Akron Avondale
The Sears Avondale.
When my fellow researcher Andrew Mutch sent me a link to a Zillow ad for an Avondale for sale, I had no idea what to expect. I had never really seen one before, either google driving or in person. Now that I have, it's quickly turning into one of my favorite Sears houses!
The Avondale was offered in Sears Modern Homes catalogs from 1911 to 1922, and under two different names. It first started off as No. 264P151, before being renamed to the much more pretty "Avondale" by 1918. Despite the name change, not too much else about the house did. In fact, the only change that I noticed at all was the movement of a closet in the corner back bedroom from one wall to another, and the back porch being slightly enlarged.
The Avondale was offered in Sears Modern Homes catalogs from 1911 to 1922, and under two different names. It first started off as No. 264P151, before being renamed to the much more pretty "Avondale" by 1918. Despite the name change, not too much else about the house did. In fact, the only change that I noticed at all was the movement of a closet in the corner back bedroom from one wall to another, and the back porch being slightly enlarged.
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| From the 1914 Catalog |
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| From the 1920 catalog |
The house that we are looking at today was built in 1914, and honestly, it doesn't look a day over 20, even at 104 years old! Talk about aging well...
Right away, you can see the large front porch, along with that big bay window as well. The porch columns do look to be original to the house, and while you can't tell from this photo, the front door does too.
If you look above, you will see what the inside looked like back in 1914... and if you look below, you will see what it looks like in 2018.
Barely any difference!! Everything has been kept up meticulously, from the colonnades to the beams in the dining room ceiling, to the wood paneling on the walls, to the arches in the ceiling. Another Dreamy McDreamboat house, just what every Sears House Researcher loves to see! I hope and pray that the new owners keep the house just as nice.
Now the only room that does call for some (understandable) updating is the kitchen. Right now, parts of it are a bit basic -- and honestly, I don't think any of it is original. From this photo below, you can also see that the old owners decided to enclose the back porch. We see this happen a lot with Sears homes, mostly because older houses did not account for space for a fridge!
From all the shows I watch on HGTV, the two most important rooms that sell a house are the kitchen and the bathroom -- so now that we've seen the kitchen, let's move on to the bathroom(s)!
In this house, there is a second bathroom that was added on later. What we think happened is that they took the big pantry off the kitchen and made it into a smaller 3/4 bath. Those photos are available to look at in the link posted below, but for now, we will just keep to the original bathroom that's shown in the floorplan.
In the first photo, there is a lot of original stuff that you might spy! That bathtub is original to the house, along with the medicine cabinet above the sink. Also take a look at those gorgeous floors. Not too often do you see floors like that in a bathroom!
The second photo shows something a little different -- in the 1914 floorplan, it shows that a toilet is supposed to be where that big powder room mirror is. My inkling is that they moved the toilet over by the tub, so they could put that in. I'm not sure if its original to the house, but it is a very nice feature to have!
Now let's move onto the bedrooms -- we'll go with the smallest, back bedroom first.
As you can see, a few minor changes have been made. At one point, the right side of the room had a small bumpout -- that has been turned into a closet. I have a feeling that this change was made when they added in the second bathroom (which they may have removed this room's original closet to accommodate that as well). If you take a look at the floorplan, you can see that this room is right next to the pantry-area, and in the very left of the photo, you can see the beginning of a doorway. This doorway is not shown in the plan, which is another clue to where that second bathroom was added.
Here is the main clue that this house was built pre-1918 -- the wardrobe area in the back corner bedroom. As you can see, the closet is to the right of the door instead of to the left. First off, that closet is COOL. So many little storage areas and doors, all in that beautiful wood grain. It's glorious! Secondly, the room is actually really big -- as we all know, Sears did produce some houses with some shoebox-sized rooms (lookin' at you, Rodessa).
Here's the third and final room -- the front bedroom, home of the big bay window by that front porch.
The only thing that sticks out to me in this photo is that fireplace -- it's not in the original floorplan, and there is no chimney outside that is attached to it. It must've been added on after the fact, but if it actually still works, or is even connected to anything, is a mystery. Otherwise, the room is perfecto. Huge space, nice natural light -- a truly beautiful area.
Here's an example of what it could have looked like as a bedroom from the 1920 catalog.
Now that we are all done with the smaller spaces of the house, I'm going to finish out this blog post with more photos of that original front living room.
This photo above shows the dining room looking into the living room -- from here, you can get a good view of the original front door that I mentioned at the beginning of the post. I love how the area is separated, but not completely. A very fun example of a now-popular "open floor plan," haha.
Here is a good photo of the fireplace area -- it looks like the original buyers of the home opted for a little less of a fancy fireplace than what was shown in the catalog photos.
And for good measure, here's one last photo of the beautiful columns and woodwork.
This home is now pending sale in Akron, Ohio, but here is the listing with all the photos that I used for this blog post.
After our group had found this Akron Avondale, I was google driving around Dayton and came across another -- sadly this house is in much poorer condition, but it's still an Avondale at heart.
It's always interesting to see two of the same houses, built around the same time, lead such different lives. A true testament to the changing times in the Midwest.
If you think you have seen an Avondale in your neck of the woods, send me an email at MidwestSearsHouses@gmail.com. Happy Hunting!
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| No. 264P151 at 77 Casterton Ave, Akron, OH -- Photo courtesy of Zillow.com |
Right away, you can see the large front porch, along with that big bay window as well. The porch columns do look to be original to the house, and while you can't tell from this photo, the front door does too.
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| 1914 catalog page depicting the inside of the Avondale |
If you look above, you will see what the inside looked like back in 1914... and if you look below, you will see what it looks like in 2018.
 |
| Photo courtesy of Zillow.com |
Barely any difference!! Everything has been kept up meticulously, from the colonnades to the beams in the dining room ceiling, to the wood paneling on the walls, to the arches in the ceiling. Another Dreamy McDreamboat house, just what every Sears House Researcher loves to see! I hope and pray that the new owners keep the house just as nice.
Now the only room that does call for some (understandable) updating is the kitchen. Right now, parts of it are a bit basic -- and honestly, I don't think any of it is original. From this photo below, you can also see that the old owners decided to enclose the back porch. We see this happen a lot with Sears homes, mostly because older houses did not account for space for a fridge!
 |
| Photos from Zillow.com |
From all the shows I watch on HGTV, the two most important rooms that sell a house are the kitchen and the bathroom -- so now that we've seen the kitchen, let's move on to the bathroom(s)!
In this house, there is a second bathroom that was added on later. What we think happened is that they took the big pantry off the kitchen and made it into a smaller 3/4 bath. Those photos are available to look at in the link posted below, but for now, we will just keep to the original bathroom that's shown in the floorplan.
 |
| Photos courtesy of Zillow.com |
In the first photo, there is a lot of original stuff that you might spy! That bathtub is original to the house, along with the medicine cabinet above the sink. Also take a look at those gorgeous floors. Not too often do you see floors like that in a bathroom!
The second photo shows something a little different -- in the 1914 floorplan, it shows that a toilet is supposed to be where that big powder room mirror is. My inkling is that they moved the toilet over by the tub, so they could put that in. I'm not sure if its original to the house, but it is a very nice feature to have!
Now let's move onto the bedrooms -- we'll go with the smallest, back bedroom first.
 |
| Photo courtesy of Zillow.com |
As you can see, a few minor changes have been made. At one point, the right side of the room had a small bumpout -- that has been turned into a closet. I have a feeling that this change was made when they added in the second bathroom (which they may have removed this room's original closet to accommodate that as well). If you take a look at the floorplan, you can see that this room is right next to the pantry-area, and in the very left of the photo, you can see the beginning of a doorway. This doorway is not shown in the plan, which is another clue to where that second bathroom was added.
 |
| Photo courtesy of Zillow.com |
Here is the main clue that this house was built pre-1918 -- the wardrobe area in the back corner bedroom. As you can see, the closet is to the right of the door instead of to the left. First off, that closet is COOL. So many little storage areas and doors, all in that beautiful wood grain. It's glorious! Secondly, the room is actually really big -- as we all know, Sears did produce some houses with some shoebox-sized rooms (lookin' at you, Rodessa).
Here's the third and final room -- the front bedroom, home of the big bay window by that front porch.
 |
| Photo courtesy of Zillow.com |
The only thing that sticks out to me in this photo is that fireplace -- it's not in the original floorplan, and there is no chimney outside that is attached to it. It must've been added on after the fact, but if it actually still works, or is even connected to anything, is a mystery. Otherwise, the room is perfecto. Huge space, nice natural light -- a truly beautiful area.
Here's an example of what it could have looked like as a bedroom from the 1920 catalog.
Now that we are all done with the smaller spaces of the house, I'm going to finish out this blog post with more photos of that original front living room.
Here is a good photo of the fireplace area -- it looks like the original buyers of the home opted for a little less of a fancy fireplace than what was shown in the catalog photos.
And for good measure, here's one last photo of the beautiful columns and woodwork.
This home is now pending sale in Akron, Ohio, but here is the listing with all the photos that I used for this blog post.
After our group had found this Akron Avondale, I was google driving around Dayton and came across another -- sadly this house is in much poorer condition, but it's still an Avondale at heart.
 |
| Sears Avondale at 141 Laura Ave, Dayton, OH |
It's always interesting to see two of the same houses, built around the same time, lead such different lives. A true testament to the changing times in the Midwest.
If you think you have seen an Avondale in your neck of the woods, send me an email at MidwestSearsHouses@gmail.com. Happy Hunting!
"Lookin' at you Rodessa" -- haaa!
ReplyDeleteExcellent catch on that closet! And what a closet it is! I love this model, too, and this house is a wonderful example.
Judith