“A faded Mediterranean Revival-styled pergola that is the main feature of a North Lawndale garden, created 120 years ago by Sears, Roebuck & Co., is now being restored.

“Work began Friday on the 100-foot long pergola at 3330 W. Arthington St. The structure is the centerpiece of the nearly 2-acre garden built in 1907 as a rest spot for employees at what was then Sears’ sprawling campus headquarters.

“‘People are going to be amazed by the work,’ said the Rev. Reshorna Fitzpatrick, chairperson of Friends of Sears Sunken Garden’s board. “The work is going to happen pretty fast, and it’s actually going to be pretty beautiful.”

“The $1 million restoration is being funded by a grant from the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation.

“Most of the landmark Sears buildings are now being reused, although its big administration building at 3333 W. Arthington St. sits vacant.

“The Sears Sunken Garden pergola is an off-white open-air structure composed of 20 classically-designed concrete columns set below a red clay tile roof.

“‘This will take a few days. Then, it’s a few months of heavy lifting’ that includes replacing the pergola’s roof tiles and wood trusses, while repairing its concrete columns, said the project’s principal in charge, architect Andrea Terry of Arda Design.

“Fitzpatrick said the Friends of Sears Sunken Garden group is looking to raise at least another $4.5 million to remake the green space surrounding the pergola.

“The garden would be less Victorian than the one created by Sears’ campus architects Nimmons & Fellows more than a century ago for company employees to eat lunch, catch a few warm breezes or listen to live music.

“‘It must have been so peaceful,” she said of the garden’s early years.

“‘You come and you sit down and enjoy the beautiful sun and this beautiful space,” Fitzpatrick said. ‘How refreshing that must have been. We want to create that same experience for the families, people in the city and the people who come to tour the space.”(Bey, Chicago Sun-Times, 4/17/26)

Read the full story at Chicago Sun-Times

• Restoration starts on pergola at North Lawndale’s historic Sears garden; The structure is the centerpiece of the nearly 2-acre garden built in 1907 as a rest spot for employees at what was then Sears’ sprawling campus headquarters, Lee Bey, Chicago Sun-Times, 4/17/26
• Restoration of Historic Sears Sunken Garden Underway in North Lawndale, With a Design From Lurie Garden Mastermind, Patty Wetli, WTTW Chicago, 10/22/25
• Restoring Chicago’s Historic Sears Sunken Garden, Fox32 Chicago, 10/21/25
• North Lawndale’s Sears Sunken Garden Breaks Ground On $5 Million Overhaul; The first phase of the historic landmark’s renovation will restore the pergola and is expected to be completed this spring, Michael Liptrot, Block Club Chicago, 10/17/25
• Ask Geoffrey: The Sears Sunken Garden, Quinn Myers, Masha Dolgoff, WTYTW Chicago, 2/4/21