Hochschild Kohn's

Hochschild Kohn's, also known as Hochschild-Kohn or simply Hochschild's, was a 20th-century American department store chain based in Baltimore, Maryland. It was started in 1897 as a partnership between Max Hochschild, Benno Kohn, and his brother Louis B. Kohn. Hochschild-Kohn & Company opened that year with a downtown-Baltimore store on the northwest corner of Howard and Lexington Streets.

History

The company prospered and in 1912 purchased a building at 208 N. Howard Street. When incorporated in 1922, Hochschild-Kohn was Baltimore's largest department store. Space needs led to the purchase of most of the block at Howard, Franklin, Park and Centre Streets in 1923, but financial difficulties and Max Hochschild's retirement as president led to its abandonment.

Benno Kohn died in 1929. Management then consisted of Irving Kohn (Louis' son) president; Walter Sondheim and Walter Kohn, vice-presidents. Although financed by corporate stock, Hochschild-Kohn was still run as a partnership. At that time plans for a new building at Howard and Franklin Streets were abandoned, and the Lexington Street building was leased, improved, and connected to the Howard and Lexington Street property.

During the Great Depression, Hochschild-Kohn lost more in sales percentages than the aggregate sales lost by other Baltimore department stores. Sales were down almost fifty percent from 1930 in the Depression's worst year. Management also suffered from discord between Irving and Walter Kohn, who retired in 1935. Management then consisted of Irving Kohn, Walter Sondheim, and Martin Kohn. After illness caused Walter Sondheim to be less active in 1943, and Irving Kohn's death in 1945, Martin B. Kohn became president of the store. Louis Kohn II and Walter Sondheim, Jr. were his vice-presidents.

Martin B. Kohn pioneered the suburban expansion of downtown department stores with the opening of Hochschild-Kohn's Edmonson Village store in 1947. Later expansion included stores at York and Belvedere avenue in the northern suburbs of Baltimore in 1948 and at Harundale Mall south of the city. The Hochschild-Kohn Company went out of business in 1983.

Former locations

Maryland

*Baltimore
**Eastpoint Mall ("now Value City and Value City Furniture")
**Edmondson Village ("opened 1947, relocated to Security Square Mall")
**Howard St. @ Lexington St. ("original store, closed 1977, burned down in 1983, later rebuilt as Hutzler's")
**Security Square Mall ("later Hutzler's, then Montgomery Ward, now Modell's Sporting Goods")
**Perring Parkway
**Westview Mall
**York Rd. @ Belvedere Ave. [ [http://www.ci.baltimore.md.us/government/historic/districts/hochschildkbhs.html Historic Districts in Baltimore City - City of Baltimore, Maryland ] ]
*Bel Air - Harford Mall ("later Hutzler's, now food court area")
*Bowie
*Columbia - The Mall in Columbia ("later Hecht's, now Macy's")
*Easton
*Glen Burnie - Harundale Mall ("mall torn down for Harundale Plaza")
*Towson

Pennsylvania

*York - York Mall ("later The Bon-Ton, now Burlington Coat Factory")

Competitors

Competitors to Hochschild Kohn's in its prime included:
* Hecht Company
* Hutzler's
* Stewart's

References

* [http://www.mdhs.org/library/mss/ms002721.html Introduction to the Hochschild, Kohn Collection 1896-1981] in the library of the [http://www.mdhs.org/ Maryland Historical Society]

External links

* [http://www.btco.net/ghosts/Buildings/deptstores/deptstores.html "Downtown Department Stores, and other Retail Goodies" Baltimore]