Thursday, October 21, 2021 – An appropriate memory of New York…B. Altman and Company
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2021
THE 500th EDITION
LOST NEW YORK
B. ALTMAN AND CO.
FROM UNTAPPED NEW YORK
The days of the flagship New York City department store of B. Altman are numbered. At one time, the glamorous New York City department store was the height of fashion, filled with opulent spaces and genteel clientele. Attentive employees and over-the-top merchandise were hallmarks of this experience. Unfortunately, changing tastes doomed all but the biggest stores in the 1980s. For the past decade, online buying has also taken its toll on these historic structures. Once pillars of the New York department store scene, Lord and Taylor, Henri Bendel, and Barneys New York were shuttered in 2020. Although B. Altman and Co. was lost to bankruptcy thirty years ago, its allure and nostalgia still live on.
The “B” in B. Altman stood for art collector and owner Benjamin Altman. Leaving the family business, he opened his own store in 1865 on the Lower East Side. The store quickly grew and so did the need for a bigger building. Moving to a new location on 6th Avenue and 18th Street, B. Altman was now part of “The Ladies’ Mile.” Ladies’ Mile was where wealthy ladies shopped. Stores like Macy’s and Lord & Taylor also clamored for business. Eventually, New York society would migrate uptown, and so too did the department stores. Anticipating this move, the enterprising Benjamin Altman had quietly been buying land along 5th Avenue and 34th Street. B. Altman’s new location would be neighbors with The Waldorf Astoria Hotel and Macy’s. Today, if you look hard enough, you can see glimpses of that grand era of department stores in Macy’s Herald Square store.
From Wikimedia CommonsPortrait of Benjamin Altman
The architectural firm Trowbridge and Livingston, who designed John Jacob Astor’s St. Regis Hotel, was commissioned for the project. B. Altman and Co. would be built in the Italianate Renaissance style. The French limestone exteriors complemented the large plate glass windows. The storefront windows included tantalizing merchandise and clothing guaranteed to attract customers. Additionally, interiors were magnificent with dramatic mahogany wood staircases, Doric columns on the first-floor showroom, and beautifully detailed elevators. The massive store had eight floors that sold luxury items such as perfume, china, art, furniture, tailored clothes, coats, and shoes. Huge crowds attended the opening of B. Altman and Co.’s proclaimed it the “Palace of Trade” in 1906.
According to The Life and Legacy of Benjamin Altman by Dr. Jeann Abrams for the Altman Foundation, Altman honed his skills as a tastemaker and trendsetter, transforming New York retail. B. Altman and Co. was one of the first to have distinctive clothing departments such as women, men and children for its clientele. Likewise, B. Altman used quality fabrics for its revolutionary ready-to-wear as well as its custom-made clothing. The store also had the ingenious idea of having a dedicated buyer in Paris. Yes, B. Altman had whole departments dedicated to Parisian fashion right on 5th Avenue.
Constant competition with the New York department stores drove B. Altman to innovate. The store would create the position of “walker” to assist both customers and employees. The walker was similar to a section manager who “walked” the floors to assure quality and satisfaction. Along with this new management style, the attentive staff and uniformed elevator operators generated a standard of refinement for its well heeled customers. Not to mention, the store had a waiting room for customers to rest until their carriage driver of chauffeurs arrived. Benjamin Altman wanted to accommodate his guests’ needs, big or small. And to that end, the store had a grand awning to protect the fashionable ladies from weather and wind.
“The Ladies Who Lunch at B. Altman and Co.”
In the late 19th century, New York society had strict rules for women both married and single. Surprisingly, New York’s department stores created the original “ladies who lunch.” And B. Altman and Co. provided its guests with lovely but reputable places for tea and eventually a restaurant, thus allowing unaccompanied women to shop and eat without a chaperone or husband. By the 1930s, New York department store restaurants were evolving into charming dining locales. Not to be outdone, B. Altman’s Charleston Restaurant had not only delicious meals but also a full-size Southern porch.
From Wikimedia CommonsAdvertisement for B, Altman and Company
It is important to realize that after Mr. Altman’s death in 1913, the Altman Foundation took over ownership of the store. With philanthropy as its driving force, B. Altman and Co. founded a program to help employees that had not finished high school to earn their degree. Indeed, this program was the continuation of Benjamin Altman’s thoughtful approach to his staff. Altman had already initiated a shorter workweek, subsidized meals and in-house doctor and medical care for his employees. Many employees would remain at B. Altman’s for decades thanks to these benefits. Due to changing tax laws, the Altman Foundation had to relinquish control of the famous New York City Department Store, and it was sold in 1986.
Lost New York Department Stores
By the 1980s, changing tastes and the modernity of the smaller chain store (such as the Gap) made shoppers take a another look at retail. Department stores were now thought of as old-fashioned and stuffy. With the fall of Gimbels, the formidable New York City department stores were at a loss about what to do. Once known as Macy’s rival in the film Miracle on 34th Street, if Gimbels could close, who was next? Unfortunately for B. Altman and Co., it would not be too far behind. The famed New York department store would declare bankruptcy in 1989. In November 1990, with no Santa but just a “going out of business” sale, B. Altman and Co. was no more.
Fortunately, B. Altman’s magnificent architecture was given landmark status by the New York City Landmark Preservation Commission in 1985. In 2000, CUNY Graduate School moved into the historic building. Luckily, some of the original interior details are still intact, such as the limestone facade, large display windows, and the beautiful curvy glass canopies. Beneath, a metal frieze runs above the entrance.
EDITORIAL
My mother would take me to Altman’s for much of my wardrobe. There was always a great selection of clothes. Lunch at the Charleston Garden was always included. Your tray came with your meal on it and the tray filled into a slot on the table top.
In later years I would haunt the china and glassware clearance area for bargains. I remember purchasing gifts that were beautifully wrapped by ladies behind high counter.
The ambiance was calm and civilized.
I would meet our neighbor Ed O’Flynn who worked on the main floor and when Altman’s closed moved to Saks Fifth Avenue.
The top floor of the CUNY building is a bland and most unattractive cafeteria.
But, past the library on the 34th Street side of the building two elevators remain, with their decorative iron work. There is a water fountain around the corner in the offices of Oxford University Press at 198 Madison Avenue. The Madison Avenue side is vacant since the NYPL has left.
FROM OUR READERS
| Jay Jacobson Starting out as a publishing toddler at pandemic lockdown, the RIHS daily diary has become a vibrant, thriving, “wonder-what -wonders -she -will -share -with -me” part of starting the day. New to me information about our Island, our City, and people who have been active in both. Introductions to art by artists whose names were unknown and artists who were old acquaintances. Fascinating guides to places and people, and “oh, I recognize that picture!” puzzles. Congratulations to the dedicated folks with the RI Historical Society on #500! And please don’t let our defeat of the pandemic diminish what you all have done! xoxoxoxox Sorry if it’s too long, but you guys have done a great job! |
| About the 500th issue—enjoy checking the mail first thing every morning to see another unique topic. My favorites are many but love familiar places that I thought I knew but maybe didn’t know the whole story. Love pieces about transportation, especially our subway. More of? One was trolley cars and els but that was featured the other day. Other topics to explore might be secret rooms and/or hideaways, prohibition, the polio vaccine, pigeons. Thanks Judy. This has become part of my day  GLORIA HERMAN |
| As we come to our 500th edition of the From the Archives, I’ve taken a moment to reflect on the variety of interesting topics. We started with the history of Roosevelt Island and moved well beyond. We have learned about bridges, buildings, and architecture. We have explored neighborhoods, regions, and icons. These pieces have given life to colorful characters who have influenced Roosevelt Island and the surrounding city. The most impressive editions, to me, are the seemingly endless artists both foreign and home grown. I hope each of you are continuing to learn and enjoy each piece. Deborah Dorff |
Is it possible this is the 500th issue of “From the Archives”?!? The slog that has been our collective Covid-19 experience for the past year & a half (plus!) has been made bearable, hopeful & even enjoyable at times by my daily emails from the Roosevelt Island Historical Society’s “From the Archives” publication. Judy Berdy has been tireless in her efforts to publish & I have to think that it has helped give her life focus during this difficult time–I know it has mine! No one is an Island unto themselves & Judy has had the help of Stephen Blank, Bobbie Slonevsky, Melanie Colter, Deborah Dorff and many others to make “From the Archives” seem effortless. The stories have been broad in their scope reflecting Roosevelt Island & NYC’s checkered history. I’ve especially enjoyed the different stories of visual artists, people of color & LGBTQ+ communities that have been represented by this publication. Broadening our scope of who gets to tell their stories has only ever enhanced our collective, ongoing history on Roosevelt Island……Thank you Judy et al for enhancing my life “From the Archives”…….. Most sincerely: Thom Heyer |
| I have really enjoyed reading the previous five hundred entertaining and informative notes from the Archives. I look forward to reading the next five hundred. Keep reporting on past and present art and artists and architecture around the city. And there is a lot I learned that I didn’t know about New York City history. The length of the articles make them very readable. Not so long that I don’t have time to read them but long enough to provide insight on any given topic. Laura Hussey |
| Judy: Your From the Archive series is a joy for both the reminders of New York lore I’ve forgotten and for new tidbits to add to my mental swamp of treasures and trivia. Thanks to your stable of writers and researchers. Matt |
THURSDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY
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GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL
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Edited by Deborah Dorff
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UNTAPPED NEW YORK
Sources
https://www.boweryboyshistory.com/2015/02/new-yorks-first-ferry-service.htmlhttp://blog.robertbrucestewart.com/2013/08/crossing-new-york-by-ferry-in-1900.html
https://greenpointers.com/2017/05/01/history-greenpoint-ferry/https://www.takeawalknewyork.com/blog/robert-moses-and-the-demolition-of-the-astoria-ferry
https://www.archives.nyc/blog/2019/7/29/ferriesStephen L. Meyers, Manhattan’s Lost Streetcars
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, September 25, 1921
https://www.takeawalknewyork.com/blog/robert-moses-and-the-demolition-of-the-astoria-ferry
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