Sears, Albert H., House
Also known as: Robin's Nest
Why it's listed
Built in 1881 over the shell of an earlier dwelling, this 2 1/2 story Queen Anne house at 603 East North Street in Plano stands on about two wooded acres, the remnant of an original six. Contractor E. L. Hardin rebuilt it for Albert H. Sears, who had bought the property from William Deering in 1880. The house has a square plan with a shaped rear wing, side bays, a corner tower with a conical roof and stained glass, and a wrap-around veranda on thirteen columns that extends into a porte cochere. Inside are oak woodwork, pocket doors, spindlework and servants' quarters. Sears was a manufacturer of farm implements, a private banker, a hardware and implement merchant and a real estate dealer, and his Sears Bank was the only one in Kendall County to survive the panic of 1893. The house is regarded as little changed in 105 years and as more elaborate than Plano's other Queen Anne houses. A 1920 garage is noncontributing.
Significance in brief: The house was the home of Albert H. Sears, described as one of Plano's most prominent businessmen and manufacturers in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It is also presented as a good, largely unaltered example of Queen Anne architecture, superior in size and ornament to the other Queen Anne houses in Plano.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 86003720, listed January 29, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 603 E. North St., Plano |
|---|---|
| County | Kendall County |
| Listed | January 29, 1987 |
| Reference number | 86003720 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1880 - 1917 |
| Architect / builder | E. L. Hardin |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as a private residence, occupied, with work in progress; the form describes the condition as good and unaltered on its original site. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 41.66538, -88.53034 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 86003720.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4710378
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.