The J. M. High Company was a department store in Atlanta, Georgia. It was founded by Joseph Madison High (1855-1906), whose wife, Harriet "Hattie" Harwell Wilson High (1862-1932), donated her family's mansion on Peachtree Street to house the museum that has grown into the High Museum of Art, Atlanta's foremost art museum.[1] [2]
Joseph Madison was from Morgan County, Georgia. He started a business in Madison, Georgia, forming the firm, High & Berney. He later moved to Atlanta for greater opportunity, where he partnered with E. D. Herring to open up a dry goods store at 40 Whitehall Street (now Peachtree St. SE).[3] A new store opened at 50 Whitehall in 1882.[4] In 1884 High bought out Herring and renamed the firm J. M. High & Co.[3]
In 1887 High's department store opened a new location on the west side of Whitehall. By 1889, High was able to buy the southwest corner of Whitehall and Hunter (now King Blvd.) and erect a four story brick building with an ornate interior for his department store.[3]
In 1906, High died.[3]
In 1918 the store moved across the street to the former site of the Chamberlin-Johnson-DuBose department store, with 100000ft2 of floor space. The new store was named the "daylight department store" as the large windows "did away with the need for artificial illumination".[3]
The old store on the west side of Whitehall was later occupied by the McClure Ten Cent Company until the 1930s, then the F & W Grand Company, until it was finally demolished to make way for the new building of the H. L. Green Company.[5]
From 1926-1927, High's was home to a broadcasting studio of radio station WDBE.[6]