Sears at Six Corners
| Sears at Six Corners | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The Sears building (right) in a 1950 postcard | |
Interactive map of the Sears at Six Corners area | |
Alternative names | 6 Corners Lofts |
General information | |
Architectural style | Art Deco / Art Moderne |
| Location | 4714 W. Irving Park Road[1], Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Coordinates | 41°57′13″N 87°44′46″W / 41.95355°N 87.74614°W[1] |
| Opened | October 20, 1938 |
| Closed | July 2018 (as Sears) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architects | Nimmons, Carr & Wright |
| Renovating team | |
| Architect | MG2 |
Sears at Six Corners is a former Sears department store building at the northeast corner of Irving Park Road and Cicero Avenue in the Six Corners commercial district of Chicago's Portage Park neighborhood. Designed by Nimmons, Carr & Wright with Art Deco and Art Moderne features, it opened on October 20, 1938.[2][3]
The store helped make Six Corners one of Chicago's leading outlying shopping centers and remained a neighborhood anchor for nearly 80 years.[4] When it closed in July 2018, it was the last Sears store within the city.[5][6] The building was subsequently converted into 6 Corners Lofts, a mixed-use complex with 206 apartments and more than 50,000 sq ft (4,600 m2) of retail space anchored by a Target store. The redevelopment opened in 2024.[3]
History
Sears opened the store as Six Corners developed around the triple intersection of Irving Park Road, Cicero Avenue and Milwaukee Avenue. Nearly 100,000 people attended the opening on October 20, 1938.[2][5] The store incorporated retail concepts Sears was then developing, including air conditioning, artificial lighting and self-service departments.[2] WBEZ architectural reporting described the building as largely windowless except for its prominent two-story corner showcase window.[7] Sears said that the showcase was Chicago's largest display window when the store opened.[8]
The building became a major anchor of the Six Corners district; WBEZ historian John R. Schmidt wrote that the area became one of the city's leading shopping centers after the store opened.[4] In 2015 the property was among 265 Sears properties sold to Seritage Growth Properties in a sale-and-leaseback transaction.[5] Sears announced the Six Corners closing in April 2018, and the store closed that July.[5][6]
Architecture
The Chicago firm Nimmons, Carr & Wright, led by Sears architect George C. Nimmons, designed the store.[2] Sources have described its architecture as both Art Deco and Art Moderne.[7][8] Its best-known element was the rounded corner showcase, sometimes called the building's "lantern", facing the Six Corners intersection.[6] The otherwise limited fenestration reflected Sears's interest in controlling interior light and climate rather than relying on conventional department-store windows.[7]
Redevelopment
Seritage and Tucker Development proposed a $200 million mixed-use conversion, but the plan did not proceed. Novak Construction purchased the property in September 2020.[6] Novak's replacement plan, designed by MG2, called for removal of a 1970s addition, construction of a residential wing, restoration or reconstruction of the corner lantern and retention of ground-floor retail space.[6] The Chicago Plan Commission approved the $90 million rehabilitation in 2021.[9]
The completed five-story development contains 206 apartments, including six affordable units, more than 50,000 sq ft (4,600 m2) of retail space and 300 parking spaces.[3] The conversion added windows and balconies while retaining features including the store's terrazzo flooring, exposed ceilings and flared-capital columns.[3] Residential occupancy and the ground-floor Target began in 2024.[3]
References
- 1 2 "Affordable Rental Housing Developments". City of Chicago. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Suerth, Frank (July 2013). "Sears: 75 Years at 6 Corners" (PDF). Northwest Chicago Historical Society Newsletter. pp. 20–23. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Pojoga, Madalina (October 10, 2024). "From Retail to Residential: The Transformation of a Chicago Sears Store". Multi-Housing News. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
- 1 2 Schmidt, John R. (April 25, 2012). "Portage Park, past and present". WBEZ. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Cherone, Heather (April 12, 2018). "Sears closing its last store in Chicago". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Koziarz, Jay (May 27, 2021). "New plan for Six Corners Sears site breaks cover". Urbanize Chicago. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
- 1 2 3 WBEZ Staff (April 25, 2018). "What's That Building? The Former Real Estate Legacy of Sears". WBEZ. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
- 1 2 "Threatened: Last Chicago Sears Store to Close". Preservation Chicago. April 30, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
- ↑ TRD Staff (September 1, 2021). "Rehabilitation of historic Sears building approved by Chicago Plan Commission". The Real Deal. Retrieved August 17, 2026.