Eugene Meyer & Co.
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Predecessor | S. Lazard & Co. |
| Founded | 1852 |
| Founder | Solomon Lazard, Maurice Kremer |
| Defunct | 1897 |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles , United States |
Area served | Los Angeles |
| Products | Dry goods, department store merchandise |
City of Paris, initially known as S. Lazard & Co., was a dry goods retailer that evolved into Los Angeles' first department store. It operated from the 1850s until 1897 under various names: starting as Lazard & Kremer Co., then becoming Lazard & Wolfskill Co., followed by S. Lazard & Co., before adopting the City of Paris name under Eugene Meyer & Co., and later managed by Stern, Cahn & Loeb. This establishment should not be mistaken for the renowned City of Paris in San Francisco, nor for the Ville de Paris in Los Angeles, which was founded by Mr. A. Fusenot as an offshoot of San Francisco’s City of Paris.
History
The dry goods business was launched in 1852 by French immigrant Solomon Lazard and his cousin Maurice Kremer, who partnered to establish Lazard & Kremer Co.. Their store was situated within Mellus Row—a group of shops later referred to as the Bell Block or Bell's Row—located at the southeast corner of Los Angeles Street and Aliso Street. In June 1857, Kremer sold his interest to Timoteo Wolfskill (1835–1909), resulting in the formation of Lazard & Wolfskill Co..[1] Following Wolfskill’s departure from the partnership on August 13, 1858,[2] the enterprise continued as S. Lazard & Co.
In the year 1867, Solomon Lazard relocated the store to 53 Main Street. This venue became a destination for fashionable Los Angeles women seeking contemporary French styles.[3][4][5][6][7]
Marc Eugene Meyer, originally from Strasbourg in Alsace and father to financier Eugene Meyer, who later owned The Washington Post and served as president of both the World Bank and Federal Reserve, partnered with Constant Meyer and Nathan Cahn (or Kahn) to purchase S. Lazard & Co. from Solomon Lazard in 1874.[8] Subsequently, they operated under the name Eugene Meyer & Co., branding their store as the City of Paris.[9] By March of that year, Eugene Meyer & Co. advertised themselves as successors to S. Lazard & Co., conducting business at 51-53 Main Street.[10] The establishment appeared in the 1878 city directory at addresses ranging from 53 to 55 Main Street—directly across from the St. Charles Hotel—positioned on the west side near the St. Elmo Hotel.[11]
In January of 1879, Leon (Leopold) Loeb—Eugene Meyer's cousin—joined Eugene Meyer & Co as a partner.[12] Loeb was married into pioneer family Harris Newmark, originally from Löbau (or Loebau), Prussia; he was also father to Joseph P. Loeb.
On October 2, 1880, City of Paris under Eugene Meyer relocated to a new site known as the City of Paris Block at addresses 17–19 Spring Street—just south of First Street and near where the Nadeau Hotel would later be built in 1888.[13]
By springtime in 1883, City of Paris had moved again to premises located at what was then numbered as 105-107 North Spring Street (west side between Franklin Temple and just north of Jones Block); after renumbering in 1890 this became known as addresses between 205–207 North Spring Street.
In October that same year, ownership changed hands when Marc Eugene Meyer departed for San Francisco after selling his share; Emmanuel L. Stern joined as a partner along with Nathan Cahn and Leon Loeb to create Stern, Cahn & Loeb.[14] The retail operation retained its "City of Paris" name,[15] situated within what was then considered Los Angeles’ Central Business District.
Following citywide renumbering in 1890, advertisements from February 1892 reveal that City of Paris remained at this location but had expanded its footprint by adding one storefront on each side; its address was listed as spanning from number 203 through 209 North Spring Street.[16] By 1893 financial difficulties surfaced within the company; management had transitioned to Stern Bros., who succeeded Leon Loeb.[17] In early 1894 advertisements indicated plans for closing down.[18]
Despite these announcements, records show that City of Paris continued operations into 1895 within the Jones Block at address number 177 North Spring Street,[19] even while more upscale department stores began relocating toward South Broadway.
Ultimately, City of Paris declared bankruptcy in 1897.[20]
References
- ↑ "Notice". Vol. 7, no. 6. Los Angeles Star. June 20, 1857. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
Co-partnership Notice. Los Angeles, June 16, 1857. The undersigned have formed a co-partnership for the transaction of a general merchandizing business under the name and firm of Lazard & Wolfskill. Solomon Lazard. Timothy Wolfskill.
- ↑ "Announcement". Vol. 8, no. 15. Los Angeles Star. August 21, 1858. p. 1.
Notice. The cop-partnership heretofore existing under the name of Lazard & wolfskill, is this day dissolved by mutual consent. Mr. Lazard is authorized to collect all debts due the late firm, and settle all the liabilities. S. Lazard. T. Wolfskill. Los Angeles, August 13th, 1858.
- ↑ Consulate general of France, French text based on Guide français de Los Angeles et du Sud de la Californie, F. Loyer and C. Beaudreau (1932), and 1872 Los Angeles City and County Directory Archived 2012-08-24 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ "The Early Jewish Presence in Los Angeles," Jewish Genealogical Society of Los Angeles
- ↑ An Illustrated History of Los Angeles County, California, Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company (1889), page 534, transcribed by Kathy Sedler at ancestry.com
- ↑ Francis Dinkelspiel, "A Hard Rain," Jewish Journal, March 31, 2005
- ↑ Loyer and Beaudreau, page 53
- ↑ "Dissolution of S(olomon) Lazard & Co. and sale to Eugene Meyer". March 3, 1874. p. 3 – via newspapers.com.
- ↑ "City of Paris 1874 51-53 Main St., Eugene Meyer & Co. successors to S. Lazard & Co". Los Angeles Times. March 20, 1874. p. 3 – via newspapers.com.
- ↑ "City of Paris advertisement March 1874". Los Angeles Times. March 20, 1874.
- ↑ Aaron Smith, Los Angeles City Directory, 1878
- ↑ "Eugene Meyer added as a partner to Eugene Meyer & Co., February 20, 1879". Los Angeles Times. February 20, 1879. p. 4 – via newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Ad for City of Paris". Los Angeles Evening Express. September 30, 1880. p. 2.
- ↑ "Dissolution of Eugene Meyer partnership; formation of Stern Cahn & Loeb October 1883". Los Angeles Times. October 27, 1883. p. 6 – via newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Stern Cahn and Loeb - City of Paris - October 1883 - Location on North Spring Street". Los Angeles Times. October 26, 1883. p. 2 – via newspapers.com.
- ↑ "City of Paris L.A., February 1892 – expanded location at North Spring Street addresses 203–209". Los Angeles Times. February 6, 1892. p. 6 – via newspapers.com.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); no-break space character in|date=at position 9 (help); no-break space character in|title=at position 29 (help) - ↑ "City of Paris management change – Stern Bros take charge after Loeb retires – September 1893". Los Angeles Times. September 17, 1893. p. 8 – via newspapers.com.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); no-break space character in|date=at position 10 (help); no-break space character in|title=at position 88 (help) - ↑ "City of Paris Dry Goods Store announces closure – April 10, 1894 – addresses 203–207 North Spring Street location closing soon". Los Angeles Times. April 10, 1894. p. 3 – via newspapers.com.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); no-break space character in|date=at position 6 (help); no-break space character in|title=at position 56 (help) - ↑ "City of Paris still operating at Jones Block – September 11, 1895 – location at 177 North Spring Street". Los Angeles Times. September 11, 1895. p. 4 – via newspapers.com.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); no-break space character in|date=at position 10 (help); no-break space character in|title=at position 57 (help) - ↑ "Court proceedings following insolvency – Hamburgers advertisement for City of Paris stock liquidation – August 14, 1897". Los Angeles Times. August 14, 1897. p. 12 – via newspapers.com.
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