Sears, Roebuck & Company Blimp
Dublin Core
Title
Sears, Roebuck & Company Blimp
Alternative Title
Sears & Roebuck Blimp
Subject
Orlando (Fla.)
Sears, Roebuck and Company
Department stores--Florida
Blimps
Description
A Sears, Roebuck & Company blimp on the roof of the Sears store located at 111-113 North Orange Avenue in Downtown Orlando, Florida. Sears moved into the first floor of Philips Apartments in 1931. Before Sears arrived, the building, as well as the city of Orlando, was experiencing economic decline. However, Sears proved so successful that the building had to expand and the property value of the entire building increased by 25 percent. In 1939, F. Monroe Alleman and Kenneth Kraft bought the Sears building for $300,000. Twenty years later, Alleman sold the building for $1.1 million, but Sears was kept open with 12 years left on its lease.
In 1962, land on East Colonial Drive was bought to open a freestanding Sears store and a year later construction started. In 1973, the Sears on Colonial was incorporated with the Fashion Square Mall and it remains open today. On May 4, 1974, due to the expanding city and regional malls, the downtown Sears store closed its doors. Ten years later, the building was renovated and became what it is today, a bronze-colored glass tower nicknamed the Copper Whopper.
In 1962, land on East Colonial Drive was bought to open a freestanding Sears store and a year later construction started. In 1973, the Sears on Colonial was incorporated with the Fashion Square Mall and it remains open today. On May 4, 1974, due to the expanding city and regional malls, the downtown Sears store closed its doors. Ten years later, the building was renovated and became what it is today, a bronze-colored glass tower nicknamed the Copper Whopper.
Source
Original black and white photograph: Orlando Remembered Exhibit, Regions Bank, Orlando, Florida.
Date Created
ca. 1931-1979
Contributor
Daily, Mrs. Garrett E.
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original black and white photograph.
Is Part Of
Orlando Remembered Exhibit, Regions Bank, Orlando, Florida.
Orlando Remembered Collection, Orlando Collection, Orange County Collection. RICHES of Central Florida.
Format
image/jpg
Extent
87.4 KB
Medium
1 black and white photograph
Language
eng
Type
Still Image
Coverage
Sears, Roebuck & Company, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Accrual Method
Donation
Mediator
History Teacher
Economics Teacher
Geography Teacher
Provenance
Donated to Orlando Remembered by Mrs. Garrett E. Daily.
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by the Orange County Regional History Center and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.
Contributing Project
Curator
Williams, Rachel
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
Source Repository
Orlando Remembered
External Reference
Bacon, Eve. Orlando: A Centennial History. Chuluota, Fla: Mickler House, 1975.
"Sears." Sears. http://www.sears.com/.
"About Sears Roebuck, and Co." Sears Holding Corporation. http://www.searsholdings.com/about/sears/.
"A Narrative History of Sears." Sears Archives. http://www.searsarchives.com/history/index.htm.
Transcript
Sears, Roebuck & Co. blimp on roof of Sears Building
From Mrs. Garrett E. Daily
SEARS DAYS
From Mrs. Garrett E. Daily
SEARS DAYS
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
1 black and white photograph
Collection
Citation
“Sears, Roebuck & Company Blimp,” RICHES, accessed December 20, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/4083.