What is it about?
The article traces the interactions of the Meier and Franks and their architects in the developing the largest single location department west of Chicago.
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Why is it important?
The article incorporates the role of architecture and planning in the growth and development of a department store which dominate downtown Portland, Oregon for a number of years. Although the firm is gone and Macy's which operated a store in the same building has closed retail operations, the building remains an important legacy.
Perspectives
This was a demanding project based on newly released archival materials. Because of family disputes well after the study period, no family members were willing to discuss the store's history. The study came from my interest in the department store industry which all too often was documented by "family versions" or by "kiss and tell" stories. Department stores were dominated by family businesses and very often by immigrants, many Jewish, and as a result have not been given the study they deserve.
Ronald Savitt
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The greatest store west of Chicago: Meier & Frank, 1857-1932, Journal of Historical Research in Marketing, February 2017, Emerald,
DOI: 10.1108/jhrm-05-2016-0006.
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