Wednesday, June 19, 2024 – EVER NOTICE THE LETTERING ON THE BLOOMINGDALE’S FACADE

By admin

THE ART DECO MAGIC OF BLOOMINGDALE’S
LEXINGTON AVENUE STORE SIGN

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2024
ISSUE # 1256

EPHEMERAL NEWYORK

Like many of Manhattan’s legendary department stores, Bloomingdale’s developed in stages.

First came Lyman and Joseph Bloomingdale’s “Ladies’ Notions Shop” on Chambers Street, where they sold the trendiest garment of the 1860s: the hoop skirt.

In 1886, the Bloomingdale Brothers moved their store, renamed the “East Side Emporium,” to the hinterlands of Manhattan at Lexington Avenue and 59th Street.

“The store expanded steadily and by the 1920’s, Bloomingdale’s converted an entire city block,” states Bloomingdale’s website.

The block-long store that was put together piecemeal underwent an Art Deco makeover in 1930. A movie-marquee awning, metal decals along the facade, and geometric shapes above the main entrance decorate the store’s Lexington Avenue side.

What captures my eye is the Art Deco-style lettering on Bloomingdale’s facade and the entrance awning. I’m not enough of a typeface expert to know if it has a name.

But the san serif, all-caps lettering is a unique reminder of the magic of Art Deco—and that this beloved midcentury design style dominating many of Manhattan’s skyscraper districts can be found hidden away in unusual places: subway entrances, nameplates on building doors, and the lettering above store entrances.

PS 217 SANITATION SQUAD.

ARMED WITH TRASH BAGS AND GRABBERS
STUDENTS ATTACKED TRASH ON MAIN STREET
A PROGRAM FUNDED BY THE NY SANITATION DEPARTMENT

CREDIT 

Tags: Art Deco Department Stores New York City, Art Deco in New York City, Bloomingdale Hoop Skirts, Bloomingdale’s Art Deco NYC, Bloomingdale’s History New York City, Bloomingdale’s Sign Typeface Art Deco
Posted in Defunct department stores, Fashion and shopping, Lower East Side, Random signage | 5 Comments »

All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated
THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.

Copyright © 2024 Roosevelt Island Historical Society, All rights reserved.Our mailing address is:
rooseveltislandhistory@gmail.com