Wednesday, October 3, 2012

The Sears, Roebuck & Co. Plant

 The Sears, Roebuck & Company Plant designed by Nimmons & Fellows c. 1904 in Chicago, Illinois.  The complex of buildings served as the company's headquarters until the mid 1970s and included a catalog printing plant and mail-order building that was the largest kind of its time.  George C. Nimmons designed later alterations and enlargements to the plant complex.  Click HERE for more on the Sears, Roebuck & Co. Plant.  Click HERE to see the only remaining portion of the mail-order building and HERE to see the administration building on google street view.













Photos from Architectural Record, 1919.

2 comments:

Glen said...

I find this series of pictures nearly as fascinating as the NY street views of the previous few days. The sunken garden and playing fields across the street from the company buildings are an unexpected touch of humanity in the midst of what was likely a sweatshop in the early industrial age.

Anonymous said...

A fascinating glimpse into what was one of America's early premier corporations, unfortunately barely existing on life support. While hardly a sweat shop, more akin to a processing & distribution facility like the Larkin Co. headquarters in Buffalo NY, it is remarkable to see the number of amenities and safety features; from employee clubhouse, atheletic facilites, in-house fire dept, sprinklers, research testing labs, cafeterias, at a time when sweat shops were the norm. The current view of a barren Homan Square is a testament to the complanies fall from grace. NYarch