Nearby Art Deco Sears Now a Landmark

The Sears Roebuck & Co. Department Store in Flatbush was deemed a landmark by the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) Tuesday. 

The department store's architectural distinction and role in the economic and cultural development of New York were distinguishing factors in deciding, according to a statement released by the LPC. 

Sears Roebuck, located Bedford Avenue and Beverly Road, was completed in 1932. It was designed in the Art Deco style by the Chicago architecture firm Nimmons, Carr & Wright with New York City-based architect Alton Craft. 

Sears built an auditorium inside the store in 1936 that could accommodate 650 people, and added a 43,000-square-foot wind in 1940 which allowed for more than 100 new employees. 

“The building is as impressive for its architectural style, scale and massing as for the impact it must have had on Brooklyn and the city’s economy when it first opened,” said Commission Chairman Robert Tierney in the release.

He noted that the store was nominated for designation by a member of LPC’s staff.

Sears merged with Kmart, another national retailer, in 2005 and is part of the Sears Holding Corporation.