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Lansburgh's was a chain of
The first store, at 7th and E Streets, NW, in Washington, D.C.'s downtown shopping district, opened on October 30, 1860. The founders were James and Gustav Lansburgh. The company was known initially for supplying the black crepe used for the funeral of President Abraham Lincoln.
Lansburgh's installed the first elevator (wooden) in a commercial building in the District of Columbia. The company remained family owned until its acquisition by City Stores, Inc. in 1951. At the time of its final liquidation in June 1973, the chain ranked eighth in the Washington D.C. retail market, with sales of $28.5 million.
The initial Seventh Street flagship downtown store was located on and constructed in 1882, and was a work of architect
The Lansburgh (accessed Aug 29, 2008)
{{Authority control Defunct department stores based in Washington, D.C. Defunct companies based in Washington, D.C. American companies established in 1860 Retail companies established in 1860 Retail companies disestablished in 1973 1860 establishments in Washington, D.C. 1973 disestablishments in Washington, D.C.
department store
A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic app ...
s located in the Washington, D.C. area. The clientele were middle-income consumers.
History
The first store, at 7th and E Streets, NW, in Washington, D.C.'s downtown shopping district, opened on October 30, 1860. The founders were James and Gustav Lansburgh. The company was known initially for supplying the black crepe used for the funeral of President Abraham Lincoln.
Lansburgh's installed the first elevator (wooden) in a commercial building in the District of Columbia. The company remained family owned until its acquisition by City Stores, Inc. in 1951. At the time of its final liquidation in June 1973, the chain ranked eighth in the Washington D.C. retail market, with sales of $28.5 million.
Flagship store
The initial Seventh Street flagship downtown store was located on and constructed in 1882, and was a work of architect Adolf Cluss
Adolf Ludwig Cluss (July 14, 1825 – July 24, 1905) also known as Adolph Cluss was a German-born American immigrant who became one of the most important, influential and prolific architects in Washington, D.C., in the late 19th century, respons ...
. The store was greatly expanded in 1916, 1924 and 1941 out to Eighth Street. During the 1970s and 1980s, the store building was used for offices and warehouse space. The former flagship store on 7th Street was at the forefront of the revitalized Penn Quarter
Penn Quarter is a neighborhood east of Downtown Washington, D.C. and north of Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. Penn Quarter is roughly equivalent to the city's early downtown core near Pennsylvania Avenue and 7th Street NW, The definition of Downtown ...
section of downtown Washington, D.C.
Branch stores
In 1955, Lansburgh's opened its first suburban branch atLangley Park, Maryland
Langley Park is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. It is located inside the Capital Beltway, on the northwest edge of Prince George's County, bordering Montgomery County. ...
followed in 1959, with a $2.5 million, branch at Shirlington Shopping Center
The Village at Shirlington opened as Shirlington Shopping Center in 1944, and was the first large shopping center to open in the Washington, D.C. suburbs and one of the earliest in the United States. It is located along Campbell Avenue (formerly ...
in Arlington, Virginia
Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...
. The chain was slow to open other suburban branches. The store at Tysons Corner Center
Tysons Corner Center is a shopping mall in the unincorporated area of Tysons in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States (between McLean and Vienna, Virginia). It opened to the public in 1968, becoming one of the first fully enclosed, climate-contr ...
opened on October 19, 1969, after protracted battles regarding leases dating back to 1962. Because of that fight, the chain was slow to expand to other malls opening the Washington, D.C. suburbs. This was followed by the store at Rockville Mall
Rockville Town Center is a town centre in Rockville, Maryland. Opened in 1995, it replaced the recently demolished Rockville Mall..
History
In 1962, Rockville became the first small city in Maryland to undertake a federal urban renewal progr ...
on February 14, 1972, and a store at Springfield Mall (later Korvettes, then SpringFest Food Court/AMC) in March 1973."Springfield Mall Unit Key for Lansburgh's," by William H. Jones, ''The Washington Post and Times-Herald'', Mar 2, 1973, p. D7.
References
External links
The Lansburgh (accessed Aug 29, 2008)
{{Authority control Defunct department stores based in Washington, D.C. Defunct companies based in Washington, D.C. American companies established in 1860 Retail companies established in 1860 Retail companies disestablished in 1973 1860 establishments in Washington, D.C. 1973 disestablishments in Washington, D.C.