2650 E Olympic Blvd

While driving east on the 10 towards the tangle of freeways known as the East LA interchange, you may notice the tower of the Sears Roebuck Mail Order Building standing high above its surroundings. Constructed in 1927 and expanded through 8 additions until 1970, this 1.8 million square foot structure was once a vital center of community, providing hundreds of jobs to the residents of Boyle Heights. The building's history is inextricably linked to narratives of urban planning and transportation development in Los Angeles, particularly the construction of the East LA Interchange. While thousands of homes were demolished and people were forcibly displaced for its development, commercial and industrial spaces were protected. While freeways carved through parks and bordered schools, the Santa Ana 5 was conveniently rerouted to avoid the Sears Mail Order building. 

The impact of freeways is ever-present in Boyle Heights. 

While 61% of proposed freeways throughout Los Angeles were built, 100% were built in Boyle Heights. 

While freeways make up 4% of the landscape of LA, they occupy 19% of Boyle Heights.

Ironically, the rise of the automobile, supported by the expanding freeway system, led to significant changes in American consumer patterns. As cars became widely available, Sears transitioned its business model from the mail order catalog to department stores, making the mail-order building that had been so carefully protected obsolete. The closure of the Sears building in 1992 marked a shift in its relationship to the surrounding area, leaving the building unoccupied and disengaged from its context.  

This thesis examines how urban planning policies have been used as tools for community disruption.  The conscious placement of the East LA Interchange in Boyle Heights fragmented established neighborhoods and social networks while erasing cultural landmarks and gathering spaces. It placed a generational burden of pollution and environmental degradation on the land. 

This thesis proposes a reimagining of 2650 E Olympic Blvd, exploring reclamation through selective destruction. The project's most significant subtraction is a reflection of the Sears tower, which has long served as a symbol of home for Boyle Heights residents. This move splits the building into twin structures with a large central void. One half of the project remains untouched, while the other is carefully designed. The interventions challenge conventional preservation methods by employing intentional demolition to create porosity in the structure. By carving through and shifting the existing massing, the proposal allows light into the massive floor plates and creates open spaces, enhancing the building's functionality.

The programmatic strategy re-interprets the notion of a community center and pays homage to the building's historical role as a center for jobs and resources. This project explores how thoughtful adaptation, rooted in community memory, can produce spaces that continue to signify home for generations to come. Leaving room for adaptation and changing community needs, it fosters environments of resistance and preserves the history of Boyle Heights. It utilizes subtraction as a tool for rebuilding.

INFORMATION

EXHIBIT

EVENTS

STUDENTS

Elizabeth Smilek