Harzfeld's was a

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

-based department store chain specializing in women's and children's high-end apparel.

History

The company was founded in 1891, as "Parisian Cloak Company" by Siegmund Harzfeld and partner Ferdinand Siegel. Harzfeld served as president until succeeded by Ferdinand Siegel's son, Lester Siegel, Sr. In February 1966, Lester Siegel, Jr. began serving as the company's third president In 1959, Harzfeld's went public, with its common shares traded on the local over-the-counter stock exchange. In 1972, the chain was acquired for $3 million by the retail conglomerate Garfinckel, Brooks Brothers, Miller & Rhoads, Inc. With the 1981, acquisition of its parent conglomerate, it became a part of

Allied Stores Allied Stores was a holding company of department store chains in the United States. It was founded in the 1930s as part of a general consolidation in the retail sector by B. E. Puckett. See also Associated Dry Goods. It was the successor to Hahn ...

. In 1984, the chain was closed.

Flagship store

The original location of the Parisian Cloak Company was at 1108 and 1110 Main Street,

. In 1913, the store moved to Main Street and Petticoat Lane and its name was changed to Harzfeld's. The new flagship was designed by noted architect John McKecknie as an office building. The store eventually expanded into an adjoining building, thereby extending its reach from Main to Walnut Streets. After closing in 1984, the flagship was integrated into the Town Pavilion complex. The store was renowned for a 1947 mural commissioned by the store and painted by Thomas Hart Benton. After the store closure, the mural, known as "

Achelous and Hercules ''Achelous and Hercules'' is a 1947 mural painting by Thomas Hart Benton. It depicts a bluejeans-wearing Hercules wrestling with the horns of a bull, a shape the protean river god Achelous was able to assume. The myth was one of the explanatio ...

", was acquired by the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

's American Art Museum in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Branch stores

In 1929, Harzfeld's opened its first branch location in

Columbia, Missouri Columbia is a city in Missouri, United States. It was founded in 1821 as the county seat of Boone County, Missouri, Boone County and had a population of 126,254 as recorded in the 2020 United States census, making it the List of cities in Misso ...

. The store catered to the local college student population of the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

Stephens College Stephens College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Timeline of women's colleges in the United States#First and oldest, the second-oldest women's educa ...

, and Columbia College. On April 10, 1954, Harzfeld's opened its first branch in Kansas City at

Country Club Plaza The Country Club Plaza (often called The Plaza) is a privately owned regional shopping center in the Country Club District of Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City, Missouri. Opened in 1923, it is considered to be the first planned large outdoor su ...

. In 1958, a second branch was opened in the Blue Ridge Mall shopping center. Further expansion occurred in 1963 with the opening of the Corinth Square store. A fifth store in greater Kansas City was opened in the Metcalf South Shopping Center in 1967. Shortly after its parent conglomerate acquired two Gus Meyer locations in Oklahoma in 1974, it converted them to Harzfeld's."Garfinckel to Buy Two Stores," ''The Washington Post'', Oct 31, 1974, p. D11. The Corinth Square store closed August 8, 1984 and became a Wooten Drugs; Metcalf South also closed the same day. The Tulsa store was converted to a

Brooks Brothers Brooks Brothers Inc. is an American clothing brand founded in 1818 which is the oldest apparel brand in continuous operation in the United States. Originally a family business, it is currently owned as a joint venture between Authentic Brands G ...

. The Downtown Kansas City store was closed and became part of a redevelopment projects. The Country Club Plaza location was converted to a

Bonwit Teller Bonwit Teller & Co. was an American luxury department store in New York City, founded by Paul Bonwit in 1895 at Sixth Avenue and 18th Street, and later a chain of department stores. In 1897, Edmund D. Teller was admitted to the partnership a ...

later that year.

References

{{reflist

External links

Harzfeld's website, by Joe & Michele Boeckholt (retrieved Sep 13, 2008).
Defunct department stores based in Missouri Clothing retailers of the United States Retail companies established in 1891 Retail companies disestablished in 1984 Companies based in Kansas City, Missouri Defunct companies based in Missouri Harzfeld's