Oh boy, need help from someone familiar with Irwin, PA (Montgomery: houses, neighborhood)

[RosemaryT]

Years and years ago, a woman contacted me and said she lived in a Sears Magnolia (see photos below). The Sears Magnolia was a Sears kit house, and it was the most famous Sears House of them all, with only six Magnolias built in the entire country.

Lots of people contact me to tell me that they live in a Sears Magnolia, but this woman really *did* have one!

Well, I'm driving to West Virginia this summer to visit family, and I'm going to make a detour to Irwin, PA. It's tucked away in a little neighborhood not too far from the Lincoln Highway, but that's all I know. I'm hoping to find a better address than "just off the Lincoln Highway."

Unfortunately, google doesn't do street views of the side streets.

By the way...Sears Homes were 12,000-piece kits that were ordered right out of the pages of the Sears Roebuck catalog. To learn more, click here. The houses were shipped by train and came with a 75-page instruction book and a promise that a "man of average abilities" could have one assembled in 90 days.

Below are some pictures, and the house shown in brick is the Sears Magnolia in Irwin.

I'm hoping and praying that someone here knows the address of this magnificent Magnolia.

Pictures below.

Magnolia from the 1921 Sears Modern Homes catalog. Note the price.



Sears Magnolia in Benson, NC.


This is *THE* Sears Magnolia in Irwin, Pennsylvania. Note, it's in BRICK!


So, if you know the address of this house, please let me know? I sure would be grateful.

Rosemary T.

[PeterRabbit]

Email a Realtor in that area.

[Benzman66]

If you go to Kohl's on Rt30 and turn onto Pennsylvania Ave heading toward downtown Irwin and go about a block or two, you will see the house.

You may want to check this link out;
Sears Homes Enthusiasts

Shows that a Bob Keeling owns the house. If you click on his name on that page, it looks as you can submit a message to him.

[RosemaryT]

I already emailed Bob and it bounced.

When mail is received at sears archives, it's automatically forwarded to me. I've written 8 books on the topic and I'm the expert.

The last email I had from Bob was four years ago, and he said he was moving out of the house. I'm in Norfolk so I'm some distance away but will head up there this summer.

You mentioned directions. As you saying the house is *on* Pennsylvania Avenue in Irwin?

Rose

[Copanut]

1800 Pennsylvania Ave, Irwin, PA.

Last sold in 2007 for $230,000.00.

[LEFT]Rte. 30 to Barnes Lake Rd. (Kohl's) then[/LEFT] [LEFT]left onto Pennsylvania Ave.-house on left[/LEFT] [LEFT]parking on side street (Beech St.)[/LEFT]

[RosemaryT]

Thank you so much!!!!!

Woo-hoo!

PS. I don't suppose you know the name of the realty company that handled the listing?

[Copanut]

Howard Hanna 724 863 3300 Don Myers

[Tirade]

Just wanted to say that I had no idea these existed prior to reading this thread, but I find it oddly fascinating.

[RosemaryT]

Both Sears and Montgomery Ward sold kit homes, but Sears was by far the most popular. These really were kits, shipped in 12,000-piece kits. They arrived by train and came with a 75-page instruction book that told the homeowner how all those pieces and parts went together.

BTW, many people before you have found me and my avocation "oddly captivating." What's the difference between "odd" and eccentric? About a million bucks! (I aspire to be eccentric!)

Here is a little pretty from Montgomery Ward. The image is from the 1931 Wardway Homes catalog. The house is in Illinois. Montgomery Ward sold about 25,000 of these kit homes and Sears sold about 75,000.

Rosemary T.






And here's another inside page from that 1931 catalog:

* * *

[Copanut]

There are quite a few Sears homes in the Greater Pgh area.