Craftsman-style ‘mail-order’ home designated as local historic landmark

The city of Joliet has designated the property at 804 W. Marion St. as a local historic landmark and a contributing property within its Catalog Home Local Thematic Historic District and its Classic Bungalow Local Thematic Historic District, according to a news release.

The 1920s brick home is an intact “mail-order” craftsman-style bungalow from Sears, Roebuck and Co. Sears sold upward of 50,000 houses through its modern homes division between 1908 and 1940 to become the largest factory-produced home provider in the U.S. The house on Marion Street represents an important period for technological and social innovation in housing, as well as the period of suburban residential development that occurred in the early-to-mid-20th century.

The property is owned by Billy E. Jones, who has lived there since 2005. There are 130 locally designated historic properties in Joliet.