Sears Maplewood

1215 S. Pine, Arlington Heights.

Sears Maplewood from the 1930 Modern Homes catalog.

The Sears Maplewood is a English story-and-a-half cottage, a very common housing style in the area.

This Maplewood in Arlington Heights was built between 1930-1932. It is lacking the living room fireplace, but homeowners had the option to leave it out if they wanted a coat closet in that space instead. Another change is that the front door is rectangular, not arched.

That's a replacement front door. Photo from Realtor site.

Photo from Realtor site.

Photo from Realtor site.

With a little TLC, this Maplewood cottage could be one of the standouts in the neighborhood.

I don't know who built the Maplewood, but the second owners were Ronald L. and Marie Bradley, who purchased the house in 1935. Ronald worked as a machinist and also served as the Elk Grove Township Highway Commissioner.

In 1957, the Bradleys' daughter, Mary Jane, got married, and she and her husband moved into the Maplewood to raise a family.

Mary Jane's son, Scott, recalls: 

"I grew up in a Sears kit house at 1215 S Pine Avenue in Arlington Heights, Illinois. It was their Maplewood model and it was built sometime in the early 1930s. My grandparents bought it from the original owner in 1935. It was located near the Bradley family farm, where my grandfather ran his business, the Dependable Machine Shop.

"My mother grew up in the Sears house and took ownership of it in 1957. My parents sold it several years ago and the new owners have done a lot to restore it. Our house did not have the fireplace... it had the optional foyer closet in its place instead."

Baby Scott with Mary Jane, grandmother, and aunts in front of the Maplewood in 1959. There is the original Sears front door! Photo courtesy of Atomicscotts on Instagram.