00:29:32,639 --> 00:29:37,377
to see that a house as small
as this has not been modernized.
551
00:29:37,444 --> 00:29:40,714
They, you know, they
changed the siding in the '40s,
552
00:29:40,781 --> 00:29:44,585
but other than that,
the house is completely intact.
553
00:29:44,651 --> 00:29:47,454
The design of this one
was called the Fairy.
554
00:29:47,521 --> 00:29:50,290
So, they produced these
very modest houses,
555
00:29:50,357 --> 00:29:52,893
just like
Aladdin Homes Company did.
556
00:29:52,960 --> 00:29:56,196
But they also supplied
more large,
557
00:29:57,097 --> 00:30:00,234
more pretentious houses
as well.
558
00:30:00,868 --> 00:30:05,672
The Fairy was a $993 house,
so it was a dollar cheaper
559
00:30:06,974 --> 00:30:08,809
than that Aladdin house
we were looking at.
560
00:30:08,876 --> 00:30:11,044
So, if you wanna save
some money,
561
00:30:11,111 --> 00:30:14,081
you might just wanna go
with that Sears house.
562
00:30:14,147 --> 00:30:17,217
This one was called
the Glen Falls.
563
00:30:17,284 --> 00:30:20,721
This particular house
is in Lake Geneva.
564
00:30:20,787 --> 00:30:23,257
You can see it's
a masonry example as well.
565
00:30:23,323 --> 00:30:27,227
So, this person bought their
brick from a local brickyard
566
00:30:27,294 --> 00:30:31,298
and built a rather
substantial-looking house
567
00:30:31,365 --> 00:30:35,602
that mixes some Tudor
and Colonial elements.
568
00:30:36,637 --> 00:30:40,741
The most popular houses
that Sears sold were bungalows.
569
00:30:40,807 --> 00:30:45,946
The bungalow was so celebrated
in the 19-teens and '20s
570
00:30:46,914 --> 00:30:50,684
that people wrote songs about
bungalows, believe it or not.
571
00:30:50,751 --> 00:30:54,087
And it was part
of the popular culture.
572
00:30:54,154 --> 00:30:57,057
The bungalow just became part
of the popular culture.
573
00:30:57,124 --> 00:31:00,093
But part of the reason for
the popularity of the bungalow
574
00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:03,230
is it was
a very efficient floor plan.
575
00:31:03,297 --> 00:31:07,434
It had very little
wasted space in the house.
576
00:31:09,136 --> 00:31:10,938
And the bungalows,
577
00:31:13,941 --> 00:31:16,410
there's a very common floor plan
to bungalows
578
00:31:16,476 --> 00:31:18,445
that most bungalows have.
579
00:31:18,512 --> 00:31:20,347
And if you've ever lived
in a bungalow,
580
00:31:20,414 --> 00:31:22,616
I'm probably gonna describe
your house floor plan
581
00:31:22,683 --> 00:31:25,285
if it was a one-story house.
582
00:31:25,352 --> 00:31:28,121
As you walk in,
there's the living room.
583
00:31:28,188 --> 00:31:30,490
Then behind it
is the dining room.
584
00:31:30,557 --> 00:31:32,192
Behind that is the kitchen.
585
00:31:32,259 --> 00:31:37,164
Then off to the side
is a bedroom, bathroom, bedroom.
586
00:31:37,231 --> 00:31:41,568
That's a standard
two-bedroom bungalow plan.
587
00:31:42,636 --> 00:31:46,106
And so, it was perfect
for plan books,
588
00:31:48,108 --> 00:31:51,211
because they were
trying to sell houses
589
00:31:51,278 --> 00:31:54,748
that used space
as efficiently as possible.
590
00:31:54,815 --> 00:31:57,451
The plan book companies
actually had people
591
00:31:57,518 --> 00:32:01,288
who were experts
that would vet every design
592
00:32:01,355 --> 00:32:04,424
that went into their plan books.
593
00:32:04,491 --> 00:32:07,494
Aladdin Homes had something
called the Gang of Seven,
594
00:32:07,561 --> 00:32:10,430
and the Gang of Seven
pored through every new plan
595
00:32:10,497 --> 00:32:12,900
and made sure
that it was the most efficient
596
00:32:12,966 --> 00:32:14,201
that they could make it.
597
00:32:14,268 --> 00:32:15,369
Why?
598
00:32:15,435 --> 00:32:16,770
Because it was--
They made more money.
599
00:32:16,837 --> 00:32:19,473
Their profits were higher
if it was more efficient.
600
00:32:19,540 --> 00:32:22,776
But also, they wanted
to produce houses
601
00:32:22,843 --> 00:32:26,747
that were excellent houses
for the money.
602
00:32:28,015 --> 00:32:30,250
Here's another bungalow
that Sears produced.
603
00:32:30,317 --> 00:32:31,919
This one was called
the Vallonia.
604
00:32:31,985 --> 00:32:35,622
I found quite a few Vallonias
in Wisconsin.
605
00:32:35,689 --> 00:32:39,359
This one was built in 1921
in Wauwatosa.
606
00:32:40,527 --> 00:32:45,799
Here's a couple examples
of a design called the Hazelton.
607
00:32:45,866 --> 00:32:47,301
Both of these are in Madison.
608
00:32:47,367 --> 00:32:52,506
One's on West Lawn, and the
other is at Mandan Crescent.
609
00:32:53,807 --> 00:32:57,277
But they also designed
in other styles as well.
610
00:32:57,344 --> 00:32:59,880
These period revival houses
were very popular
611
00:32:59,947 --> 00:33:01,748
after World War I.
612
00:33:01,815 --> 00:33:04,818
Returning servicemen
who had been in Europe
613
00:33:04,885 --> 00:33:08,188
had seen all of that
beautiful European architecture.
614
00:33:08,255 --> 00:33:11,325
And when they came back
and started their own families
615
00:33:11,391 --> 00:33:12,693
and built their houses,
616
00:33:12,759 --> 00:33:15,162
many of them built
period revival houses.
617
00:33:15,229 --> 00:33:18,932
And that's why we have such
a popularity of period revivals
618
00:33:18,999 --> 00:33:20,667
in the United States.
619
00:33:20,734 --> 00:33:25,172
It's because of these servicemen
who were coming back.
620
00:33:25,239 --> 00:33:26,907
So, this one was called
the Willard,
621
00:33:26,974 --> 00:33:31,211
and it was loosely based
on English cottages.
622
00:33:34,915 --> 00:33:39,419
This is a brick version of a
Tudor house called the Belmont.
623
00:33:39,486 --> 00:33:44,258
This one happens to be
in Madison, too, at Park Place,
624
00:33:44,324 --> 00:33:46,793
just off of Regent Street.
625
00:33:48,829 --> 00:33:53,634
And this is the colonial house
called the Crescent,
626
00:33:54,735 --> 00:33:57,237
and this is the
most popular design, I believe,
627
00:33:57,304 --> 00:33:59,139
in the Sears catalog.
628
00:33:59,206 --> 00:34:02,609
I've found 20 of these
so far in Wisconsin.
629
00:34:02,676 --> 00:34:05,646
I was just in Key West
for a couple of months,
630
00:34:05,712 --> 00:34:07,614
hence my fading tan,
631
00:34:08,415 --> 00:34:12,219
and I believe I saw
a Crescent in Key West.
632
00:34:13,587 --> 00:34:14,955
I took photos of it,
633
00:34:15,022 --> 00:34:17,324
but I haven't gone
to the catalogs yet
634
00:34:17,391 --> 00:34:19,059
to verify its design.
635
00:34:19,126 --> 00:34:21,295
And as we get on a little
farther, you'll understand
636
00:34:21,361 --> 00:34:25,832
that it may not be the
easiest thing to document,
637
00:34:26,366 --> 00:34:28,268
but these are examples.
638
00:34:28,335 --> 00:34:33,674
The one on the top left is on
Regent Street here in Madison.
639
00:34:34,708 --> 00:34:37,845
The one on the top right
is from Janesville,
640
00:34:37,911 --> 00:34:42,716
Sheboygan in the middle,
and at the bottom, East Bristol,
641
00:34:42,783 --> 00:34:44,918
so just up highway 151.
642
00:34:47,921 --> 00:34:49,590
This is a house in Wauwatosa.
643
00:34:49,656 --> 00:34:52,359
It's the only one
of this particular design
644
00:34:52,426 --> 00:34:54,061
that I've found in Wisconsin.
645
00:34:54,127 --> 00:34:58,732
It's got this very unusual
roof line with elements
646
00:34:58,799 --> 00:35:02,536
that are borrowed from
French provincial architecture
647
00:35:02,603 --> 00:35:08,408
and very, very uncommonly seen
on American architecture.
648
00:35:08,475 --> 00:35:11,178
And they mix this French
provincial design
649
00:35:11,245 --> 00:35:13,380
with a more familiar
kind of colonial design,
650
00:35:13,447 --> 00:35:19,219
with that side gabled roof and
the kind of flat front on it.
651
00:35:21,221 --> 00:35:22,322
This is the Alhambra.
652
00:35:22,389 --> 00:35:24,157
This is a Mission style one.
653
00:35:24,224 --> 00:35:27,661
I showed you a picture of this
in the very beginning.
654
00:35:27,728 --> 00:35:29,796
Not all that popular
in Wisconsin.
655
00:35:29,863 --> 00:35:31,198
And I think it's partly
656
00:35:31,265 --> 00:35:35,269
because people didn't really
build stucco houses in Wisconsin
657
00:35:35,335 --> 00:35:37,571
because of the climate.
658
00:35:39,907 --> 00:35:43,744
This is courtesy
of the Aladdin Homes Company.
659
00:35:43,810 --> 00:35:48,849
This is a picture that they
published in a catalog in 1950
660
00:35:48,916 --> 00:35:53,020
that showed how you loaded
the railroad boxcar
661
00:35:53,086 --> 00:35:54,688
full of materials,
662
00:35:54,755 --> 00:35:56,623
because that's
how your house came.
663
00:35:56,690 --> 00:35:58,525
It came by boxcar.
664
00:35:58,592 --> 00:36:03,230
A typical Sears house was
two boxcars full of material.
665
00:36:03,297 --> 00:36:06,600
So, you'd order
your house from Sears.
666
00:36:06,667 --> 00:36:09,069
You'd get a note back
from Sears telling you
667
00:36:09,136 --> 00:36:11,238
when you could expect
the shipment.
668
00:36:11,305 --> 00:36:14,508
The freight agent would call you
from the railroad depot
669
00:36:14,575 --> 00:36:16,443
and say, "Your cars are here.
670
00:36:16,510 --> 00:36:19,680
Please unload them as soon
as you can." [audience laughs]
671
00:36:19,746 --> 00:36:23,450
And you'd go with a horse team
and a wagon
672
00:36:23,517 --> 00:36:25,853
to the railroad station,
673
00:36:26,253 --> 00:36:30,824
and you would unload your
two boxcars full of material.
674
00:36:30,891 --> 00:36:35,329
The average Sears House kit
had 25 tons of materials
675
00:36:35,395 --> 00:36:37,898
with more than 30,000 parts.
676
00:36:37,965 --> 00:36:40,868
So, you know, think of it
in terms of a Lego set.
677
00:36:40,934 --> 00:36:44,271
It's like the biggest
Lego set ever.
678
00:36:45,606 --> 00:36:47,274
They provided--
679
00:36:48,375 --> 00:36:52,913
You could order plumbing,
electrical fixtures,
680
00:36:52,980 --> 00:36:57,651
heating systems as options
to add on to your order.
681
00:36:58,485 --> 00:37:01,188
You could even order
the paint to paint your house
682
00:37:01,255 --> 00:37:03,257
when you're finished.
683
00:37:03,323 --> 00:37:06,293
And for many people
who built these houses,
684
00:37:06,360 --> 00:37:08,962
this was the family's
first steps
685
00:37:09,029 --> 00:37:13,500
to modern home living
with modern HVAC systems,
686
00:37:14,501 --> 00:37:19,072
central air, indoor plumbing,
indoor bathrooms.
687
00:37:19,139 --> 00:37:23,043
So, this was sort of
a state-of-the-art house
688
00:37:23,110 --> 00:37:26,647
that could be delivered
to the most rural places
689
00:37:26,713 --> 00:37:28,682
in the United States.
690
00:37:29,983 --> 00:37:35,556
Sears started offering financing
plans beginning in 1912,
691
00:37:38,392 --> 00:37:43,497
and their sales peaked just
before the Depression in 1929.
692
00:37:43,564 --> 00:37:47,568
And while Sears financing
helped many homeowners
693
00:37:47,634 --> 00:37:49,703
to purchase their homes,
694
00:37:49,770 --> 00:37:52,639
many of those people
ended up defaulting
695
00:37:52,706 --> 00:37:54,675
during the Great Depression,
696
00:37:54,741 --> 00:37:57,978
and Sears was left
with a huge problem.
697
00:37:58,045 --> 00:38:03,617
They were forced to liquidate
$11 million in defaulted debt
698
00:38:04,518 --> 00:38:07,221
in the company, and Sears--
It actually threatened
699
00:38:07,287 --> 00:38:09,756
the viability of the whole
Sears company,
700
00:38:09,823 --> 00:38:13,260
because the losses
were so great.
701
00:38:13,327 --> 00:38:17,231
And it was also
a public relations disaster,
702
00:38:17,297 --> 00:38:22,569
because Sears had to foreclose
on their own customers.
703
00:38:22,636 --> 00:38:24,738
Those were people
who would otherwise
704
00:38:24,805 --> 00:38:28,008
be ordering things
through the Sears catalog,
705
00:38:28,075 --> 00:38:30,978
and they lost those people
as customers forever
706
00:38:31,044 --> 00:38:33,547
when they defaulted
on their loans
707
00:38:33,614 --> 00:38:36,450
and Sears foreclosed
on their houses.
708
00:38:36,517 --> 00:38:38,652
So, as a result of that,
709
00:38:40,220 --> 00:38:44,224
Sears stopped offering
mortgages by 1933.
710
00:38:44,758 --> 00:38:47,227
And if we know our history,
711
00:38:47,895 --> 00:38:50,564
the FHA, the Federal
Housing Administration,
712
00:38:50,631 --> 00:38:52,533
was founded in 1933,
713
00:38:54,635 --> 00:38:58,138
and they started
underwriting home mortgages.
714
00:38:58,205 --> 00:39:02,476
The federal government
started underwriting mortgages
715
00:39:02,543 --> 00:39:03,744
so that people would build,
716
00:39:03,810 --> 00:39:06,013
and we could build our way
out of the Depression,
717
00:39:06,079 --> 00:39:08,248
as they referred to it.
718
00:39:08,315 --> 00:39:09,983
And as a result of that,
719
00:39:10,050 --> 00:39:13,787
Sears just was
out of the market for those.
720
00:39:13,854 --> 00:39:17,324
And Sears continued
selling houses,
721
00:39:18,759 --> 00:39:23,430
and it issued the Modern Homes
catalog until 1942.
722
00:39:23,997 --> 00:39:27,167
And despite the fact
that their sales recovered
723
00:39:27,234 --> 00:39:30,037
after the end
of the Great Depression,
724
00:39:30,103 --> 00:39:34,174
by 1942, Sears just got out
of the business completely.
725
00:39:34,241 --> 00:39:37,377
And there are a lot of reasons
for why they got out of it.
726
00:39:37,444 --> 00:39:42,249
Competition from other companies
doing similar kinds of work,
727
00:39:42,316 --> 00:39:46,119
but also the beginning
of tract housing,
728
00:39:48,388 --> 00:39:49,756
companies like Levittown
729
00:39:49,823 --> 00:39:53,160
just building
entire communities,
730
00:39:53,794 --> 00:39:56,797
one building after another,
after another, after another.
731
00:39:56,864 --> 00:40:00,267
Even in Madison, there
were companies that were,
732
00:40:00,334 --> 00:40:04,404
after World War II,
that were building houses,
733
00:40:04,471 --> 00:40:07,207
like in Soelch's Subdivision,
734
00:40:07,274 --> 00:40:09,710
there was a company there
who built the houses,
735
00:40:09,776 --> 00:40:12,513
and they would start,
they'd dig a hole,
736
00:40:12,579 --> 00:40:15,115
and then they would,
when the hole was finished,
737
00:40:15,182 --> 00:40:17,317
they'd send
the foundation people in,
738
00:40:17,384 --> 00:40:22,122
and the people digging the hole
would dig the hole next door.
739
00:40:22,189 --> 00:40:24,791
And then, once the foundation
people had finished
740
00:40:24,858 --> 00:40:27,594
their foundation, the framers
would come and start framing.
741
00:40:27,661 --> 00:40:31,231
And they had specialties
in the construction trade
742
00:40:31,298 --> 00:40:33,734
that would just march from house
to house down the block,
743
00:40:33,800 --> 00:40:35,936
and they'd build them
one after another.
744
00:40:36,003 --> 00:40:38,405
And that kind of economy
of construction
745
00:40:38,472 --> 00:40:40,207
made houses more affordable.
746
00:40:40,274 --> 00:40:43,010
But it also meant
that what Sears was doing
747
00:40:43,076 --> 00:40:45,612
was not so unique anymore.
748
00:40:45,679 --> 00:40:47,347
So, in 1995,
749
00:40:50,417 --> 00:40:54,454
a guide was published
to Sears and Roebuck houses.
750
00:40:54,521 --> 00:40:56,590
This was the first attempt
to really try
751
00:40:56,657 --> 00:40:59,159
to document the history
of the company,
752
00:40:59,226 --> 00:41:03,230
and the authors went
to the Sears archives,
753
00:41:03,864 --> 00:41:08,101
and they reproduced
every house illustration
754
00:41:08,168 --> 00:41:10,170
that Sears still had.
755
00:41:10,704 --> 00:41:13,874
Sears was actually missing
a couple of catalogs,
756
00:41:13,941 --> 00:41:16,376
and so they didn't have
the complete picture,
757
00:41:16,443 --> 00:41:19,980
but they had the vast majority
of the Sears designs.
758
00:41:20,047 --> 00:41:22,182
And then they organized them all
in a way
759
00:41:22,249 --> 00:41:23,784
that you could use
out in the field.
760
00:41:23,851 --> 00:41:25,185
You could-- They organized them
761
00:41:25,252 --> 00:41:27,588
by the overall shape
of the house.
762
00:41:27,654 --> 00:41:31,191
So, if it was a side-gabled
house where the gable,
763
00:41:31,258 --> 00:41:33,460
the ridge of the roof
parallels the street,
764
00:41:33,527 --> 00:41:37,030
you could look in that section
at the one-story examples
765
00:41:37,097 --> 00:41:40,567
or the two-story examples,
and you could find these houses.
766
00:41:40,634 --> 00:41:42,169
And that's
how I found the Alhambra
767
00:41:42,236 --> 00:41:45,639
that I showed you
in the first image.
768
00:41:45,706 --> 00:41:46,807
I looked it up.
769
00:41:46,874 --> 00:41:47,975
I bought the book.
770
00:41:48,041 --> 00:41:49,142
I looked it up.
771
00:41:49,209 --> 00:41:51,211
I said, "Oh,
it's called the Alhambra."
772
00:41:51,278 --> 00:41:52,613
The other one, not so much.
773
00:41:52,679 --> 00:41:56,283
Forty-two years later,
I finally found it.
774
00:41:56,350 --> 00:41:57,885
So, it made it possible
775
00:41:57,951 --> 00:42:00,387
for people to be able
to find these houses.
776
00:42:00,454 --> 00:42:04,925
And it became
a kind of "do it yourself" hobby
777
00:42:04,992 --> 00:42:06,660
for people to--
778
00:42:07,194 --> 00:42:10,764
like me to go around
and look for these.
779
00:42:11,265 --> 00:42:13,267
One of the beauties of my job
780
00:42:13,333 --> 00:42:15,769
working for the Wisconsin
Historical Society
781
00:42:15,836 --> 00:42:19,039
is I traveled the state
of Wisconsin extensively.
782
00:42:19,106 --> 00:42:22,176
I drove about
30,000 miles a year
783
00:42:22,242 --> 00:42:24,211
within the borders of Wisconsin.
784
00:42:24,278 --> 00:42:26,580
So, there's no town
I haven't been to.
785
00:42:26,647 --> 00:42:29,683
Many of these places I had to go
to meet with someone,
786
00:42:29,750 --> 00:42:31,652
and I'd go about a half an hour,
787
00:42:31,718 --> 00:42:34,054
an hour early just
to make sure I got there in time
788
00:42:34,121 --> 00:42:36,456
for the meeting
in case something happened.
789
00:42:36,523 --> 00:42:38,458
And I'd have a little
spare time on my hands.
790
00:42:38,525 --> 00:42:40,060
So, I'd drive up
and down the street
791
00:42:40,127 --> 00:42:41,862
and look for Sears houses.
[audience laughs]
792
00:42:41,929 --> 00:42:45,432
And so, this one here
I found actually,
793
00:42:45,499 --> 00:42:47,868
I had a conference
in Lake Geneva,
794
00:42:47,935 --> 00:42:49,670
and I was driving
down the street
795
00:42:49,736 --> 00:42:52,506
and found a whole neighborhood
of Sears and Roebuck houses
796
00:42:52,573 --> 00:42:57,845
in Lake Geneva, including
this house called the Ardara.
797
00:42:57,911 --> 00:43:01,815
And one of the things that makes
these houses stick out
798
00:43:01,882 --> 00:43:06,453
is Sears sold these houses
based on that picture.
799
00:43:07,588 --> 00:43:09,590
So, that's all you got
was a floor plan
800
00:43:09,656 --> 00:43:12,860
and that picture, and you made
the decision to buy a house.
801
00:43:12,926 --> 00:43:15,596
So, they load up the front
of the house
802
00:43:15,662 --> 00:43:17,097
with all sorts of details,
803
00:43:17,164 --> 00:43:20,234
even if it's a--
This is a very modest house,
804
00:43:20,300 --> 00:43:23,203
and it's got this
very substantial
805
00:43:23,270 --> 00:43:26,607
and very eye-catching
front porch,
806
00:43:27,741 --> 00:43:30,043
because they're illustrating
in the catalog,
807
00:43:30,110 --> 00:43:33,013
and they need something
to draw your eye.
808
00:43:33,080 --> 00:43:35,349
So, when I'm driving
down the street,
809
00:43:35,415 --> 00:43:37,618
and I'm looking
for these houses,
810
00:43:37,684 --> 00:43:39,620
one of the things
I look for are just houses
811
00:43:39,686 --> 00:43:42,222
that stand out
in the neighborhood.
812
00:43:42,289 --> 00:43:43,457
They look different.
813
00:43:43,524 --> 00:43:46,193
They look more architecture
814
00:43:47,494 --> 00:43:50,964
than a similar house
of the same size.
815
00:43:52,266 --> 00:43:55,302
This is one I found
in Pepin, Wisconsin,
816
00:43:55,369 --> 00:43:58,572
and you can see it has
this elaborate stick work
817
00:43:58,639 --> 00:44:00,407
on the front gable of it.
818
00:44:00,474 --> 00:44:03,477
Also has those
very distinctive porch posts
819
00:44:03,544 --> 00:44:05,846
that we've seen before.
820
00:44:05,913 --> 00:44:07,047
And the gable brace,
821
00:44:07,114 --> 00:44:09,316
the thing right up
at the peak of the roof,
822
00:44:09,383 --> 00:44:11,752
that little wooden trim piece,
is something
823
00:44:11,818 --> 00:44:13,954
that a lot
of these catalog houses
824
00:44:14,021 --> 00:44:16,089
included in their designs too.
825
00:44:16,156 --> 00:44:17,858
So, when I see
a gable brace too,
826
00:44:17,925 --> 00:44:19,459
I stop and take a look at it
827
00:44:19,526 --> 00:44:23,530
and see if it might be
one of these houses.
828
00:44:23,597 --> 00:44:26,233
So, there's a kit of parts
that you can get used to
829
00:44:26,300 --> 00:44:28,735
if you look
at these things enough.
830
00:44:28,802 --> 00:44:30,838
We've seen these porch posts.
831
00:44:30,904 --> 00:44:32,439
These brackets under the roof
832
00:44:32,506 --> 00:44:35,542
are a very typical
Sears bracket.
833
00:44:35,609 --> 00:44:38,111
That's called
a knee brace bracket.
834
00:44:38,178 --> 00:44:40,414
But what makes it unusual
for Sears
835
00:44:40,480 --> 00:44:44,484
is you have that diagonal brace
that comes down,
836
00:44:44,551 --> 00:44:46,220
and then there's this piece
that comes down
837
00:44:46,286 --> 00:44:50,958
and intersects it in
between the two diagonal braces.
838
00:44:51,024 --> 00:44:53,594
That's a Sears house trait.
839
00:44:54,628 --> 00:44:56,496
I've actually seen 'em
in a couple houses
840
00:44:56,563 --> 00:44:58,298
that are not Sears houses.
841
00:44:58,365 --> 00:45:01,168
They may have been built
by the homes division possibly,
842
00:45:01,235 --> 00:45:03,403
or somebody else
may have just copied it.
843
00:45:03,470 --> 00:45:05,839
But it's a good--
When I see one of those,
844
00:45:05,906 --> 00:45:07,708
the brakes go on,
and I pull over
845
00:45:07,774 --> 00:45:10,210
and take a good, serious look.
[audience chuckles]
846
00:45:10,277 --> 00:45:12,079
So, you can see
all three of these designs
847
00:45:12,145 --> 00:45:14,548
use that single
knee brace bracket.
848
00:45:14,615 --> 00:45:17,885
And the one on the top right
also uses that gable brace
849
00:45:17,951 --> 00:45:20,187
that we've seen before.
850
00:45:21,188 --> 00:45:24,157
This is one
we saw the detail of.
851
00:45:24,224 --> 00:45:27,327
This one happens to be
in Tomahawk, Wisconsin.
852
00:45:27,394 --> 00:45:30,531
And the person
who owns this house
853
00:45:30,597 --> 00:45:33,734
found the shipping label
from Sears
854
00:45:33,800 --> 00:45:35,969
tacked onto a piece of lumber.
855
00:45:36,036 --> 00:45:39,573
So, when they bundled it all up,
they put that note on there
856
00:45:39,640 --> 00:45:42,809
so they know where knew
where the package was going.
857
00:45:42,876 --> 00:45:44,711
And they never took it
off the board
858
00:45:44,778 --> 00:45:47,014
when they put the board
on the house.
859
00:45:47,080 --> 00:45:48,415
Why would you, right?
860
00:45:48,482 --> 00:45:50,584
It's just gonna get
covered over.
861
00:45:50,651 --> 00:45:52,686
But the cautionary tale for that
862
00:45:52,753 --> 00:45:56,690
is Sears also sold millwork
during this period.
863
00:45:56,757 --> 00:45:59,159
A good friend of mine
that I grew up with,
864
00:45:59,226 --> 00:46:03,764
he took over his parents' house
after his mother died,
865
00:46:03,830 --> 00:46:05,866
and he gutted the house out
866
00:46:05,933 --> 00:46:09,570
and found a Sears
packing label on the lumber.
867
00:46:09,636 --> 00:46:12,840
And he said,
"Jim, do I have a Sears house?"
868
00:46:12,906 --> 00:46:15,242
[audience chuckles]
He did not.
869
00:46:15,309 --> 00:46:19,379
He just had millwork that Sears
sold for that particular house.
870
00:46:19,446 --> 00:46:22,182
So, it can be
a little bit confusing
871
00:46:22,249 --> 00:46:24,585
to track these things down.
872
00:46:24,651 --> 00:46:27,221
And making it
even more confusing,
873
00:46:27,287 --> 00:46:31,592
companies copied the work
of other companies.
874
00:46:31,658 --> 00:46:34,561
So, the design we see
in the top left
875
00:46:34,628 --> 00:46:36,230
is the Crescent by Sears.
876
00:46:36,296 --> 00:46:38,665
That's their most popular model.
877
00:46:38,732 --> 00:46:41,068
So, they were selling
a lot of Crescents,
878
00:46:41,134 --> 00:46:44,037
and other companies noticed they
were selling a lot Crescents.
879
00:46:44,104 --> 00:46:46,240
So, they made their
own Crescents too.
880
00:46:46,306 --> 00:46:48,609
They just didn't call 'em
Crescents anymore.
881
00:46:48,675 --> 00:46:50,911
So, the Standards Home Company
had a design
882
00:46:50,978 --> 00:46:52,679
they called the Cornell.
883
00:46:52,746 --> 00:46:58,652
C.L. Boaz company had a design
that they called Number 1-20-32.
884
00:47:00,254 --> 00:47:02,222
Very evocative name.
885
00:47:04,691 --> 00:47:09,530
The Gordon-Van Tine Company
and Montgomery Ward's Company
886
00:47:09,596 --> 00:47:12,199
also produced their own designs.
887
00:47:12,266 --> 00:47:15,269
And this is actually
the same house,
888
00:47:15,335 --> 00:47:19,306
'cause the houses were produced
by Gordon-Van Tine Company
889
00:47:19,373 --> 00:47:23,544
and sold by Montgomery Ward's
and Gordon-Van Tine.
890
00:47:23,610 --> 00:47:27,748
So, you could buy this house
from both of those suppliers,
891
00:47:27,814 --> 00:47:30,651
which makes it really
very difficult
892
00:47:30,717 --> 00:47:33,987
if you're trying to determine
whether this house
893
00:47:34,054 --> 00:47:37,658
that you see on the street was
designed-- was actually bought
894
00:47:37,724 --> 00:47:41,862
from Gordon-Van Tine
or Montgomery Ward's.
895
00:47:44,131 --> 00:47:45,566
After World War II,
896
00:47:45,632 --> 00:47:48,335
there were some dramatic social
and economic changes
897
00:47:48,402 --> 00:47:50,904
that meant that
pattern book houses
898
00:47:50,971 --> 00:47:56,009
and their mail order offsprings
became a thing of the past.
899
00:47:56,076 --> 00:47:58,545
Over three decades of operation,
900
00:47:58,612 --> 00:48:02,683
Sears and Roebuck claimed to
have sold over 100,000 houses.
901
00:48:02,749 --> 00:48:07,187
And this is a chart that someone
else put together of the major,
902
00:48:07,254 --> 00:48:09,923
the largest manufacturers
of these houses
903
00:48:09,990 --> 00:48:12,292
and their periods of operation.
904
00:48:12,359 --> 00:48:15,095
And I think you can see
something very notable
905
00:48:15,162 --> 00:48:17,164
when you look at this.
906
00:48:17,631 --> 00:48:21,068
Two of the companies
went out with the Depression.
907
00:48:21,134 --> 00:48:22,936
They ended in 1931.
908
00:48:23,403 --> 00:48:27,641
1931 was actually the bottom
of the Depression.
909
00:48:27,708 --> 00:48:29,843
That was when it was the worst.
910
00:48:29,910 --> 00:48:32,779
So, they just didn't make it
out of the Depression.
911
00:48:32,846 --> 00:48:35,782
You can see a number
of other ones, including Sears,
912
00:48:35,849 --> 00:48:38,986
didn't make it
after World War II.
913
00:48:39,419 --> 00:48:41,355
They produced all the way up
to World War II,
914
00:48:41,421 --> 00:48:42,990
and when the World War II ended,
915
00:48:43,056 --> 00:48:45,592
they stopped producing houses
as well.
916
00:48:45,659 --> 00:48:48,762
And then, a couple of them
continued onwards.
917
00:48:48,829 --> 00:48:51,565
The Aladdin Homes Company
was the longest lived
918
00:48:51,632 --> 00:48:53,300
of these companies,
919
00:48:53,367 --> 00:48:58,405
going from 1906 until the 1980s
before they closed down.
920
00:49:01,141 --> 00:49:02,643
So, what can we learn from this?
921
00:49:02,709 --> 00:49:06,713
How did Sears influence
American housing?
922
00:49:08,015 --> 00:49:09,950
There were a number
of different consequences.
923
00:49:10,017 --> 00:49:12,886
The nationalization
of architectural tastes.
924
00:49:12,953 --> 00:49:16,390
There were catalogs
that promoted these designs
925
00:49:16,456 --> 00:49:17,791
from Sears and other companies
926
00:49:17,858 --> 00:49:21,762
that went to millions of people
all across the country.
927
00:49:21,828 --> 00:49:25,365
And the popularity
of new designs like the bungalow
928
00:49:25,432 --> 00:49:26,800
or the ranch house,
929
00:49:26,867 --> 00:49:30,504
they're very strongly driven
by these companies
930
00:49:30,571 --> 00:49:32,906
including them
in their plan books.
931
00:49:32,973 --> 00:49:34,708
Standardization of floor plans.
932
00:49:34,775 --> 00:49:38,011
We talked about the bungalow
and the living room,
933
00:49:38,078 --> 00:49:40,981
dining room, kitchen, bedroom,
bathroom, bedroom arrangement.
934
00:49:41,048 --> 00:49:44,952
That kind of thing goes beyond
the catalogs of Sears,
935
00:49:45,018 --> 00:49:46,820
into the builders' vocabulary.
936
00:49:46,887 --> 00:49:49,089
And many of you
live in bungalows.
937
00:49:49,156 --> 00:49:50,691
They may not have been built
by Sears,
938
00:49:50,757 --> 00:49:54,661
but, boy,
that plan just went everywhere.
939
00:49:55,329 --> 00:49:58,799
Standardization of fabrication.
940
00:49:58,866 --> 00:50:01,068
One of the things
that these companies did
941
00:50:01,134 --> 00:50:05,305
is they elevated the quality
of construction.
942
00:50:05,372 --> 00:50:07,908
Especially during the 1920s
and the boom years,
943
00:50:07,975 --> 00:50:12,145
there was a term they used
at that time called jerry-built.
944
00:50:12,212 --> 00:50:14,414
If you had a jerry-built house,
945
00:50:14,481 --> 00:50:17,451
it meant your house was built
to a lower standard.
946
00:50:17,518 --> 00:50:20,554
Like, for example, they may not
have doubled up the 2x4s
947
00:50:20,621 --> 00:50:23,023
over your window and door,
948
00:50:23,090 --> 00:50:24,992
the heads of your windows
and doors
949
00:50:25,058 --> 00:50:26,894
so that eventually, over time,
950
00:50:26,960 --> 00:50:31,398
that would sag down and pinch
your door or pinch your window.
951
00:50:31,465 --> 00:50:33,700
So, good construction.
952
00:50:34,935 --> 00:50:39,940
They democratized good design
and good construction
953
00:50:40,607 --> 00:50:45,412
so that the person who bought
a $493 house from Sears
954
00:50:46,680 --> 00:50:49,149
bought a house
that was architect designed.
955
00:50:49,216 --> 00:50:52,219
It had been vetted through
architects, engineers,
956
00:50:52,286 --> 00:50:57,624
home economics experts,
through a whole cadre of people.
957
00:50:59,793 --> 00:51:03,263
It expanded the range
of housing choices.
958
00:51:03,330 --> 00:51:04,598
So, all of a sudden,
959
00:51:04,665 --> 00:51:08,402
houses that you could not
get built locally for any money,
960
00:51:08,468 --> 00:51:12,406
you could order out of a catalog
and get.
961
00:51:12,472 --> 00:51:15,475
They anticipated
the standardization
962
00:51:15,542 --> 00:51:16,643
of home mortgages.
963
00:51:16,710 --> 00:51:18,545
The home mortgage
as we know it today
964
00:51:18,612 --> 00:51:21,448
was really pioneered
by these companies
965
00:51:21,515 --> 00:51:23,884
and then became standard
966
00:51:23,951 --> 00:51:28,322
by the time
that the Great Depression came.
967
00:51:28,388 --> 00:51:32,659
And they also created a "do it
yourself" home building culture,
968
00:51:32,726 --> 00:51:36,330
where people who had
not necessarily a lot of skill
969
00:51:36,396 --> 00:51:40,267
but some wherewithal
could build their house.
970
00:51:40,334 --> 00:51:42,970
One of the companies said,
"If you can drive a nail,
971
00:51:43,036 --> 00:51:44,805
you can build our house."
972
00:51:44,872 --> 00:51:46,607
You didn't even
have to have a saw, right?
973
00:51:46,673 --> 00:51:50,744
Not until you got around
to the clapboard.
974
00:51:50,811 --> 00:51:54,715
So, there were a lot of
influences that continued onward
975
00:51:54,781 --> 00:51:58,218
that are part
of the housing industry today
976
00:51:58,285 --> 00:52:03,524
that were pioneered by companies
like Sears and its ilk.
977
00:52:04,725 --> 00:52:07,661
And that's all I have.
[audience laughs]
978
00:52:07,728 --> 00:52:09,696
[audience applauds]