Possibly the Only Sears Norwood in Illinois

The Sears Norwood was only 16' wide and designed for narrow city lots. The only Norwood that has ever been located in Illinois is in Oak Park.

1034 S. Elmwood, Oak Park.

Sears Norwood.

This Sears Norwood in Oak Park was built in 1922.  The house is a genuine Sears kit; the building permit has the architect recorded as "Sears, Roebuck & Company". Although the house now has vinyl siding and replacement windows, the original gable ornament remains.

With the porch enclosed, it's hard to see whether the house has the front door abutted by windows on each side. However, Google Streetview shows us the house before its recent renovations.

Yup, this entry matches that on Sears Norwood. The door touches the frames of the two adjacent windows. See those decorative false beam ends on the porch roof? That was the original overhang delivered from Sears--the Norwoods in Cincinnati have the same one. The main roof has notched rafter ends just like in the catalog illustration. Photo from Google Streetview. 

The original eaves brackets.

The Norwood was a narrow residence. The rooms are arranged one behind the other with a staircase at the side. There are two bedrooms upstairs.

  

The interior of the house matches the floor plan. Photo courtesy of Realtor site.

The original owners were Luther Harnden and his wife, Josephine. He was a fireman for Engine Co. No 3. Luther died in 1963, and Josephine stayed in the house until about 1967 when she moved in with her son in St. Charles.

Overdue thanks to the late Donna Bakke for assistance with the house identification.