Back to Sears
Enterprise Building
Life Span: About 1890-Present
Location: 616 W. Fulton
Fulton, Desplaines, Jefferson & Wayman Streets
Architect: TBD
Richard Sears first moved his mail order company from Minneapolis to Chicago in late March 1887. The R.W. Sears Watch Company occupied a building on Dearborn Street, north of Randolph Street. Sears returned to Chicago in 1892 by opening an office on West Van Buren just east of Halsted. Shortly after this he moved the offices into a five story building on West Adams Street just east of Halsted.
Sears, Roebuck and Co. outgrew that building and the company moved to the Enterprise building at the corners of Fulton, Des Plaines and Wayman Streets on March 17, 1896. Repeated expansions and remodels of this building occurred over the next 6 years.
Sears Roebuck & Co.
Enterprise Building
1901
Sears Roebuck & Co.
Fall 1896 Catalog
Page 756
Sears Roebuck & Co.
1896
Sears Roebuck & Co.
1896
Sears Roebuck & Co.
Fall 1899
Chicago Tribune, October 15, 1905
Sears, Roebuck & Co. Buy.
One of the interesting transactions of the week was the purchase by Sears, Roebuck & Co., from the Crane company, of 90×170 feet at the northwest corner of Fulton and Desplaines streets, 120 feet west of Desplaines, for $126,500. The property is opposite the Sears-Roebuck plant, and its purchase marks the acquirement by the latter of the entire block bounded by Fulton, Wayman, Desplaines, and Union streets.
Just what the company’s plans are in connection with this property are not known, and, according to Mr. Loeb, the manager, it has none. It is said that the original plan was to build a great warehouse covering the entire block, but, convinced that it would not be large enough for its business needs, the company is said to have abandoned the project and decided upon the great plant now in process of construction on Harvard street.
Sears Roebuck and Company Catalogue, Spring, 1898
A pictorial of early Sears buildings.
In 1893 Sears rented a building on Adams street, then in 1896 moved to the Enterprise Building on Fulton & Desplaines, which was expanded several times.
Inter Ocean, February 11, 1906
These large manufacturing buildings were constructed by Sears, Roebuck & Company for their own use, but as they have outgrown these quarters, they wish to divide and rent same for high quality manufacturing, mercantile, and warehouse purposes. They are the most complete factory properties on the West Side, are located just one-half mile west of the city hall, and are in easy access to all freight and passenger depots and all transportation lines. The buildings front 320 feet on Fulton street with a side frontage of 170 feet on Desplaines and 170 feet on Jefferson street and a rear frontage of 320 feet on Wayman streets. These four street frontages give the buildings a total frontage of 980 feet, affording unusual opportunities for light, fire protection, shipping facilities, and advertising, as they overlook the C. M. & St. O., Pan Handle, and Chicago & Northwestern R. R. passenger tracks, and both the Desplaines and Milwaukee avenue viaducts over which all the Northwest Side surface cars pass going to and from their terminus.
The buildings are of mill construction and contain an aggregate of about 500,000 square feet of floor space and are equipped with automatic sprinklers and a most modern power plant.
Power, heat, electric light, and use of electricity will be furnished to tenants requiring this service.
Sears Roebuck and Co.
Desplaines & Fulton Streets
Currently 606 W. Fulton Street, China Club Lofts
1906 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map