First of all what does this have to do with the environment, environmentalists, etc.

Second, this quote by Mrs. Pappas is just insane: “Because Sears did not want to be known as a heartless corporation that took people’s homes from them, it absorbed most of the losses.”

The implications of this quote are so skewed. It's not that I like people losing their homes, but geez is the lender supposed to give you a house for free because you foolishly thought you could afford a house. You can't ask companies to absorb all the defaults, there has be some personal responsibility in all this.

I love these houses. They're fantastic. Wish you could get a house like that for the price now. ;-)

This has everything to do with the environment. From the NYT article:

"But what is especially notable about Sears houses, said Amy R. Pappas, co-curator of the New Castle Historical Society’s current exhibit on them, is how well they have withstood 80 years’ worth of shifts in architectural styles and tastes."

It's questionable, at best, that the same is true for many modern houses. Who wants an avant-garde architectural gem from the 60's? I, for one, -always- spring for slabs of cement accented with green and orange carpet. Building homes that will last and be loved for generations is very, very green. Likewise, you can certainly make a 'dutch colonial' like the one pictured in the post with green materials and construction techniques.

Wow, Jon, way to totally miss the point.

Sears has managed to take the "pre-fab" construction model and turned it into a viable business for approximately 40 years. Over six decades ago.

On top of that, because there is no overhead for "model" homes or having to build the houses first on lots, like current practices right now for suburban development, there is a lot of money saved. People can pick and choose their house of preference, truly.

Also, it is clear that you did not bother to even read the full article. The houses have appreciated in value; pre-fab can be constructed well, designed well, and stand the test of time and changing family usage patterns. That is sustainable because it is not necessary to tear down the structure to get a new or additional uses.

Also, the Great Depression happened and the effect on the working class who were the customers of the Sears catalog was so immediate and devastating, no amount of responsibility on the part of the consumer could've changed the fact their banks were closing down, they were laid off, it all went kaput! These were people who were likely to stay in the same company, working the same job, for decades; that was the expectation. So they were the safe bet for mortgages. For a company to make the decision to not take away the house and put it on foreclosure in a futile effort to shore up their dwindling capital is laudable; the people have houses. They were not suddenly homeless.

This sort of priority; people over money, is what is sorely missing in big business today. There would'nt be an Enron scandal if such an attitude was standard. And that is yet another form of sustainability. People capital over currency capital. People are a resource that remembers and expresses loyalty and gratititude; economic movement is faceless and has no loyalties.

First, while the environment is an incredibly interconnected concept, your "definition" of it (or things pertaining to it) is so broad that it is almost boundless. That is the bone I had with this post. I spoke up because I generally enjoy this blog, but have found many posts non-germane recently.

Second, you're completely missing the point of my second point. I'm not making a comment at all about the laudability of Sears' actions. I'm speaking of the implications of the quoted language. It is quite clearly intended as a juxtaposition with the current actions of companies in the "sub-prime mortgage crises." The great depression and market conditions today are so vastly different that the comparison is irresponsible.

Norvegica made some great points. I absolutely love these houses. My grandfather helped put several of these together for friends when he was in his early twenties. They were shipped via train and they picked them up at the railyard. Personally, I haven't seen any modern, widely available pre-fabs that come close to the value and style of the Sears Catalog Home. What a shame.

Why do you want to limit the definition of "environment"?

It is not some nebulous "out there" concept or thing. It is the all encompassing space, place, society that surrounds us in totality. It is not just the threatened oceans or the rain forests that are not in direct contact with the majority of the modern population. We do not live in a vacuum. You can divide it up if you wish; cultural environment, urban environment, social environment, linquistic environment, artistic environment, what have you. But it is what we live in and right now, it is being negatively affected by systems that merely seem out of control.

Architecture, urban planning, landscape architecture and all the other design professions related to how humanity uses resources, especially land, is directly pertinent to environmental issues.

When housing and to a larger extent, the construction industry, practices wasteful use of resources that give profit for the short term but no longevity on the long term, isn't that something to be concerned about? If design gives us nothing but banality, shouldn't that be reported and decried? If the past had attention to craftsmanship and the present gives us toxic offgassing materials that affect the health of our children, shouldn't we be aware and upset about that?

Food and shelter. These are things that the general public can understand intrinsically as things of worth, no contest. And when the environmental movement concentrates on the ways of improving these, awareness and support grows. It is far more difficult to ignore us and call us "hippies" disconnected from reality when we speak the language of utility and practicality.

If anyone is interested, the original catalogues for kit homes from Sears Roebuck and other sellers have been reprinted by Dover Publications.

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