This story was originally published by Boyle Heights Beat on July 30, 2025.
For decades, the Sears tower loomed over Boyle Heights.
The 10-story, Art Deco complex, which once served as a mail-order warehouse, became a shopping hub for Eastsiders looking for clothing and household appliances. But in recent years, the landmark has stood at the center of debates over gentrification, homelessness and what the future of Boyle Heights would look like.
Now, the public once again has the chance to step inside.
Last week, the Mark Jude Gallery hosted a grand opening exhibition on the building’s fifth floor, welcoming visitors into the space that has largely been closed off to the general public.
For some, the gallery marks the beginning of a new chapter for the site located at Olympic Boulevard and Soto Street, surrounded by warehouses, gas stations and fast food restaurants.
The building has seen multiple development proposals since Izek Shomof bought the property in 2013. A plan to convert it to a high-end residential and commercial destination, drew ire from some community members who argued such a space would exacerbate wealth inequality in the neighborhood. Pivoting, Shomof instead unveiled plans for a Life Rebuilding Center, a hub offering housing, rehabilitation services and job training for unhoused residents.
The original plan included 10,000 beds for homeless people, which sparked community concern. Some likened the plans to a “concentration camp,” leading Shomof to scale back his ambitions and reduce the number of planned beds to just 2,500 in 2022.
But even the scaled-down version failed to gain political traction. In an email to Boyle Heights Beat, Jonathan Shomof of the Shomof Group said that the project represented a “comprehensive solution designed to address the homelessness crisis in our cities effectively,” but ultimately never materialized.
“Unfortunately, due to inaction by elected officials, this plan has been shelved for now,” Shomof said.
Despite describing homelessness as a humanitarian crisis, elected officials remained hesitant to offer backing. Former L.A. City Councilman Kevin de León told The Los Angeles Times in 2022 that he was “open to all solutions” to address homelessness.
That same year, L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis told the publication that the project, as it stood then, did not have support from her office.
Some community leaders like Monsignor John Moretta of Resurrection Church expressed cautious optimism about repurposing the building, but said it should be done with care and executed with more planning.
“It’s just a stupid idea to pack that many people with those many needs inside of that area,” Moretta said, referring to projects like the Life Rebuilding Center.
Shomof hopes the Mark Jude Gallery will bring more people and activity to the neighborhood and eventually inspires more retailers to the area. That’s something Vivian Escalante could get behind.
“I hope people don’t feel intimidated by this,” said Escalante, CEO of Boyle Heights Neighborhood Partners, a nonprofit focused on historic education and cultural preservation in the neighborhood. Escalante, who also serves on the Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council, said she met with Izek Shomof in the past and admired his interest in preservation and community engagement.
“I think overall, it’s a good change, because it is with the arts, and we should always support the arts,” she said.
But not everyone sees the gallery as a purely positive development.
In an Instagram post, Shmuel Gonzales described the opening as the latest in a pattern of art galleries “enabling gentrification for the ultra rich” in the working-class community.
In years past, activist groups like Defend Boyle Heights have resisted the introduction of galleries in the community.
“I can’t really tell you what fine art is, but I can tell you what #gentrification looks like,” Gonzales wrote. “Make no mistake about it, the community is going to resist the encroachment of the Arts District into our neighborhood.”
Gonzales added that what’s needed now is a conversation with building owner Izek Shomof to engage with the community “with honesty and in good faith about his true vision for this site.”
As for further plans, Jonathan Shomof said that for now, his group will maintain the building’s “historic uses, such as office space, distribution, and storage.”
