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Still the Aristocrat of BungalowsThe Sears "Ashmore" House
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During the years that Sears offered complete homes, there were a total of 370 different designs. "The Ashmore", was available between 1916 and 1922 at a cost that ranged from $1,648 to $3,632). As far as most Twin Cities bungalows go, it is quite large, containing 6 bedrooms and a living room 23 feet long. It is quite extraordinary for it's interior features and finishes which include: paneling in the living room and dining room, a raised inglenook with built-in bookcases and cabinets, built-in buffet, and a coffered living room and dining room ceilings. This particular incarnation included the optional clear red oak for "inside floors, trim, doors, etc." In addition to the fieldstone fireplace, fieldstone was also used for the garage walls.
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As is the case with most homes built in another era, some of the original character had been compromised as a result of modifications done in the name of function. But since then, two different owners have found ways to improve functionality while actually enhancing the home's original character.
Although decades later the home had mostly survived with its original character intact, there had been changes that had an impact. The most obvious of these was the enclosure of the front porch to create an entry vestibule. Unfortunately, when this was done, the windows used did not completely fill the original porch opening so the remaining gap was filled solid. This not only changed the proportions of the porch but also appeared as an obvious modification.
While not as immediately obvious from the street because of vegetation, a side pergola porch was replaced by a sunroom. Although this sort of functional, sun-filled room provides an alternative interior space that is a welcome addition to the house, the interest and character lost with the disappearance of the pergola is to be mourned.
Less obvious from the exterior, but certainly important with respect to interior character, were changes made to the kitchen. The original kitchen design was seen as a great advancement. The Craftsman article describing the Seattle house that was in all probability the original design for the "Ashmore" model noted:
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- "It is in the kitchen that the greatest ingenuity has been displayed. This room is what the Long Building Company, architects and builders, declare to be a "strictly cabinet" kitchen throughout, that it is arranged to save unnecessary steps, planned with every thought for the minimizing of labor, with every care for convenience, with the idea of intensive housekeeping always in mind. Everything has been placed within easy reach for the work at hand..."
In spite of this glowing language, the original kitchen was barely functional by any modern standards. At 10 feet by 13 feet, it was hardly tiny. However there was less than six and a half feet of counter space, minimal cabinet storage, and a small icebox. One of the most interesting original features, the Pullman breakfast alcove, only provided room for two.
So it wasn't surprising that the kitchen had been remodeled sometime before the 1990s. The open rear porch was enclosed and added to the kitchen. And functionality was improved slightly by adding counter space, cabinets, and modern appliances. However all vestiges of original character were removed and replaced by an incompatible "modern" character.
That was the way Carolyn and Tom Jensen found the house shortly before they purchased it in the early 1990s.
Read more about "The Ashmore" House:
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