Fifth Street Store Explained

Fifth Street Store
Type:Privately-held company
Industry:Clothing
Founded: in Los Angeles, USA
Fate:Locations merged into Ohrbach's, Milliron's Westchester, or Walker Scott
Area Served:California, USA

The Fifth Street Store was a major department store in Los Angeles opened in 1905.

Name

The official name of the company and store changed many times:

Broadway, Los Angeles store

It was located at the southwest corner of Fifth and Broadway.

The company replaced the building with a new eight-story store completed in 1924. From 1925 the store began to advertise as Walkers — co-founder Ralf (R. M.) Walker would later found what would be San Diego's largest department store chain, Walker Scott. In 1946 it changed its name to Milliron's. The Broadway Department Store purchased the store in 1950 and closed it in 1956, when Ohrbach's bought it in August 1953. The store underwent a $1,000,000 remodel by Welton Becket, architect, and reopened in November 1953 as Ohrbach's-Downtown.[4] Ohrbach's closed its branch and sold the building in 1959.[5] The building still exists and consists of loft condominium (Shybary Grand Lofts, 312 W. Fifth St.) with retail on the ground floor.[6]

Westchester store

See main article: Milliron's Westchester. Milliron's Westchester opened on March 17, 1949,[7] designed by prominent retail architect Victor Gruen and cost $3,000,000 to build.[7] The grand opening was a large event and the architecture - with its straight lines combined with large curves at the angles; its triangular window displays jutting out from the store; and the deck to its rooftop parking deck – was considered a landmark in retail architecture.[8] [9] [10] The store was sold shortly afterwards, in June 1950, to The Broadway.[11]

Walker's Long Beach

Walkers/Walker's opened their first branch store in Downtown Long Beach at 4th and Pine - Pine being the main shopping artery - in 1933. Meyer and Holler designed the 1928 art deco building for the Hugh A. Marti Co.[12] In 1952, they spent $300,000 to expand to 132000square feet, adding 5 escalators, more than the total number of escalators in Long Beach at the time. Walker's Long Beach opened a second Long Beach store at Los Altos Center in 1954 which it sold to The Broadway shortly thereafter in 1956.[13] [14] Walker's sold its Downtown Long Beach store in 1960, but it continued to operate as Walker's until 1978.

Walker-Scott San Diego

Walker's opened a branch store in Downtown San Diego in 1935, which separated in the early 1950s and became Walker Scott.[15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29]

External links

Notes and References

  1. "Muse President Fifth Street Store", Los Angeles 'Herald', 1909-02-07
  2. "Big Department Store To Open", Los Angeles 'Herald', 1905-09-17
  3. News: Store's Name Now Milliron's . Los Angeles Times . May 2, 1946.
  4. News: Thousands at opening of new Ohrbach store . Los Angeles Times . December 1, 1953 . 18.
  5. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26277245/ohrbachs_downtown_store_building_sold/ "Ohrbach's Downtown Store Building Sold", The Los Angeles 'Times', 29 Apr 1959, Page 28
  6. books.google.com/books?id=4q6fBQAAQBAJ 1950s American Style: A Reference Guide
  7. News: Milliron's New Store Will Open Tomorrow . Los Angeles Times . March 16, 1949.
  8. Web site: Herman . Daniel . Victor Gruen Today . The Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban Design . June 3, 2020.
  9. News: South Bay History: Innovative design put Milliron's department store on the map in Westchester . Daily Breeze . April 19, 2020.
  10. Web site: Victor Gruen Associates . Los Angeles Conservancy.
  11. News: Broadway Store Buy's Milliron's in Westchester . Los Angeles Times . June 30, 1950.
  12. http://pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/19713/ "Walker's Long Beach", Pacific Coast Architecture Database (PCAD)
  13. News: Walker's Celebrates 19 Years of Progress . 11 May 2019 . Long Beach Independent Press-Telegram . October 5, 1952 . 9.
  14. News: Broadway-Walker-Whaley Deal Takes Effect Monday . Independent Press-Telegram (Long Beach, California) . 30 Sep 1956 . 65.
  15. News: Walker's Store To Slice Cake Today . . October 7, 1926 . A10 . . April 23, 2019 . February 20, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160220060220/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/doc/161967461.html . live . .
  16. News: Silver Jubilee On At Walker's: Fifth-Street Store Observes Twenty-Fifth Anniversary . . October 5, 1930 . A3 . . April 23, 2019 . February 20, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160220060227/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/doc/162338876.html . live . .
  17. News: R. M. Walker Funeral Set: Company's Stores To Close Tuesday When Rites Will Be Conducted . . August 30, 1935 . 12 . . April 23, 2019 . February 20, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160220060321/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/doc/163396045.html . live . .
  18. News: Walker's Store Sold: Owners of Building Pay $1,400,000 for Mercantile House . . September 1, 1937 . A1 . . April 23, 2019 . February 20, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160220060357/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/doc/164802467.html . live . .
  19. News: Fifth St. Store Shares Offered . . October 18, 1944 . 10 . . .
  20. News: Walker's Start Building East Long Beach Store . . July 25, 1954 . A6 . . .
  21. News: $4,000,000 Store Opens, In Long Beach Center . . October 23, 1955 . E26 . . April 23, 2019 . February 20, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160220060506/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/doc/166831989.html . live . .
  22. News: H. F. Conrad Buys Long Beach Store . . June 2, 1953 . 28 . . April 23, 2019 . February 20, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160220060437/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/doc/166475806.html . live . .
  23. News: Succumbs: R. M. Walker Dies In East; Merchant Identified With Growth of Los Angeles for Thirty-five Years; R. M. Walker Dies In East; Store Owner, Clubman and Philanthropist Stricken on Buying Trip . . August 29, 1935 . 1 . . April 23, 2019 . March 6, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160306204011/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/doc/163367888.html . live . .
  24. News: Handsome Department Store.: New Steele-Faris-Walker Emporium Of Dry Goods Opened--Inspected by a Large Crowd . . October 3, 1905 . II6 . . April 23, 2019 . March 4, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304235558/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/doc/164389091.html . live . .
  25. News: New Head And Expansion.: Former Chicago Business Man Becomes President Of Fifth-Street Store . . February 7, 1909 . II8 . . April 23, 2019 . March 7, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160307074043/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/doc/159301447.html . live . .
  26. News: Fifth Street Store To Start Building.: Big Broadway Project Will Represent Investment of Over Million and a Half Dollars. Fine Structure to Rise at Fifth and Broadway . . August 14, 1921 . V1 . . April 23, 2019 . February 20, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160220060145/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/doc/161058957.html . live . .
  27. News: Walker's Store in Change of Management . . April 13, 1957 . 13 . . April 23, 2019 . February 20, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160220060522/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/doc/167064890.html . live . .
  28. News: Butler Bros. Unit Acquires L.B. Store . . May 8, 1960 . G6 . . .
  29. News: City Products Buys Big Store In California . . May 7, 1960 . A5 . . .

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