Since the Turn-Of-The-Century
1409 South Lamar has been integral to the lives of thousands of people from every walk of life for over 90 years. From shipping orders and employing thousands, the South Side building has been gracefully reinvented as a residential anchor for raising families and making memories with friends.
Emerging from the Sears, Roebuck & Co.’s Catalog Merchandise Center, South Side on Lamar is a registered National Historic Landmark today. The building has been known in Dallas since 1910 as the “Sears Building”, Sears' first operation outside of Chicago. This center became an anchor for the Southwest Territory and a successful icon in Dallas.
Over the years, the Sears Catalog Merchandise Center underwent many renovations, first expanding in 1913 with an adjoining nine-story building. This expansion is, today, the oldest remaining portion of the original South Side on Lamar property. Subsequent improvements followed in 1925, when a new two-story structure became Sears' third retail store. Later additions came in 1929 and 1966.
In its heyday, the Sears building employed over 1,000 employees, and generations of former Sears employees continue to return to reminisce. On April 30, 1993 the Dallas location of the Sears Catalog Merchandise Center processed and shipped its last order and closed its doors.
When Matthews Southwest purchased the property in 1997, our latest chapter began. Three years of extensive renovation breathed life back into the surrounding neighborhood as South Side on Lamar reopened to take in its first residents the summer of 2000. South Side’s residents are now a part of the building’s history, story and future.
Recent Neighborhood Improvements
• 2002: Retail shopping is available on the ground floor of South Side on Lamar. Visit our retail residents.
• 2003: The Jack Evans Dallas Police Headquarters is erected directly across from South Side. The building is home to the city's police administration, investigation units and houses the Dallas Police Department's historical artifacts.
• 2005: The South Side Public Improvement District, which includes South Side on Lamar, is approved by the Dallas City Council. Owners pay additional taxes earmarked for community development and improvements to the South Side neighborhood. Read the latest news.