Architecture of the the DC suburbs – DC Real Estate and House History

A Regal Affair In Takoma Park, The “Americus” Way In Rockville

May 8, 2014January 31, 2018 Catarina Bannier Kit Houses Architecture of the the DC suburbs, Kit Houses in Washington DC, Sears Catalog Houses. Kit Houses for sale in DC, Walk to Metro

After the recent long stretch without notable historic kit houses hitting our market area, there were a bunch in recent weeks that caught our eyes. The first one here was not a Sears product: It’s a 1925 “Regal” by the Lewis Manufacturing Company of Bay City, MI. (There’s only one other “Regal” we’re aware of, and that one can be found in Chevy Chase, DC.) Lewis had a large local sales office in DC in the early and mid-1920s and sold many of their kits to developers. The new owners would never know!

This “Regal” is right in the Takoma Park MD “downtown” area and — after just a week — already under contract. It was completely renovated, and while not so much in reverence to every kit house detail (judging from old pictures, much of those might have been lost before the contractor took over), so still respectfully and beautifully. One of the upstairs bedrooms gave way to a second full bath.

You can see the 1922 catalog page here. (For the full pdf, click on the link on the page that opens.)

A couple of other kit houses are on the market in neighborhoods that are a little further from our base:

A 1925 Sears “Conway” is on the market in Cheverly. At $440,000 and less than 2 miles from the District line, this is another nice renovation, if not a restoration, that saves one of the historic kit houses. (Photos and virtual tour courtesy of MRIS.) In the front part of the house, it retains many of the original detail, while the moderate addition adds a bright family room and some space. A lovely contrast to the more soul-less Conway addition we recently saw in Glen Echo.

In downtown Rockville, another, somewhat bigger Sears house came on the market a couple of weeks ago, a 1924 “Americus” in walking distance to the Town Center and Metro station. It’s also been expanded, though not recently, and has a fabulous backyard,. At $679,900, however, in need of some work all over and with only the one original bath, it seems priced more for the potential. You can see some pictures here. (Photos courtesy of MRIS.)

For those of you who are interested, I will post 1920s catalog images for these two houses in the next couple of days, but for now, just let us know if you want to find out more (or even see one of them).

Where The Phone Went

March 31, 2014January 31, 2018 Catarina Bannier Kit Houses Architecture of the the DC suburbs, DC house history, Kit Houses in Washington DC, Sears Catalog Houses. Kit Houses for sale in DC

The Sears “Barrington” was not a very rare or unusual model. In fact, the style was so popular in the late 1920s that several other companies, including Montgomery Wards, offered similar-looking mail-order houses. This 1930 Sears “Barrington,” however, is just like we want to see them. We have so often complained about renovations that strip those dear old homes of their charm and character, add generic additions, or “modernize” in a way that violates the style of the house.

This house, however, which just hit the market (listed with our very own office for $1,049,000 ) is an absolutely beautiful example of how it can be done right. While there is a two-story addition in the back, it’s not out of proportion to the rest of the home. The whole design was inspired by the original part of the house, even the new window moldings are crafted to match the old ones in the front.

Just as nice is the fact that much of the historic Sears mail-order detail was preserved, even some quirky things that have long disappeared from our lifestyle. Take the built-in phone booth in the entry hall, for instance. According to the 1930 Sears catalog, it was supposed to “solve the problem” of “where will we place our phone?” That probably won’t be necessary for 2014 cordless handsets, but a great touch to respect it as part of the home’s integrity.

A similarly authentic piece is the corner cabinet in the dining room that came shipped with the houses neatly packed 1,000s of pieces as well. The catalog image (below) even shows the same lead glass panes.

Kitchen and baths are new, but they, too, work with the essence of the style. It certainly can be done, but it’s not usually what we get to see! And some changes to the layout might actually be practical improvements, like an arched break-through from the hall to the kitchen. Beats carrying groceries through the living room, at least in my book.

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The main stairs still sport the unique Sears-invented plinth blocks for the lay builder. There’s no doubt about the authenticity of this one!

You can see a Virtual Tour of the whole house here. And as always, if you’d like to see this historic kit house in person, just let us know and we’ll get you in!

These plinth blocks were a unique feature only found in Sears homes. They made it easier for the amateur builder to join different kinds of molding.

Do you think you live in a kit house? We’d love to hear about it:

Do you know when the house was built?

Do you already have an idea which kit house company it might have come from or which model it might be?

Could you send us pictures? Or if you live in the DC area, would you like us to take some?

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Downtown Bethesda – Construction Progress

January 23, 2014January 31, 2018 Marcie Sandalow Community Architecture of the the DC suburbs, Downtown Bethesda, Lots 29 & 31 Bethesda, Photo of the Week

Making Progress… Lots 29 & 31 in downtown Bethesda continue to “grow”. This is the view as of mid-January 2014. To see how it looked in October, click here.

Sears From The Palisades To Silver Spring — A Couple Of Neat New Kit House Listings

September 16, 2012January 31, 2018 Catarina Bannier Kit Houses affordable houses in the washington dc area, Architecture of the the DC suburbs, kit house neighborhoods in dc, Kit Houses in Washington DC, Sears Catalog Houses, Washington DC Sears houses for sale

Sears Lewiston-Colchester in Silver Spring — Authentic Sears “Colchester” (a 1930s brick version of the popular “Lewiston”) kit house in Silver Spring, Maryland

No matter how busy we are, we always seem to make time to feed our kit house addiction. This week, the scouting produced two fun early 20th century Sears mail-order houses that hit the market for sale. One of them is a 1925 “Rodessa” in the Kent neighborhood of upper Washington DC priced at $759,000 which Marcie visited. The other — a listing from our own Evers & Co. office — is a fabulous, updated 1936s “Colchester”/”Lewiston” (pictured left) with 6 bedrooms and 3 full baths in Washington’s Silver Spring suburb, priced at $489,000. We’ll post more pictures and some exciting details later. For now, you can get some info from the linked MLS fact sheets.

The “Rodessa,” located at 5414 Hawthorne Pl NW, has an Open House from 2 – 5 pm today — you might still make it! And if you’d like to see the “Lewiston,” just let us know!

For those of you who are celebrating the Jewish New Year tonight — Shana Tovah!

Update on 9/21/2012: You can find the post on the Colchester/Lewiston here.