Hess's

Hess's Department Stores

File:Hess's Department Store Final Logo.png
Trade name	Hess's
Company type	Private
Industry	Department stores
Founded	February 19, 1897 (1897-02-19) (initially as Hess Brothers)
Founders	Charles Hess and Max Hess
Defunct	Template:End date and age
Fate	Transitioned into other department store brands
Successor	Dillard's (1992–) Hecht's (1993–2006) Proffitt's (1993–2006) Kaufmann's (1994–2006) The Bon-Ton (1994–2018)
Headquarters	Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Products	Apparel, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, cosmetics, electronics, and household goods
Parent	Crown American Realty Trust

Hess's, which began as Hess Brothers, was a department store chain headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Established with a single outlet in 1897, the company expanded to nearly 80 locations at its height during the late 1980s. Throughout the early to mid-1990s, its stores were either shuttered or sold through a succession of transactions.

19th century

In the summer of 1896, Max Hess Sr., a Jewish immigrant of German descent from Perth Amboy, New Jersey, visited Allentown, Pennsylvania and upon returning to Perth Amboy, recommended to his brother Charles that Allentown presented a significant commercial opportunity.

The enterprise Hess Brothers was officially launched on February 19, 1897, by siblings Charles and Max Hess. That same year, they relocated to Allentown and secured rental space within the Grand Central Hotel located at the intersection of 3rd and Hamilton Street.

The inaugural Hess’s store was situated at 9th and Hamilton streets in downtown Allentown. The store’s French Room showcased fashions predominantly sourced from France. Charles Hess frequently traveled to Paris and contributed articles to an Allentown newspaper describing the latest styles worn by fashionable women attending social events or performances at the Paris Opera.

On February 19, 1897, the opening day featured a performance by the Allentown Band outside the new Hess Brothers location to attract customers. The company invested heavily in advertising within local newspapers to promote their store.

The popularity of Hess Brothers’ dry goods grew steadily, leading to an expansion in 1901 when the business took over the entire Grand Central Hotel building.

20th century

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A 1900 advertisement promoting the Grand Central Hotel located in Allentown

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Hess Brothers department store on the 800 block of Hamilton Street in Center City Allentown during 1915

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Promotional visit by Zsa Zsa Gabor to Hess Brothers' flagship Center City Allentown store in 1968

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The Easter Bunny makes an appearance at Hess's in 1968

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French high-wire performer Philippe Petit crosses Hamilton Street on a tightrope during a 1974 Hess's promotional event

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The closed Bon-Ton/Hess's location in 1996

On March 6, 1913, as Hess's continued its expansion, adjacent properties were purchased to facilitate further enlargement of the store. A new soda fountain and a restaurant with seating for 400 guests were introduced within the premises. By 1915, the store had grown to encompass nearly an entire city block, securing a significant presence at the northeast corner of 9th and Hamilton streets in downtown Allentown.

Following the death of Max Sr. in 1922 at age 58, management of the store was assumed by his brother Charles for several years.

In 1927, an eight-story addition was constructed at the 9th and Hamilton location, featuring expanded departments alongside a new shipping and delivery section.

Charles Hess passed away in 1929 as Max Hess, Jr. began his studies at Muhlenberg College in Allentown. On his 21st birthday, Max Jr. left college to join the family business’s management team and was named president three years later.

Though the exterior still appeared as separate structures, interior renovations unified the space to resemble one expansive building. The inclusion of grand crystal chandeliers contributed to creating an atmosphere akin to a "major metropolitan department store."

Renovations to the store’s exterior commenced in 1939.

By 1947, the façade was redesigned with an Art Deco style popularized in the New York metropolitan area. The store eventually expanded to five floors covering over 400,000 square feet (37,000 m²) of retail area and became notable as the first worldwide retailer to install automatic talking elevators that informed passengers about merchandise on each level.

A prominent Allentown landmark was the massive Hess Brothers sign positioned at the corner of 9th and Hamilton Street. Standing 45 foot (14 m), it was the largest sign of its kind outside New York City, weighing eight tons. Each porcelain enamel letter measured 7 feet (2.1 m) in height. Designed to withstand wind pressures up to 40 pounds per square foot (200 kg/m²), it featured three sides for visibility from both eastbound and westbound directions. The sign’s 378 circuits were controlled by an internal clock cycling through eight light sequences that spelled out H E S S one letter at a time. The sign debuted on December 23, 1947.

In his 1953 publication America’s Twelve Master Salesmen, B. C. Forbes ranked Hess as the second top salesman nationwide. To attract patrons and elevate the store’s prestige, celebrities were regularly invited. Models showcased current fashion trends while customers dined at on-site restaurants. Although operating at an annual loss nearing $20,000, the restaurant succeeded primarily by encouraging customer retention.

Max Hess Jr. fostered strong employee relations by hosting frequent company barbecues at his country residence on Bausch Road in Lowhill Township, near Allentown. These gatherings continued until travel restrictions during World War II limited attendance.

With offices established internationally in London, Paris, and Rome, Hess Brothers Department Store maintained leadership in offering cutting-edge fashion. Seasonal displays included giant toy soldiers for Christmas, puppet shows featuring "Pip the Mouse," and annual flower shows broadcast regionally on Philadelphia television, alongside imported fashion and toy exhibitions.

The store regularly hosted visits from notable figures such as Johnny Carson, Rosalynn Carter, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Rock Hudson, Gina Lollobrigida, Barbara Walters, and Burt Ward at its main location on 9th and Hamilton.

In 1968, Max Hess Jr. approached local trucking entrepreneur Philip Berman—who had operated a family trucking business for many years—with an offer to sell the store. Berman acquired Hess's for $16 million. Shortly thereafter, Max passed away at age 57. Under Berman's ownership, the store was rebranded from Hess Brothers to Hess's. To enhance publicity, Berman hired Max Rosey—a press agent with experience in New York City and Broadway—and together they attracted celebrities and prominent national politicians to promote Hess's on a broader scale.

In a series of retail firsts during 1974, Hess's conducted over-the-counter sales of pure gold following legalization of bullion sales and introduced Rudi Gernreich’s topless swimsuit design. Despite being one of few stores nationwide to stock these suits, none were sold. Twice-yearly sales events sometimes resulted in chaotic scenes as eager shoppers queued before opening hours and rushed inside, overwhelming staff and quickly depleting merchandise.

Berman pursued expansion by opening additional stores within suburban Pennsylvania shopping malls during the 1970s—including Whitehall Mall in Whitehall Township alongside Sears and Zollinger-Harned department stores—aiming for Hess's to serve as anchor tenants amid new mall developments. Additional outlets launched in Lancaster and Easton (1971), Bethlehem (1973), two suburban Allentown locations (1974), with further growth throughout eastern and central Pennsylvania by 1979.

In October 1979, Crown American—a company specializing in hotel and mall development—acquired Hess's chain as a wholly owned subsidiary when it operated seventeen large stores. During Crown American’s stewardship, Hess's benefited from a prosperous retail environment throughout the 1980s.

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Logo used during transition after acquisition of Rices Nachmans

In 1982, Hess's expanded by purchasing other department store chains such as Penn Traffic from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, converting them under its brand. By 1985, new stores opened in State College and Johnstown while acquiring Rices Nachmans stores in Virginia Beach.

In 1987, through a hostile takeover from Allied Stores, Hess's acquired Miller's Department Store chain based out of Knoxville, Tennessee.

That September also saw Hess's agree to acquire Snyder's Inc., a privately held Louisville-based department store company, which had recently agreed to purchase five L.S. Ayres stores previously owned by May Department Stores. L.S. Ayres had earlier acquired these stores from Stewart Dry Goods and Pogue's chains. Initially operating under Snyder's branding briefly after acquisition, by November 1987 Hess's announced plans to retire both Millers’ and Snyder's names by February 1988 in favor of its own brand identity.

By 1990, Hess's had grown to encompass seventy-six stores. Following Crown American’s takeover, cost-cutting measures led to discontinuing most flower shows, fashion events, celebrity appearances, and annual holiday window displays at its flagship Allentown location; exterior windows were subsequently covered up after these traditions ended.

During the early 1990s recession combined with intensifying retail competition impacting Allentown’s region, Hess's responded by divesting or closing forty-three stores—predominantly those located in southern states—including selling Knoxville outlets to Dillard’s and eighteen others to Proffitt’s between 1992 and 1993.

By 1994, remaining thirty stores were sold off—including the principal Hamilton Street flagship—concluding nearly a century-long operation under the Hess’s banner. Ten locations were acquired by May Department Stores while twenty went to The Bon-Ton.

In 1995 Crown American sold the primary Allentown flagship store at Ninth and Hamilton streets to Bon-Ton Stores Inc., headquartered in York, Pennsylvania. However, economic decline since the 1970s rendered continued operations unprofitable.

On November 9, 1995 Bon-Ton announced plans to close this flagship location; it permanently shuttered doors on January 15, 1996.

Following closure, Bon-Ton listed the property for sale; inquiries came from Mark Mendleson—a figure known locally for problematic property management involving disputes related to unpaid taxes and neglect leading properties into disrepair. Concerns arose about potential vacancy or undesirable uses such as flea markets or adult entertainment establishments occupying this key downtown site.

Allentown Mayor William L. Heydt spearheaded efforts for municipal acquisition aimed at redevelopment of the property. In October 1998 the city purchased both this former department store building from Bon-Ton for $1.8 million (approximately $Template:Format price adjusted) along with adjacent H.L. Green property—a former five-and-dime chain outlet which had ceased operations decades earlier.

However, subsequent inspections revealed that the building at Ninth and Hamilton was structurally compromised and deemed unsuitable for adaptive reuse or preservation; demolition plans were set accordingly.

Two parking structures built nearby—the seven-story deck at 814 Linden Street and employee deck at 826 Turner Street dating back to 1970—were retained under management by the Allentown Parking Authority. Extensive environmental remediation efforts commenced to remove hazardous materials from within the old building prior to demolition.

21st century

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The remains of the former Hess Brothers Department Store after being razed in October 2000

In January 2000, demolition approval for the Hess's building was granted by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. By October of that year, the demolition process was finalized, the site was leveled with gravel, and fencing was installed around the area.

At this juncture, the city evaluated various redevelopment plans, one of which included constructing the PPL Center, an indoor arena with a capacity of 10,000 that hosts the Lehigh Valley Phantoms as well as numerous concerts and entertainment events. Ownership of the former Hess's location transferred to PPL Corporation, which extended its office campus onto this parcel by developing The Plaza at PPL Center. This new office building, inaugurated in July 2003 on the site of Hess's original flagship store, features a leased office floor and retail spaces situated on the plaza level.

In popular culture

In his 1991 novel The Novel, James A. Michener references Hess's flagship store in Allentown, portraying it as the venue where a fictional writer markets the initial editions of his books.

See also

• H. Leh and Company
• List of historic places in Allentown, Pennsylvania
• Zollinger and Harned

External links

• Hess's at The Department Store Museum