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The Broadway

The Broadway was a mid-level department store chain headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1896 by English-born Arthur Letts Sr., and named after what was once the city's main shopping street,[1] the Broadway became a dominant retailer in Southern California and the Southwest. Its fortunes eventually declined, and Federated Department Stores (now Macy's, Inc.) bought the chain in 1995. In 1996, Broadway stores were either closed or converted into Macy's and Bloomingdales.

History

Original Broadway store as seen around 1908–1910
Back entrance, east side of Hill between 4th and 5th.
The 1913–1973 Downtown Los Angeles flagship store
Sign atop the former Broadway-Hollywood branch, still present today long after the store's closure

Origins

In 1895, J. A. Williams formed J. A. Williams & Co., built and opened his Broadway Department Store on August 29, 1895. In February, 1896 the store was liquidated, and Arthur Letts bought the name, assets, fixtures, and the building lease for $8377 and, on February 24, 1896, the Broadway started operating under Letts.[1][2][3] The previous owners had a good location in a recently constructed building at the southwest corner of Broadway and Fourth Streets,[4] but had all of its assets seized by their creditors for failure to pay its bills after just four short months of operations.[5][6][7] In contrast, Letts was able to pay off all of his creditors in a short period of time after acquiring the assets for the failed store by the quick sale of the same assets and by watching his expenses.[8][9]

In a short period of time, the business was doing so well, that it had to expand into adjacent store fronts.

The New and Greater Broadway (1914–15)

Between 1900 and 1910, the population of Los Angeles more than tripled. Bullock's, in 1907, and Hamburger's (later May Co.), in 1908, had both opened stores occupying entire city blocks. It was clear to Letts that The Broadway needed a new, much larger building.[2]

In 1912 The Broadway announced plans for a new nine-story building with nearly 11 acres of floor space to be built in several phases at the same location (320 W. Fourth St., southwest corner of Broadway, now the Junipero Serra state office building). The store would have 11 passenger and 4 freight elevators; three entrances on Broadway, one on Fourth St. and one on Hill St. The architect was John Joseph (J. J.) Frauenfelder of Parkinson & Bergstrom.[10][11] with construction starting in 1913 while the current store remained in business.[9]

The first phase was to acquire space in the first three floors of the Clark Hotel Building along Hill St.; the hotel backed up to the Broadway's existing store. This 71,000-square-foot (6,600 m2) Hill Street "division" (wing), as it was then called, opened as a new part of the store. The departments from the southern half of the existing store along Broadway were transferred to the Hill St. space on November 3, 1913.[12][13]

The second phase was to demolish the southern building of the existing store complex, along Broadway, and build the southern half of the new Broadway store in its place. This section (96,600 square feet (8,970 m2)) opened on August 10, 1914. Departments from the northern half of the store facing Broadway and Fourth streets were transferred into the new space.[14][15]

Finally, the northern half of the store along Broadway was removed and the northern half of the new Broadway store was built. This section opened on June 25, 1915,[16][17] although the formal inauguration was during Fashion Week on September 16, 1915.[18]

The new "New and Greater Broadway store", as it was advertised,[19] had 242 feet (74 m) of storefront along Broadway and 166 feet (51 m) along Fourth Street. It was 9 stories high and covered 11 acres (4.5 ha), stretching from Broadway all the way west to Hill Street, which also had an entrance.[citation needed]

On November 10, 1924, The Broadway added another building, 80 feet (24 m) wide and 123 feet (37 m) deep, immediately west of the main building along Fourth Street, thus adding 119,790 square feet (11,129 m2) of floor space over ten above-ground and three below-ground floors. It added six passenger and three freight elevators.[20][21]

In summary, the Downtown flagship store evolved in size as follows:[21]

Suburban expansion

In 1931, The Broadway bought the B. H. Dyas Hollywood store which became the Broadway-Hollywood.[22]

In 1940, The Broadway built a landmark three-story store in Pasadena, at the corner of Colorado and Los Robles on the site of the old famous Maryland Hotel. The striking Streamline Moderne building had a 117-foot tower with a marquee facing both streets, and parking for 400 cars.[23] It would be abandoned in 1980 for a newly built store across the street in the new Plaza Pasadena mall.

In 1950, the company merged with Sacramento-based Hale Brothers to form Broadway-Hale Stores. In the same year it purchased the year-old Westchester branch of Milliron's and converted it to a Broadway. The store, designed by legendary retail architect Victor Gruen, was a considered a model of ultra-modern retail architecture at the time, with rooftop parking and striking, angular design designed to attract passing motorists.[24][25]

The Broadway bought out competitors in Los Angeles (B.H. Dyas, Milliron's, and Coulter's), and expanded into new markets through acquisitions of small local chains: Marston's in San Diego and Korricks in Phoenix. In later years the Broadway opened stores in Nevada (Las Vegas), New Mexico, and Colorado. In 1979, it was split into two divisions: The Broadway Southern California, based in Los Angeles; and Broadway Southwest, headquartered in Phoenix, for the stores outside California.

Dissolution

The Broadway's parent Carter Hawley Hale Stores ran into financial difficulties which resulted from poor management decisions and hostile takeover attempts. In 1996 the chain was acquired by Federated Department Stores and the majority of locations were converted to the Macy's nameplate. Several stores in affluent areas where Macy's already had locations, South Coast Plaza,[citation needed] Sherman Oaks Fashion Square, Century City Shopping Center, Beverly Center, and Fashion Island Newport Beach,[26] were closed, refurbished and reopened as Bloomingdale's. Federated sold many of the remaining stores to Sears.

Downtown flagship store

The nine stories Beaux Arts building with its restrained Italian Renaissance Revival ornamentation at the southwest corner of Broadway and Fourth was designed by architects John Parkinson and Edwin Bergstrom to serve as the headquarters and the flagship store for Arthur Letts' Broadway Department store chain with the first phase of construction completed in 1913. Construction, which included demolition of the previous store and expansion to the rest of the block when additional property were acquired, continued on several different stages until 1924. The Broadway occupied this location from 1913 to 1973.

On Friday, November 16th, 1973, at 6:00 P.M.,[27] The Broadway's downtown flagship store at 4th and Broadway, where it had operated for 77 years, closed its doors forever. It was replaced by a new, smaller 3-story flagship store at the newly constructed Broadway Plaza office and retail complex nearby.

The original flagship store structure changed hands a number of times and sat empty for years, before being bought by developer Roger Luby in May 1984. Luby's plans fell apart the following year when his partners, a consortium of 32 Oklahoma savings and loans defaulted as a result of the savings and loan crisis and the $56 million (~$132 million in 2023) renovation project defaulted on its loans when half completed in September 1986.[28][29]

As state office building

In June 1995, the State of California paid $1.8 million for the building to the Resolution Trust Corporation, which inherited the property upon the collapse of some of the savings and loans, and $61.5 million for renovation[30][31] to replace the unsafe Junipero Serra State Office Building at Broadway and First streets,[32] which was later demolished in 2006.[33] The renovated building at Broadway and Fourth reopened as the new Junipero Serra State Office Building in 1999.[11] To balance the state budget, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to sell the office building to private developers as a part of a sale and lease back scheme.[34]

As of 2020, the Junipero Serra Building is one of 56 buildings managed by California Department of General Services and only one of two (the other is the Ronald Reagan State Building) that are located in Los Angeles.[35]

Store list

This is a list of the Broadway store numbers with their locations and opening dates:[36][37][38]

The last Broadway Southwest store was originally planned to be built at Superstition Springs Center mall in Mesa, Arizona. But due to the attempted hostile takeover by The Limited, construction was halted. And as a result, it started doing business as Robinsons-May instead in 1994 (now Macy's since 2006).

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Groves, Martha (February 12, 1991). "The Broadway: Bright History, Uncertain Future". Los Angeles Times.
  2. ^ a b Richardson, Eric (November 16, 2011). "38 Years Ago: Broadway Department Store Moved Off Namesake Street". Blogdowntown. KPCC.
  3. ^ "City News In Brief". Los Angeles Herald. Vol. 45, no. 134. February 22, 1896. p. 7 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection. The stock of the Broadway store has been sold by the board of trade to Arthur Letts for the sum of $8377.
  4. ^ "Hallett And Pirtle Block". Los Angeles Herald. Vol. 44, no. 115. August 4, 1895. p. 6 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection. The Superb New Broadway Structure at The Corner of Fourth Office and Mercantile Apartments of Modern Proportions The Upper Story to Be Utilized as a First Class Lodging Hotel With a Roof Garden
  5. ^ "Grand Opening Today; Finest Store of the Kind on the Pacific Coast Designed Like "The Fair"; Eighteen Departments Will Be Maintained". Los Angeles Herald. Vol. 44, no. 140. August 29, 1895. p. 5 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection. The new institution will be styled J.A. Williams & Co., the members of the firm being Mr. J. A. Williams, and Mr. B.F. Overman. The place of business will be styled the Broadway Department Store, and it will occupy apartments in the Hallett & Pirtle building, at the corner of Fourth and Broadway.
  6. ^ "A Los Angeles Failure". San Francisco Call. Vol. 79, no. 55. January 24, 1896. p. 3 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection. Broadway Department Store Attached by Several Creditors Yesterday.
  7. ^ "For Sale: Stock and Fixtures of Broadway Department Store". Los Angeles Herald. Vol. 45, no. 125. February 13, 1896. p. 4 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection. The Creditors' Committee in the matter of J.A. Williams & Co. will receive sealed bids for the stock, fixtures and fittings of the Broadway Department Store, Pirtle Building, southwest corner Broadway and Fourth Street.
  8. ^ "Broadway Department Store". Los Angeles Herald. Vol. 45, no. 135. February 23, 1896 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection. The entire stock of J.A. Williams & Co. will be placed on sale Monday, February 24th, and must be Closed Out in Thirty Days...Broadway Department Store; Arthur Letts, Assignee; Corner Fourth and Broadway.
  9. ^ a b Findlay, Paul (February 1918). "How They Did It". System: The Magazine of Business. Vol. 33, no. 2. pp. 200–202.
  10. ^ a b "Plans Out for Mammoth Store". Los Angeles Times. December 29, 1912.
  11. ^ a b "Junipero Serra State Office Building". Los Angeles Conservancy.
  12. ^ "Flits without Hour's Loss: Big Department Store Moves between Days". Los Angeles Times. November 2, 1913.
  13. ^ "Advertisement for The Broadway". Los Angeles Times. November 3, 1913.
  14. ^ Gray, Olive (August 11, 1914). "Broadway's First Unit Attracts Thousands". Los Angeles Times.
  15. ^ a b "Small Army Moves Store Contents: Broadway Department to Open in its New Quarters Tomorrow". Los Angeles Times. August 9, 1914.
  16. ^ "Greater Broadway Department Store to Throw Open Doors Monday: Structure is Model of Safety and Possesses Conveniences of Special Merit". Los Angeles Times. June 16, 1915.
  17. ^ "Store Doubled in Few Hours: Expansion of The Broadway Seems Feat of Magic". Los Angeles Times. June 17, 1915.
  18. ^ "New Store to Greet Guests: Indoor Inspection Plans for the "Broadway"". Los Angeles Times. September 15, 1915.
  19. ^ "The Up-Building of the New and Greater Broadway (advertisement)". Los Angeles Times. February 3, 1913.
  20. ^ "Latest Features in Dept. Store Construction Here: Congestion in Main Building to be Relieved by Additions". Los Angeles Times. November 8, 1924.
  21. ^ a b "Framework is now finished: Construction Started Late Last Fall: Additional Will Be Completed During July: Department Store Growth Is Consistent". Los Angeles Times. March 23, 1924. p. 91. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  22. ^ "Broadway buys B.H. Dyas Store", Los Angeles Times, March 3, 1931, p. 1
  23. ^ a b c "Store to Open in Pasadena". Los Angeles Times. November 14, 1940. p. 34. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  24. ^ a b c "Milliron's New Store Will Open Tomorrow". Los Angeles Times. March 16, 1949.
  25. ^ a b c "Broadway Store Buy's Milliron's in Westchester". Los Angeles Times. June 30, 1950.
  26. ^ Callender, Ealena (February 16, 1996). "Going Upscale : Beverly Center Broadway Will Become Bloomingdale's". Los Angeles Times.
  27. ^ "Old building future undecided - Broadway Department Store Opens in New Site Saturday". The Los Angeles Times. November 16, 1973. p. 139. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  28. ^ Carlton, Jim (October 5, 1988). "John Wayne's Daughter, Friend Attacked". Los Angeles Times.
  29. ^ Davidson, Jean & Carlton, Jim (October 7, 1988). "Luby--a Success Story Plagued With Problems". Los Angeles Times.
  30. ^ Gordon, Larry (June 8, 1995). "State to Buy Broadway Site : Renewal: Officials plan to renovate old department store complex Downtown for government offices". Los Angeles Times.
  31. ^ Reich, Kenneth (March 17, 1997). "State to Vacate and Demolish Quake-Threatened Office Building". Los Angeles Times.
  32. ^ Reich, Kenneth (December 26, 1994). "State Orders Shutdown of Parking Structure : Safety: The 145 S. Broadway facility could collapse in a moderate quake, an engineer says. Severe shaking would threaten adjacent state office building, but it will stay open". Los Angeles Times.
  33. ^ "State of California, State Office Building, 107 South Broadway, Downtown, Los Angeles, CA (1958-1960) demolished". Pacific Coast Architecture Database.
  34. ^ Vaillancourt, Ryan (December 18, 2009). "State Selling Two Downtown Buildings: Reagan and Junipero Serra Buildings on the Block". Los Angeles Downtown News.
  35. ^ "List of DGS-Managed Office Buildings". California Department of General Services.
  36. ^ Directory of Major Malls, Listing the Most Important Existing and Planned Shopping Centers, Developers, Retailers, Markets in the United States and Canada, MJJTM Publications Corp., 1981
  37. ^ "The Broadway", Rapid Transit Press
  38. ^ "The Broadway", The Department Store Museum"
  39. ^ a b "Dyas purchased". Los Angeles Times. March 25, 1938. p. 40. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  40. ^ Williams, Joshua (August 8, 2005). "Broadway Hollywood Building Historical Information". City of Los Angeles – Mayor's Office of Economic Development. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  41. ^ a b "Broadway's New Crenshaw Store to Open Today". Los Angeles Times. November 21, 1947.
  42. ^ "LA Conservancy, Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw Plaza".
  43. ^ Appendix LAX Master Plan EIS/EIR I. Section 106 Report January 2001 Prepared for: Los Angeles World Airports, U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration (PDF). PCR Services Corporation. p. 43. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  44. ^ a b "New Broadway Panorama City Store Opens". Los Angeles Times.
  45. ^ a b "'Copter Takes Group To Broadway-Valley". Valley Times. October 10, 1955.
  46. ^ "Broadway to Close Store in Anaheim Plaza Mall", Kevin Johnson, Los Angeles Times, June 20, 1992
  47. ^ Jennifer Lowe, "Orange County`s 1st Mall Faces An Overhaul", Chicago Tribune, August 16, 1992
  48. ^ a b "Anaheim Fetes New Broadway Store Opening". Los Angeles Times. October 15, 1955.
  49. ^ "Broadway to Open Anaheim Store Today". Los Angeles. October 14, 1955.
  50. ^ a b "Walker's Store in Change of Management 4". Los Angeles Times. April 13, 1957. p. 12 – via newspapers.com.
  51. ^ a b "Public Hails Walker's New Store". Independent. October 16, 1955. pp. 148–150 – via newspapers.com.
  52. ^ "Clipped From Long Beach Independent". Long Beach Independent. November 17, 1955. p. 25. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  53. ^ "Los altos Broadway adds floor". Independent Press-Telegram. December 29, 1963. p. 23. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  54. ^ a b "Broadway Store Opens in Whittwood Center". February 14, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  55. ^ a b "The Department" official site
  56. ^ "Korricks Department Store", Henry Trost Historical
  57. ^ a b "Department Store Opens in Center". Los Angeles Times. November 12, 1961. p. 150. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  58. ^ a b "2,000 Attend West Covina Store Opening". Pomona Progress Bulletin. August 7, 1962.
  59. ^ "Looking back on...Stonewood Center".
  60. ^ a b "Huntington Center to Have Air-Conditioned, Heated Mall". Long Beach Independent Press-Telegram. August 15, 1965. p. 113. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  61. ^ "Grand Opening Slated for Huntington Center". Long Beach Independent. November 17, 1966. p. 82. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  62. ^ "Huntington Center construction". Independent Press-Telegram. August 15, 1965. p. 113. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  63. ^ a b c "Sears Opens New Store Wednesday". San Bernardino County Sun. September 22, 1966. p. 25. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  64. ^ "Broadway opens Monday at new Inland Center". Redlands Daily Facts. August 24, 1966. p. 4.
  65. ^ a b c Allen, David (April 12, 2018). "Shoppers' memories of The Broadway prove indestructible (unlike the store)". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  66. ^ "$40 Million Montclair Plaza Under Construction". Los Angeles Times. February 25, 1968. p. 101. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  67. ^ a b "Music fashion and refreshment await guests at the opening of the latest Broadway department store in Los Arcos…". Arizona Republic. October 12, 1969. p. 187. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  68. ^ a b c "New Broadway Riverside is Store Within Store". Los Angeles Times. October 11, 1970. p. 25 (E-21). Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  69. ^ a b c "$30 Million Shopping Center Set in Orange". Los Angeles Times. February 22, 1970. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  70. ^ a b c "Store opens". Sacramento Bee. September 13, 1971. p. 20. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  71. ^ a b c "Broadway to Open $40-million Puente Hills Mall". Los Ángeles Times. February 17, 1974.
  72. ^ "Advertisement for The Broadway Santa Anita grand opening". Los Angeles Times. November 10, 1974.
  73. ^ "10th Buffum's to be introduced". Los Angeles Times. September 2, 1973.
  74. ^ "Advertisement for Opening Day Sale starting august 4, 1975". Los Angeles Times. August 3, 1975.
  75. ^ a b c "Fox Hills Mall Stats, Fox Hills Mall advertising supplement". Los Angeles Times. October 5, 1975.
  76. ^ a b "The Broadway: a chain on the move". Albuquerque Journal. February 15, 1976. pp. 46, 66. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  77. ^ "New Mexico Architecture, first quarter 1977".
  78. ^ Gnerre, Sam (October 2010). "South Bay History: Hawthorne Plaza". South Bay Daily Breeze. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  79. ^ a b c "Broadway's 44th store to open in La Jolla center", The Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep 1977,Page 129
  80. ^ a b c "Newest Broadway Store Opens in Sherman Oaks". Valley News. November 10, 1977. p. 35. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  81. ^ Woodfill, David. "Fiesta Mall swings out the old". East Valley Tribune. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  82. ^ a b c "New Broadway in Pasadena Rising". Los Angeles Times. April 20, 1980. p. 157. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  83. ^ a b "The Broadway to Open Friday". Lompoc Record. August 16, 1990. p. 3. Retrieved September 10, 2020.

External links