Luckey, Platt & Company

Luckey, Platt & Company

File:Luckey's final logo.png Luckey's final logo
Company type	Private
Industry	Retail (Department store)
Founded	1835
Founder	Crandle & Smith (original), Edmund Platt (acquirer 1869)
Defunct	1981
Headquarters	Poughkeepsie, New York , United States
Products	Department store merchandise

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Luckey's final logo

Situated at the intersection of Main and Academy streets in downtown Poughkeepsie, New York, the Luckey, Platt & Company Department Store building served as a prominent retail hub throughout much of the 20th century, attracting shoppers from across the Hudson Valley. Its shutdown in 1981, following years of declining patronage due to competition from suburban shopping malls, dealt a significant setback to the vitality of the city's Main Mall. The building stayed unoccupied until December 2008, when after extensive renovations it reopened as a residential complex featuring 143 rental units along with commercial spaces on the ground level, acting as a key driver for renewed downtown development.

Building

This imposing five-story edifice, rendered in gray and exemplifying the Classical Revival style, was crafted by Edward C. Smith, a prominent local architect in Poughkeepsie during the early 20th century. The store opened its doors in 1923. Earlier attributions credited another local architect, Percival Lloyd, for its design; however, Lloyd passed away in 1915. Smith had previously been employed by Lloyd before establishing his own practice in 1910. The building’s facade is articulated with between eleven and seventeen bays. Along the roofline, a parapet conceals a molded cornice adorned with small lion head motifs. The frieze incorporates characteristic elements of the style such as anthemion brackets alongside egg-and-dart and dentil moldings. Further down the exterior are pilasters topped with foliated capitals.

Flanking the main structure on both adjacent streets are older buildings designed in the Italianate style that previously accommodated the store’s operations before this primary building was erected. These neighboring structures contribute to the historic designation awarded to the property when it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Company history

The origins of the company predate not only the current building but also its name. In 1869, Edmund Platt acquired Luckey's, a store originally founded in 1835 under the name Crandle & Smith, which was subsequently renamed Dribble's before adopting its final title. Luckey's was innovative for its era, implementing fixed prices on all merchandise and conducting transactions exclusively in cash.

Five years after the acquisition, the partners relocated the business to the first of three Main Street buildings that would become central to its operations. This move marked the beginning of fifty years of significant expansion, aided by a third partner, Smith DeGarmo. By 1882, they had installed an elevator to improve customer access throughout the store.

Further growth necessitated additional space by 1901, leading to the purchase of two more adjacent buildings. An annex dedicated to furniture sales was added nine years later. The store boasted itself as "the peer of all mercantile establishments on the Hudson River and the most complete store of its kind in any city in the U.S. the size of Poughkeepsie." Its promotional materials highlighted what amounted to 30 stores consolidated under one roof, staffed by 175 sales clerks and featuring two miles (3.2 km) of counter space.

The completion of a new building occurred in 1923. For nearly fifty years following this, the store maintained its status as the region’s leading retailer, though it did not experience growth comparable to its earlier decades. By the early 1970s, however, suburban expansion and increased automobile use introduced significant competition from developments such as South Hills Mall. Luckey Platt responded by opening a branch at Dutchess Mall, located approximately 10 miles south of Poughkeepsie near Fishkill, but customer attrition continued.

In an effort to rejuvenate downtown commerce during the early 1970s, city officials closed two blocks of Main Street—both east and west of Luckey Platt—to establish Main Mall, a pedestrian shopping zone designed to rival suburban malls. However, creating parking lots required demolishing surrounding businesses and structures, which ultimately accelerated local decline. Seven years after Main Mall's establishment, in 1981, Luckey Platt shuttered both its flagship store and Dutchess Mall location.

Since then, the building has remained unoccupied. Ownership eventually reverted back to municipal control. During the early 1990s, Dutchess County considered repurposing the structure for courthouse expansion but instead constructed a new annex adjacent to the existing courthouse. In the early 2000s, artist Peter Max explored plans to open a museum and arts center within the building; however, this initiative did not come to fruition. Subsequently, three upper floors collapsed in 2003.

In 2004, Congress allocated a $250,000 grant to assist with renovation efforts for the building. Two years later, Alma Realty—a real estate developer based in Queens—acquired the property from the city for a nominal sum of $1 and embarked on an ambitious project to transform it into a mixed-use commercial and residential facility. The redevelopment faced setbacks including a stop-work order issued when construction exceeded approved plans. The order was lifted in April 2008, allowing work to continue. By December 8 of that year, Alma Realty received a temporary certificate of occupancy permitting them to begin leasing space within the building.

External links

• [Details page] provided by the building's management