S. Lazard & Co.
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Predecessor | S. Lazard & Co. |
| Founded | 1852 |
| Founder | Solomon Lazard, Maurice Kremer |
| Defunct | 1897 |
| Fate | Closed due to financial insolvency |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California , United States |
Area served | Los Angeles |
Key people | Solomon Lazard, Maurice Kremer, Timoteo Wolfskill, Eugene Meyer, Constant Meyer, Nathan Cahn, Leon Loeb, Emmanuel L. Stern |
| Products | Dry goods, fashion retail |
City of Paris, initially known as S. Lazard & Co., began as a dry goods retailer and evolved into Los Angeles' first department store. Its operation spanned from the 1850s until 1897, undergoing several name changes: starting as Lazard & Kremer Co., then becoming Lazard & Wolfskill Co., followed by S. Lazard & Co.. Eventually, under the ownership of Eugene Meyer & Co., it adopted the City of Paris name, later managed by Stern, Cahn & Loeb. This establishment should not be mistaken for San Francisco’s renowned City of Paris or Los Angeles’ Ville de Paris, founded by A. Fusenot and linked to San Francisco’s City of Paris.
History
French immigrant Solomon Lazard partnered with his cousin Maurice Kremer to establish a dry goods venture named Lazard & Kremer Co. in 1852. Their shop was situated within Mellus Row—a series of storefronts later referred to as the Bell Block or Bell's Row—on the southeast corner of Los Angeles Street and Aliso Street. In June 1857, Kremer sold his interest to Timoteo Wolfskill (1835–1909), prompting a rebranding to Lazard & Wolfskill Co..[1] After Wolfskill exited the partnership in August 1858,[2] the enterprise continued as S. Lazard & Co.
By 1867, Lazard relocated operations to 53 Main Street. This venue became a favored destination for fashionable women in Los Angeles seeking the newest French styles.[3][4][5][6][7]
Marc Eugene Meyer—originating from Strasbourg in Alsace and father to financier Eugene Meyer, notable for owning The Washington Post and leading both the World Bank and Federal Reserve)—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 their establishment as the City of Paris.[8] By March that year, Eugene Meyer & Co., identifying as successors to S. Lazard & Co., conducted business at 51-53 Main Street.[9] Listings in the 1878 city directory placed them at 53–55 Main Street "opposite the St. Charles Hotel",[10] situating them on the west side near the St. Elmo Hotel.
In January of 1879, Leon (Leopold) Loeb—cousin to Eugene Meyer—became a partner in Eugene Meyer & Co.[11] Loeb was married into pioneer family Harris Newmark, originally from Löbau (also spelled Loebau), Prussia, and fathered Joseph P. Loeb.
On October 2, 1880, City of Paris under Meyer's leadership inaugurated a new store located within what was known as the City of Paris Block at addresses 17–19 Spring Street—just southward from First Street and near where the Nadeau Hotel would be erected in 1888.[12]
By springtime in 1883, City of Paris relocated again to premises at numbers 105-107 North Spring Street (prior to renumbering; situated west side between Franklin Temple and just north of Jones Block; after renumbering post-1890: listed as 205–207 North Spring Street).
In October that same year, ownership changed hands when Meyers divested their interests; Marc Eugene Meyer relocated to San Francisco while Emmanuel L. Stern joined as a partner alongside Nathan Cahn and Leon Loeb forming Stern, Cahn & Loeb.[13] Despite these changes, the store retained its "City of Paris" designation,[14] operating within what was then recognized as Los Angeles’ Central Business District.
Following a citywide renumbering initiative in 1890, advertisements dated from early 1892 indicate that City of Paris remained at its location but had expanded its storefront footprint to encompass addresses ranging from 203 to 209 North Spring Street.[15] Reports surfaced in early 1893 highlighting financial difficulties faced by the company; management had transitioned from Leon Loeb to Stern Bros.[16] By the following year, advertisements announced plans for closing down.[17]
Nonetheless, records show that operations continued into at least late summer of 1895 at the Jones Block located at number177 North Spring Street,[18] even as more upscale department stores began relocating toward South Broadway.
Ultimately, financial insolvency led to the closure of City of Paris in1897.[19]
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.
- ↑ Aaron Smith, Los Angeles City Directory, 1878, Mirror Printing, via Los Angeles Public Library
- ↑ "Eugene Meyer added as a partner to Eugene Meyer & Co. 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, Nathan Cahn and L. Loeb. Establishment of Stern Cahn & Loeb 1883". Los Angeles Times. October 27, 1883. p. 6 – via newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Stern Cahn and Loeb - City of Paris - 1883 - 105-107 N Spring St". Los Angeles Times. October 26, 1883. p. 2 – via newspapers.com.
- ↑ "City of Paris L.A. 1892 203-209 N Spring". Los Angeles Times. February 6, 1892. p. 6 – via newspapers.com.
- ↑ "City of Paris Loeb retired Stern Bros. in charge 1893". Los Angeles Times. September 17, 1893. p. 8 – via newspapers.com.
- ↑ "City of Paris Dry Goods Store store to close 1894 203 to 207 N Spring". Los Angeles Times. April 10, 1894. p. 3 – via newspapers.com.
- ↑ "City of Paris 1895 177 N Spring". Los Angeles Times. September11,1895. p. 4 – via newspapers.com.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ↑ "Hamburgers ad for City of Paris insolvent stock". Los Angeles Times. August14,1897. p. 12 – via newspapers.com.
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