Lansburgh's

Infobox Defunct Company
company_name = Lansburgh's
company_
fate = Liquidation
foundation = 1860
defunct = 1973
location = Washington, D.C.
industry = Retail
key_people =
products = General Merchandise
num_employees =
parent = City Stores, Inc.
subsid =

Lansburgh's was a chain of department stores located in the Washington, D.C. area. The clientele were lower- to middle-income consumers.

History

The first store, at 7th and E Streets, NW, in Washington, D.C. 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. ["As D.C.'s Oldest Department Store Prepares to Close . . .," by Donald Baker, "The Washington Post, Times Herald", Apr 29, 1973, p. L1.]

Flagship Store

The initial flagship downtown store was constructed in 1882, and was a work of architect Adolph Cluss. [ [http://www.adolf-cluss.org/index.php?sub=3.5.09&lang=en&content=w&topSub=washington Adolph Cluss: An International Project (accessed Aug 29, 2008).] ] During the 1970's and 1980's, 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 section of downtown Washington, D.C. ["Lansburgh's Renovation Contract Let," by John Mintz, "The Washington Post", Apr 2, 1987, p. A1.]

Branch Stores

In 1955, Lansburgh's opened its first suburban branch at Langley Park, Maryland followed in 1959, with a $2.5 million, 150,000 square foot branch at Shirlington Shopping Center in Arlington, Virginia. ["Lansburgh's Will Open Store In Langley Park, Md., Monday," "The Washington Post and Times Herald", Oct 11, 1955, p. 30.] ["Lansburgh's New Store Hailed as County Asset," by Frank C. Porter, "The Washington Post and Times Herald", Jul 2, 1958, p. D7.] The chain was slow to open other suburban branches. The 160,000 square foot store at Tysons Corner International Shopping Center 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. ["Lansburgh's New Tyson's Store Marks End of Long Fight," "The Washington Post, Times Herald", Oct 19, 1969, p. 107.] This was followed by the store at Rockville Mall on February 14, 1972, and a 160,000 square foot store at Springfield Mall in March 1973. ["Springfield Mall Unit Key for Lansburgh's," by William H. Jones, "The Washington Post, Times Herald", Mar 2, 1973, p. D7.]

Former locations

Washington, D.C.

* Downtown - "(closed 1973; renovated 1987 and now houses apartments and the Shakespeare Theater)"

Maryland

* Langley Park - Langley Park Plaza "(reopened as E.J. Korvette, then Kmart, now other stores, including a Toys "R" Us which closed in 2007)"
* Rockville - Rockville Mall "(closed May 19, 1973; reopened as Lit Brothers, later occupied by a W. & J. Sloane furniture store; demolished in 1995)" ["Going-Out-of-Business Sale Starts at Lansburgh's Today," "The Washington Post, Times Herald", May 10, 1973, p. D16.] ["Rockville Mall Struggles On," by Claudia Levy, May 5, 1974, "The Washington Post", p. G1.]

Virginia

* Arlington - Shirlington Shopping Center "(reopened as Best Products)"
* McLean - Tysons Corner International Shopping Center "(reopened in 1976, as Bloomingdale's after protracted leasing fight with City Stores)" ["Old Name Invades D.C. Area," by Jack Egan, "The Washington Post", Feb 15, 1976, p. 173.]
* Springfield - Springfield Mall "(reopened as E.J. Korvette, now mall space)"

References

External links

* [http://4wallsindc.com/dc/lansburgh/lansburgh.htm The Lansburgh (accessed Aug 29, 2008)]