In 1908, in the midst of the mail-order catalog era, Sears, Roebuck and Company issued the first “Book of Modern Homes and Building Plans” in an effort to increase its sales of building materials — and many Lakelanders placed their orders.
The first catalog listed 44 different styles of homes ranging in sizes, options, and costs that readers could purchase. By 1916, these catalog homes came with every material that was needed to build the house, all the way down to pre-cut lumber, windows + paint. There was even a style called “The Lakeland” offered from 1911 to 1922.
Once a family chose the home style they wanted, all they had to do was mail a check to Sears and Roebuck — which even had financing options available — and a few weeks later, the parts would arrive by train. The financing application didn’t ask demographic questions about ethnicity or gender, which gave home ownership options to those who faced discrimination locally.
Because the company ordered the building materials in such high volume, it was able to keep prices low while providing high-end finishes like oak flooring. In 1913, “The Lakeland” home would have cost up to $3,972. That’s around $127,000 in today’s money — less than half of the current average home price in Lakeland.
The last catalogs were sent in 1940, and some 75,000 Sears and Roebuck kit homes were built over those 32 years. Historic Lakeland Inc. says there are several Sears homes in the area, but the team behind a private national database doesn’t have any listed within Lakeland. Could yours be the first?
Identifying a Sears Modern Home can be difficult, especially since the company lost the majority of its records on the homes. However, there are a few tricks to identify one — look out for stamped lumber, shipping labels + unique column arrangements, and drop us a line if you find you’re living in one.
Could this be one of Lakeland’s first recorded Sears homes?
Photo by @hunter_blaise2000
Readers weigh in
Get us our own HGTV show, because we’re professional house hunters. It turns out we may have a few readers + followers living in Sears Modern Homes after several reached out with stories of their own houses.
- @hunter_blaise2000 shared photos of a 1926 bungalow that’s believed to be from a catalog, saying, “My husband and I live in one, we had no idea until a contractor told us.”
- A 1927 home in the Cumberland neighborhood resembles the Elsmore kit according to Reader Sandra J., so it could be another addition to the list.
- On Instagram, @trinrouv said the layout of the quadplex at 901 Pennsylvania Ave. looks very similar to the “Lakeland” style home kit.
- Sears, Roebuck & Co. wasn’t the only company in the home kit biz in the 20th century. @bunnyinglasses said they think their 1925 home may be Style 300 from The Aladdin Company’s 1912 catalog.
