Sears opened its doors for the first time on October 17, 1940 as an Ultra-modern Sears. According to the Galveston Daily News, the new store would be “one of the super-stores of the entire Sears Setup, modern in every detail and the model for subsequent stores to be erected for the concern.” The architects were Zimmerman & Morgan of Longview, with R.R. Rapp, associate architect and native Galvestonian, as supervising architect for the project.  Built for approximately $100,000, it extended 120 ft. on 23rd and 100 ft. on Broadway.  Today the building serves as the Architectural Salvage Warehouse, selling historic building materials for the repair, rehabilitation and preservation of Galveston’s built environment.

Photo Courtesy of the Galveston Historical Foundation