Wilmette Public Library
Sun: 12:00pm-5:00pm
Mon: 9:00am-9:00pm
Tue: 9:00am-9:00pm
Wed: 9:00am-9:00pm
Thu: 9:00am-9:00pm
Fri: 9:00am-6:00pm
Sat: 9:00am-5:00pm
Putting Sears Homes on the Map: Mail Order House Phenomenon
Focus on Architecture
2025-05-01 13:00:00
2025-05-01 14:30:00
America/Chicago
Putting Sears Homes on the Map: Mail Order House Phenomenon
Architectural historian Rebecca Hunter will explore the history of mail order home marketing and view images of homes from major producers of these homes, including best known, Sears, Roebuck.
Wilmette Public Library - Auditorium
Thursday, May 01
1:00pm - 2:30pm
Wilmette Public Library
AuditoriumArchitectural historian Rebecca Hunter will explore the history of mail order home marketing and view images of homes from major producers of these homes, including best known, Sears, Roebuck.
General merchandise mail order catalogs were established in the late 1890’s–Montgomery Ward and Sears, Roebuck were among the first–offering a wide variety of goods to the rural market. House plan books appeared at about the same time. In 1906, a combination of these two marketing techniques first came on the scene: mail order houses. Sears, Roebuck is the best known of all the companies that sold mail order homes, although not the first in the business. We will learn the history of mail order home marketing and view images of homes from the nine major producers of these homes.
Armchair Travels is generously funded with a gift from the Rutherford Family Trust.
Join us for other programs in our Focus on Architecture series:
Frank Lloyd Wright: Organic Architect, Tuesday April 15, 7pm, Virtual. Register
Chicago Architecture: The Latest and Greatest, Thursday April 17, 1pm, Auditorium. Learn More.
Lee Bey- Southern Exposure: The Overlooked Architecture of Chicago’s South Side, Monday April 28 7pm, Virtual. Register.
Wilmette Public Library
Hours
About the branch
From the south: Go north on Green Bay Road. Turn left on Wilmette Ave. Turn right on Park Ave. Library is located on the corner of Wilmette Ave. and Park Ave. Parking lot is on the north side of the building.
From the north: Go south on Green Bay Road. Turn right on Wilmette Ave. Turn right on Park Ave. Library is located on the corner of Wilmette Ave. and Park Ave. Parking lot is on the north side of the building.
From I-94 (Edens Expressway):from the South - exit at Lake Ave. East. Go east on Lake Ave. a little over 2 miles. Turn right on Park Ave. • from the North - exit at Rt. 41/Skokie Blvd. Turn left (east) on Lake Ave. Go east on Lake Ave. a little over 2 miles. Turn right on Park Ave.
Mass transit options include CTA, Metra, and Pace.