Join architecture enthusiast Lara Solonickne for a presentation on the ready-to-build Sears Homes of Chicagoland, including homes still standing in Arlington Heights. 

From 1908 to 1942, Sears Roebuck and Company sold ready-to-build kit homes through catalogs. Despite the rash of teardowns in the Chicago area, some of these houses have managed to survive. In this presentation, you will learn what a Sears house is (and isn’t), how to authenticate one, and common misconceptions about these houses.

Lara Solonickne is the creator of the viral blog Sears Homes of Chicagoland, which spotlights kit homes in the Chicago area. She enjoys uncovering the hidden stories behind old houses. She holds a degree from Northwestern University.

Her research and website have been featured by FOX 32 News, Curbed, McMansion Hell, the Chicago Tribune, Yale University Press, The Columbus Dispatch, The Birmingham News, and more.

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