{"nrhp_refnum":"05001407","name":"Sears, Roebuck & Company Mail Order Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2650 E. Olympic Blvd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Los Angeles","county":"Los Angeles County","state":"CA","lat":34.02334287300005,"lon":-118.22169783130497,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2006-04-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A nine-story reinforced concrete mail order and retail building at 2650 East Olympic Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, constructed in 1927 to a design by architect George C. Nimmons, with additions in 1929, 1940, 1959 and 1964.","why_significant":"The nomination argues for significance under Criterion A in the area of commerce, through the building's association with Sears, Roebuck & Company. It was the company's only large mail-order plant in the southwestern United States, serving as warehouse, distribution and merchandising center, and it housed one of the company's early retail stores. The form states it is not eligible under Criterion C, though it notes the architecture.","narrative":"Rising nine stories above a wide two-story base, this reinforced concrete building at 2650 East Olympic Boulevard in Los Angeles was built in 1927 as a Sears, Roebuck & Company mail order plant with a retail store. George C. Nimmons designed it with a tall central tower, stepped profile and cast stone ornament in the Art Deco manner. Additions were made to the rear in 1929, 1940, 1959 and 1964, and the front retail floors were covered with cladding in 1964, though much original material remains beneath it. The building handled warehouse, distribution and merchandising for the southwestern United States, serving customers in California, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, western New Mexico and Hawaii, as well as parts of Asia. It was the seventh mail-order center built by the company and held its twelfth retail store. Its significance rests on its role in commerce and the growth of mass retailing. The retail store still operates today, while the warehouse space became obsolete.","period_of_significance":"1927-1955","architect_builder":"Nimmons, George C., architect","architectural_style":"Modern Movement - Art Deco","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"The retail store continues to operate, and the warehouse space is described as obsolete. Warehouse and department store are listed as current functions.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:29.616483-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/05001407.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001407/f1bbe90116-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001407/f1bbe90116-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Los Angeles","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sears,_Roebuck_%26_Company_Mail_Order_Building,_Los_Angeles.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Los Angeles</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sears,_Roebuck_%26_Company_Mail_Order_Building,_Los_Angeles.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123859502","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sears,_Roebuck_%26_Company_Mail_Order_Building_(Los_Angeles,_California)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7441777"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/los-angeles-county/sears-roebuck-and-company-mail-order-building-05001407/"}