The adjacent Potomac Block and Bicknell Block originally housed prominent retailers of the day, then were joined together in 1906 by Coulter's department store to form a complex, opening it as a new, 157,000 sq ft (14,600 m2) store in June, 1905.[1][2][3]
Potomac Block
editThe Potomac Block, 213–223 S. Broadway, was from 1905 to 1917 known as the B. F. Coulter Building. It was originally developed by lumberyard and mill owner J. M. Griffith. It was designed in 1888 by Block, Curlett and Eisen in Romanesque architectural style[4] and opened on July 17, 1890.[5]
Tenants included:
- Ville de Paris department store (at 221–223, from 1893 through 1906),[4]
- City of London Dry Goods Co., which moved here from next door at #211 in August 1895 and advertised for this location through August 1899.[6]
It was the first time major retail stores opened on South Broadway, in what would be a shift of the upmarket shopping district from 1890 to 1905 from around First and Spring to South Broadway. In 1904, Coulter's bought the Potomac Block, and combined it with the Bicknell block to create its new store that opened in 1905.
After Coulter's moved:
- 215 continued as a branch of Coulter's through 1927. Then, 215–217 was home to the Pacific Furniture House in the 1940s.
- 219 housed Fisch's Department Store in the 1940s.
The building was demolished in 1953 and is still the site of a parking lot.[7]
Bicknell Block
editThe Bicknell Block (or Bicknell Building) at 225–229 S. Broadway, with back entrances at 224–228 S. Hill Street. was part of Coulter's from 1905 from 1917. After Coulter's moved in 1917, it housed the Western Shoe Co. (through 1922), later known as the Western Department Store (1922–1928). Lettering covered the face of the building from top to bottom through the end of the 1950s: "THE LARGEST SHOE DEPT. IN THE WEST".[8]
- ^ "Great Store for Coulter". Los Angeles Times. August 2, 1904. p. 13.
- ^ Hill, 224-6-8 S. (2 November 1906). "Coulter's location 1906 225–229 S. Broadway". The Los Angeles Times. p. 19.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Ad for Coulter's new store opening". Los Angeles Times. May 31, 1905.
- ^ a b "Potomac Block :: Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection". tessa.lapl.org.
- ^ "Potomac Block. The Work of Building Up a Great City". Los Angeles Herald. July 18, 1890.
- ^ "Advertisement for City of Paris". Los Angeles Times. August 6, 1895. p. 10.
- ^ "Potomac Block & Bicknell Block – Romanesque Revival Downtown – PocketSights". pocketsights.com.
- ^ "Western Shoe Company – Western Department Store – 227 S Broadway". Los Angeles Evening Express. 1922-05-26. p. 14. Retrieved 2021-05-22.