This towering structure on Lamar once held a different kind of magic. Southside on Lamar, as it stands now, is a bustling apartment complex and a vibrant piece of Dallas’s urban fabric. But before it became the home of hundreds of residents, it was the Sears Distribution Center for the Southwest. In 1913, Sears Roebuck, the massive mail-order retailer, built the distribution center right here in this spot as a way to reach the growing population of Dallas. The building’s distinctive red brick and white accents have been a familiar sight in Dallas for over a century. Can you imagine the hundreds of workers bustling around and shipping packages out to people all across the state? Imagine the long lines of delivery trucks pulling up to the loading docks. It was a major operation, a symbol of the city’s rise as a commercial and industrial hub.
But times change, and so did the use of the building. In the mid-1990s, Sears sold the property and it was transformed into what we see today. Through redevelopment, the building was converted into a mixed-use complex, complete with lofts, shops, and restaurants. Today, Southside on Lamar is the heartbeat of the Cedars neighborhood and a testament to the city’s ongoing reinvention. It is a reminder that even those places that once served a single purpose can find new life and new stories to tell.
Harrison Cemetery Plaque
Is it possible for a place to hold so much history in just one acre? You might not think so,