Remember Sears Mail Order Homes?????

Today I attended the 9th annual Boulder County Historic Preservation Forum. We met in the historic mining community of Louisville's City Hall with members of preservation boards, historical societies and committees from across Boulder County to discuss last year's successes and challenges. Last fall the City of Louisville successfully voted in a new Historic Preservation Tax . . . . of about 1/8 of 1 percent of the sales tax that will provide much needed funds for the next several years to help in the preservation of some of the important historic buildings in Louisville's downtown area.

Probably the highlight of the morning was a fascinating, well researched presentation on "Homes by Sears" . . . Louisville's Mail Order Legacy. Heather Lewis, architect and principal of Animal Arts -- Gates . Hafen . Cochrane in Boulder, told us that researching the Sears Catalogue homes had become a passion. She is also member of Louisville's Historic Preservation Commission.

Sears Mail Order Homes were sold throughout the country from 1908 to 1940. She has found nine of these homes in Louisville, and asked for anyone knowing of other Sears Mail Order Homes in the area to let her know as she is actively gathering all the information she can.

She talked about the fine quality of these homes. Sears was a corporation that bent over backwards to satisfy its customers and provide the best quality. The Sears "Kit Houses" for this community came at the right time . . . with its location near a railroad and with citizens of modest income. Sears Book of Modern Homes and Building Plans provided people with plans and all of the necessary supplies to build the home of their dreams, and then packaged the entire "kit" and sent it by railroad to them. She also pointed out that the beginning of the demise of the Sears Kit Homes was when Sears decided to also go into the mortgage business . . . .

Do you know if there any still existing Sears Mail Order Homes in your community???