Lazard & Wolfskill
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1852 |
| Founder | Solomon Lazard, Maurice Kremer |
| Defunct | 1897 |
| Fate | Bankruptcy |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California , United States |
| 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 transitioning to Lazard & Wolfskill Co., followed by S. Lazard & Co., later adopting the name City of Paris under the management of Eugene Meyer & Co., and finally run by Stern, Cahn & Loeb. This establishment should not be mistaken for the more renowned City of Paris in San Francisco or the Ville de Paris in Los Angeles, owned by Mr. A. Fusenot, which was an offshoot of San Francisco's "City of Paris".
History
French immigrant Solomon Lazard partnered with his cousin Maurice Kremer to establish a dry goods business named Lazard & Kremer Co. in 1852. Their store was situated among several shops known as Mellus Row (later renamed Bell Block or Bell's Row) at the southeast corner of Los Angeles Street and Aliso Street. In June 1857, Kremer sold his interest to Timoteo Wolfskill (1835–1909), leading to the formation of Lazard & Wolfskill Co..[1] After Wolfskill exited the partnership on August 13, 1858,[2] the firm became known as S. Lazard & Co.
By 1867, Lazard relocated the enterprise to 53 Main Street, a favored destination for sophisticated Los Angeles women seeking contemporary French fashions.[3][4][5]Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name[6]
Marc Eugene Meyer, originally from Strasbourg in Alsace, joined forces with Constant Meyer and Nathan Cahn (or Kahn) to acquire S. Lazard & Co. from Solomon Lazard in 1874. Subsequently, they operated under the name Eugene Meyer & Co., branding the store as the City of Paris.[7] From March of that year onward, Eugene Meyer & Co. promoted themselves as successors to S. Lazard & Co., conducting business at 51-53 Main Street.[8] The firm was listed in the 1878 city directory at addresses 53–55 Main Street "opposite the St. Charles Hotel",[9] placing it on the west side near the St. Elmo Hotel.
In January 1879, Leon (Leopold) Loeb—Eugene Meyer's cousin and son-in-law of pioneer Harris Newmark, who hailed from Löbau/Loebau in Prussia—became a partner at Eugene Meyer & Co.[10] He was also father to Joseph P. Loeb.
On October 2, 1880, City of Paris relocated to a newly constructed building 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 be erected in 1888.[11]
In early spring of 1883, the store moved again to premises at 105-107 North Spring Street (pre-1890 numbering), situated on the west side between Franklin Temple and just north of the Jones Block; following renumbering in 1890 this became known as 205–207 North Spring Street.
By October of that year, Eugene Meyer and associates sold their interests; Marc Eugene Meyer moved to San Francisco while Emmanuel L. Stern joined as a partner along with Nathan Cahn and Leon Loeb to form Stern, Cahn & Loeb.[12] The establishment retained its name "The City of Paris" and remained located within what was then considered Los Angeles' Central Business District.
Following a citywide renumbering initiative in 1890, advertisements from early 1892 indicate that City of Paris continued operations at its location but expanded by adding one storefront on each side; its address was listed as ranging from 203 to 209 North Spring Street.[13] Financial difficulties surfaced by 1893; management had transitioned to Stern Brothers after Leon Loeb's departure.[14] By April of the following year, public notices announced plans for closing.[15]
Despite these challenges, records show that City of Paris remained operational into late 1895 within the Jones Block, located at 177 North Spring Street,[16] even as premier department stores began shifting their focus toward South Broadway.
Ultimately, financial insolvency led to the store’s bankruptcy declaration in 1897.[17]
References
- ↑ Co-partnership Notice, Los Angeles Star, June 20, 1857
- ↑ Announcement, Los Angeles Star, August 21, 1858
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedFirstFrenchText - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedEarlyJewish - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedIllustratedHistory - ↑ Loyer and Beaudreau, page 53
- ↑ Dissolution of S(olomon) Lazard & Co., newspapers.com
- ↑ City of Paris advertisement, Los Angeles Times, March 20, 1874
- ↑ Los Angeles City Directory, 1878
- ↑ Eugene Meyer added as partner, Los Angeles Times, February 20, 1879
- ↑ Ad for City of Paris relocation, Los Angeles Evening Express, September 30, 1880
- ↑ Dissolution announcement and formation of Stern Cahn & Loeb partnership, Los Angeles Times October 27, 1883
- ↑ Advertisement showing expanded premises at new numbering system, Los Angeles Times February 6, 1892
- ↑ Report on financial troubles and management change at City of Paris, Los Angeles Times September 17, 1893
- ↑ Closure advertisement for City of Paris dry goods store at Spring Street location, Los Angeles Times April 10, 1894
- ↑ City of Paris operating at Jones Block address in late period, Los Angeles Times September 11, 1895
- ↑ Notice regarding bankruptcy proceedings for City of Paris stock liquidation by Hamburgers firm, Los Angeles Times August 14, 1897