{"nrhp_refnum":"78001129","name":"Sears, Roebuck and Company Complex","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"925 S. Homan Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chicago","county":"Cook County","state":"IL","lat":41.869409165000064,"lon":-87.71183359980532,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-06-02","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1978-06-02","areas_of_significance":["Commerce"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A complex of four red brick buildings on Chicago's west side, built in 1905-6 as the headquarters and mail order plant of Sears, Roebuck and Company. They are the Administration Building, Mail Order Plant, Merchandise Development and Laboratory Building, and Power Plant.","why_significant":"The complex symbolizes Sears' dominance of the mail order industry and is the oldest known surviving Sears headquarters and catalogue complex. The Mail Order Plant, with 3 million square feet of floor space, was described as the world's largest business building when built. The company's growth is traced through Richard Sears, Julius Rosenwald and Robert E. Wood.","narrative":"Four red brick buildings on Chicago's west side make up the oldest surviving Sears, Roebuck and Company headquarters and catalogue complex. Designed by Nimmons and Fellows and built by the Thompson-Starrett Company, the complex began in 1905 and was ready for operations in 1906. It includes a five-story Administration Building, which served as company headquarters until 1973, and a nine-story Mail Order Plant with 3 million square feet of floor space, described as the world's largest business building at the time. A six-story laboratory building once housed the catalogue printing plant, and a one-story Power Plant still serves the site. Despite alterations, the buildings keep much of their original character. The complex is tied to the company's rise under Richard Sears, Julius Rosenwald and Robert E. Wood, and to the catalogue that served rural American consumers. About 16 of the original 41.6 acres are included, and the complex remains in active use.","period_of_significance":"1905-present","architect_builder":"Nimmons and Fellows (architects); Thompson-Starrett Company (builder)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and fully utilized and well maintained, though in a somewhat deteriorated neighborhood. Some alterations have been made over the years.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.148448-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/50/8915/28891550/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/78001129_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78001129/96fd699b47-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78001129/96fd699b47-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Teemu008 from Palatine, Illinois","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sears,_Roebuck_and_Company_Complex_(10573249745).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Teemu008 from Palatine, Illinois</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sears,_Roebuck_and_Company_Complex_(10573249745).jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"12000040","name":"Chicago Park Boulevard System Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/illinois/chicago-park-boulevard-system-historic-district-12000040/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28891550","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sears,_Roebuck_and_Company_Complex","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7441774"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/cook-county/sears-roebuck-and-company-complex-78001129/"}