734 Richmond Avenue
Northwest corner at Dorchester, Buffalo, New York

Built:
1909, according to the permit published in the 1909 Buffalo Common Council Proceedings.
Style:
Colonial Revival
Sears Kit Homes

History:
"The Richmond family lived at 844 Delaware Avenue.  The property originally encompassed all of the land between Delaware Avenue and Richmond Avenue and was landscaped with gardens and some of the oldest trees in Buffalo.  In 1879, a petition was submitted to City Council to rename Rogers Road to Richmond Avenue in Mr. [Jewett M.] Richmond’s honor." - Angela Keppel (online Sept. 2019)

Richmond Avenue history: Section 7, Pages 5-6, Elmwood 2012 West Historic District Nomination

James Napora, History of Richmond/Elmwood Area



The Magnolia 1915-1920 ($5,140 to $5,972)
Source: USA House and Garden (online August 2015)

2015 photos


Built in 1909, according to the permit published in the 1909 Buffalo Common Council Proceedings.
It appears that this 1909 house went up before Sears published the design in 1915-1920 ($5,140 to $5,972).  If so, perhaps Sears licensed it from the firm who designed it.
















Transom light and side lights




Roman smooth shaft Ionic pilaster ... Roman engaged smooth shaft Ionic column



Turned balusters ... Newel post with ball finial



Turned balusters ... Newel post with ball finial




Side (south) elevation (Detail below:)



Roman smooth shaft Ionic column






What is a Sears Modern Home? From 1908–1940, Sears, Roebuck and Company sold more than 100,000 homes through their mail-order Modern Homes program. Over that time Sears designed 447 different housing styles, from the elaborate multistory Ivanhoe, with its elegant French doors and art glass windows, to the simpler Goldenrod, which served as a quaint, three-room and no-bath cottage for summer vacationers. (An outhouse could be purchased separately for Goldenrod and similar cottage dwellers.) Customers could choose a house to suit their individual tastes and budgets.

Sears was not an innovative home designer. Sears was instead a very able follower of popular home designs but with the added advantage of modifying houses and hardware according to buyer tastes. Individuals could even design their own homes and submit the blueprints to Sears, which would then ship off the appropriate precut and fitted materials, putting the home owner in full creative control. Modern Home customers had the freedom to build their own dream houses, and Sears helped realize these dreams through quality custom design and favorable financing.

- Source: USA House and Garden (online August 2015)


Special thanks to Cynthia Van Ness for research assistance.

Photos and their arrangement © 2015 Chuck LaChiusa
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