Sears memories come to mind ahead of headquarters demolition

Memories of Sears stores came to the forefront of my mind during an assignment for a groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the former company headquarters in Hoffman Estates recently.

Sitting on 273-acres, the sprawling facility, which closed four years ago, will make way for the Compass Datacenters campus. A ceremony was held last month ahead of demolition and new construction, with company officials and local elected leaders among those in attendance.

During the late ’60s and into the ’70s, my family frequented the Golf Mill Sears store in Niles, which back then was part of an outdoor mall that featured a decorative old-time “mill,” complete with a turning water wheel and a fish pond.

Then, after Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg opened, we usually went there because it was newer and closer. The pleasant aroma of roasting nuts and the display of fresh caramels and chocolates in the glass cases of the in-store confectionery shop is one of my fondest Christmastime memories.

During the holiday season, I would turn to the toy section of the Sears catalog “Wishbook,” which was the thickness of a big-city phone book, and circle the toys I wanted. Of course, if I was lucky, just one or two of them would be under the tree on Christmas morning.

Since Sears’ corporate decision to move its headquarters from downtown Chicago to Hoffman Estates, I’ve had a few assignments at the new facility over the years and I thought it was a neat place. At least one speaker during the ceremony alluded to the belief that buildings are supposed to last at least a century, and the Sears Hoffman Estates campus lasted just three decades.

When I arrived at my assignment last month, I was surprised by the poor condition of the parking lot and sidewalks, and the presence of weeds growing from the cracks. I find it amazing how quickly things deteriorate when they aren’t used.

On a positive note, it was mentioned during a speech at the ceremony that concrete from the old facility will be crushed and recycled, and used as a subsurface for construction of the Compass Datacenters campus.