“The lumber and pieces were numbered, and you put them together almost like tinker toys,” Jean Reedy Baren recalls. Her grandfather, J.W. “Jack” Reedy, founded the business in 1928 in Villa Park. In those early days, home buyers would browse through a catalog and select a kit home, which would arrive by rail car and then be trucked to the home site ready for assembly. With parts created by companies like Lewis-Liberty and Michigan-based Sterling, the walls, rafters, plumbing, fixtures, flooring and other components of the kit homes were numbered according to the floor plan instruction booklets that came as part of the package. Billed as “modern homes” by Sears, the kit homes remained popular for years, with construction continuing into the 1940s. These quaint homes have even been recognized by the Villa Park Historical Society and Visitors Center, which has certified 11 existing homes in the town as original Sears catalogue homes.

With such deep roots in the area, the realtors of JW Realty are uniquely qualified to help you buy or sell a home in communities like Villa Park, Lombard, Elmhurst, and Addison.

Visit any member the helpful staff at JW Reedy Realty at their main offices at 1136 South Main St. in Lombard. For information visit jwreedy.com or to set an appointment, call 630-629-0016