Lanphear-Callender Sears House

3402 Ormond Road, 2015 [courtesy J.R. Salisbury]

Constructed in 1924, the home at 3402 Ormond Road is a fine example of a Sears Catalog Home known as the Ardara model. The Ardara was one of approximately 400 different styles of homes that Sears offered between 1908 and 1940. The Ardara was a five-room bungalow, though the Ormond version is larger. The model appeared by 1919, and was a very early design to feature a front-facing attached garage. Craftsman-style details are evident in the front door, windows and arched front portico.

The mail-order Sears kit homes typically arrived by railroad car. The new homeowners often constructed their own homes with the help of family, friends and neighbors. Sears homes can often be identified by the numbered markings on the lumber, and the special hardware that accompanied each model.

William Pendleton Lanphear Jr. and his wife, Mary Elizabeth "Beth" Callander Lanphear, built the Sears home at 3402 Ormond Road but never lived in it. Instead, Beth Lanphear's mother, Helen Callander, and Beth's sister, Withermina Callander, lived there, though just for six years.

After 1930, the house became a rental, and then changed hands several times before the current owners purchased it in 2007. The current homeowners have lovingly maintained this landmarked home, keeping its history in mind when doing repairs and updates.

Margaret Lann

The author, Margaret Lann, is a member of the Cleveland Heights Landmark Commission, which preserves and protects buildings, works of art and other objects of historical or architectural value to the community. The seven members are appointed to three-year terms by city council.

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Volume 10, Issue 3, Posted 3:23 PM, 02.28.2017