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Sears, Roebuck & Company Mail Order Building (Los Angeles, California) facts for kids
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Sears, Roebuck & Company
Mail Order Building |
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Sears, Roebuck & Company Mail Order Building, May 2008
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 Location in the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Location in California
Location in the United States
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| Location | 2650 E. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, California |
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| Built | 1927 |
| Architect | Nimmons, George C., |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| NRHP reference No. | 05001407 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | April 21, 2006 |
The Sears, Roebuck & Company Mail Order Building in Boyle Heights, California, is a very important historic landmark. It was once one of the biggest mail-order centers for Sears, where people could order items from catalogs. The building also had a retail store on its ground floor.
This huge building was used for mail-order business until 1992. That's when Sears closed the distribution part and sold the building. Even though a Sears store still operates on the ground floor, most of the complex has been empty for a long time. This massive building, about 1,800,000 square feet (167,225 square meters), has been part of many plans to fix it up since the mid-1990s.
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Building a Giant: Construction and Design
In December 1926, the Sears, Roebuck & Company from Chicago announced big plans. They would build a nine-story building in Los Angeles. This building would be their main mail-order center for the western United States.
The building was put up incredibly fast, in just six months! Almost all the materials used were made right in Los Angeles County. Workers used steam shovels and worked day and night to finish it quickly. Rock and sand for the cement were delivered constantly.
When the building was done in June 1927, it was a huge achievement. The Los Angeles Times newspaper reported that it was built in only 146 working days. This was considered a record for such a large building. The building had nine floors and a basement, covering about 11 acres (4.5 hectares) of floor space. It was one of nine similar Sears mail-order centers built across the country.
How It Worked: A Busy Center
When it first opened, this large distribution center was a marvel of new technology. Employees would even use roller skates to move around the huge facility! They would pick up items and send them down corkscrew slides. From there, items were shipped out by trucks or trains.
The building was one of the biggest in Los Angeles at the time. More than 100,000 people visited it in its first month. This number doesn't even include the shoppers at the ground-floor store.
Over the years, the building's 226-foot (69-meter) tall Art Deco tower became famous. Its "Sears" sign was a "beacon" for people returning home on the freeways. The Los Angeles Conservancy has called it one of the most important sights on the Eastside of Los Angeles.
Why It Closed: End of an Era
The Sears distribution center closed its doors in January 1992. This meant that 585 full-time and 775 part-time workers lost their jobs.
The manager of the center explained that the Boyle Heights location was the most expensive for Sears to run. This was partly because its facilities were "outdated" compared to newer centers. In 2021, Sears announced that the retail store on the ground floor would also close.
What Happened Next: Empty Spaces and New Plans
After the distribution center closed, the building stayed mostly empty. In 2004, a company called MJW Investments bought the building. They planned a huge project to turn it into a mix of homes, stores, and restaurants. They wanted to create 480 condominiums and 180 apartments. They also planned 750,000 square feet (69,677 square meters) of shops and places to eat.
However, many people in the Boyle Heights community were concerned about these plans. They worried that the new development would lead to gentrification. This could make housing too expensive for people with lower incomes. Others felt that the plan for only 150 affordable homes was not enough. Some also worried that big new stores would hurt the small, local businesses.
Because of these concerns, MJW Investments decided to sell the building in May 2006. They had already spent a lot of money buying and planning for the project.
Later, famous boxer Oscar De La Hoya, who grew up in Boyle Heights, tried to help. He used to shop at the Sears store as a child. He tried to buy the property in 2007 and 2008 with other investors, but a deal was never made.
In 2013, the property was sold to Izek Shomof. He announced plans to "bring it back to life." He thought about turning it into homes, offices, and stores.
A Protected Landmark: Historic Status
The Sears, Roebuck & Company Mail Order Building is recognized as an important part of history. In August 2004, it was named a Historic-Cultural Monument by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission. Then, in April 2006, it was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is protected and recognized for its historical importance.
Images for kids
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Sears, Roebuck & Company Mail Order Building, May 2008
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Side view of the Sears Mail Order Building