Parmelee-Dohrmann was a Los Angeles-based chain of stores that sold fine china, crystal, glassware, silver, and objects of art.[1]
Parmelee-Dohrmann store at the Workman Block, 232–234 S. Spring St., c. 1900–1906
The store dated back to 1878, when it occupied an adobe building near the Los Angeles Plaza.
On June 17, 1899, Parmelee and Dohrmann opened the "China Hall" store at the Workman Block, 232–234 S. Spring Street — at that time they also carried appliances like stoves and refrigerators.[2]
Throughout 1906, the company held several grand opening events to celebrate its new 70,000-square-foot (6,500 m2) flagship store, occupying five floors of a new eight-story building at 436–444 S. Broadway, which had by then become the city's busiest retail district. The store was designed by Morgan & Walls.[3] In addition to tabletop and home decoration, the store sold art. The store was described as the finest of its kind west of New York. It featured an innovation, pneumatic tubes for processing sales transactions between the sales floor and the cashiers' area.[4][5]
In 1927 it moved to the new upscale shopping area around West Seventh Street that took place after J. W. Robinson's moved to Seventh, Hope and Grand in 1917.[6] Its new quarters were at 741–747 S. Flower Street, also not far from Myer Siegel and Barker Brothers.
The Los Angeles Times described the company, once it had moved to its new Flower Street store, as the largest china, crystal and silver retail organization in the world at the time, with fifteen stores in total.[7]
In March 1933, the Los Angeles Flower Street flagship and Pasadena branch were closed and a joint venture was set up with upscale department store Bullock's whereby a "Bullock's Parmelee Dohrmann" opened inside Bullock's flagship store at Seventh and Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles. It took up the entire seventh floor and sold "dinnerware, glassware, kitchen utensils, refrigerators, ranges, and washing machines".[8]
The Dohrmann bought Parmelee out and in the 1950s the remaining stores' names were changed to Dohrmann's.
The San Francisco 76,000-square-foot (7,100 m2) Union Square store was demolished in 1967 and Macy's constructed a building on the site that would become part of the complex of its Union Square store. [9]
parmelee, dohrmann, angeles, based, chain, stores, that, sold, fine, china, crystal, glassware, silver, objects, store, workman, block, spring, 1900, 1906, store, dated, back, 1878, when, occupied, adobe, building, near, angeles, plaza, june, 1899, parmelee, d. Parmelee Dohrmann was a Los Angeles based chain of stores that sold fine china crystal glassware silver and objects of art 1 Parmelee Dohrmann store at the Workman Block 232 234 S Spring St c 1900 1906 The store dated back to 1878 when it occupied an adobe building near the Los Angeles Plaza On June 17 1899 Parmelee and Dohrmann opened the China Hall store at the Workman Block 232 234 S Spring Street at that time they also carried appliances like stoves and refrigerators 2 Throughout 1906 the company held several grand opening events to celebrate its new 70 000 square foot 6 500 m2 flagship store occupying five floors of a new eight story building at 436 444 S Broadway which had by then become the city s busiest retail district The store was designed by Morgan amp Walls 3 In addition to tabletop and home decoration the store sold art The store was described as the finest of its kind west of New York It featured an innovation pneumatic tubes for processing sales transactions between the sales floor and the cashiers area 4 5 In 1927 it moved to the new upscale shopping area around West Seventh Street that took place after J W Robinson s moved to Seventh Hope and Grand in 1917 6 Its new quarters were at 741 747 S Flower Street also not far from Myer Siegel and Barker Brothers The Los Angeles Times described the company once it had moved to its new Flower Street store as the largest china crystal and silver retail organization in the world at the time with fifteen stores in total 7 In March 1933 the Los Angeles Flower Street flagship and Pasadena branch were closed and a joint venture was set up with upscale department store Bullock s whereby a Bullock s Parmelee Dohrmann opened inside Bullock s flagship store at Seventh and Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles It took up the entire seventh floor and sold dinnerware glassware kitchen utensils refrigerators ranges and washing machines 8 The Dohrmann bought Parmelee out and in the 1950s the remaining stores names were changed to Dohrmann s The San Francisco 76 000 square foot 7 100 m2 Union Square store was demolished in 1967 and Macy s constructed a building on the site that would become part of the complex of its Union Square store 9 Dohrmann s was bought by the Broadway Hale Corporation which would in 1995 become part of Federated Department Stores which itself was later renamed Macy s Inc 10 References Edit Longstreth Richard 1997 City Center to Regional Mall Architecture the Automobile and Retailing in Los Angeles 1920 1950 MIT Press p 41 Advertisement for China Hall Los Angeles Times June 17 1899 New Building on Broadway Los Angeles Evening Express March 18 1905 Beautiful Art Ware at Opening Display Parmelee amp Dohrmann Store Draws Crowds Los Angeles Times November 18 1906 Really a Broadway Palace Los Angeles Times April 1 1906 Steam Shovels Scooping Out Dirt At Site Of Big Store Los Angeles Times May 24 1914 Merchants Enter New Home Soon Los Angeles Times January 30 1927 Add for Bullock s and Parmelee Dohrmann Los Angeles Times February 6 1933 p 5 Old Dohrmann s Front Now New Door at Macy s San Francisco Examiner October 29 1968 Family Parmelee website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Parmelee Dohrmann amp oldid 1118178902, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
