Horne's
Encyclopedia
The Joseph Horne Company, often referred to simply as Joseph Horne's or Horne's, was an iconic, regional department store
chain based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The store was one of the oldest in the country being founded on February 22, 1849 but due to its regional presence in the country, it was often overlooked. The chain ceased operations in 1994 after being merged with the Lazarus
division of Federated Department Stores, Inc..
, the son of Henry Horne, who had served in the Continental Army, Henry intended his son to be a physician. Joseph had other plans, moved three counties west to Pittsburgh and found his first job in the retail trade with Christian Yeager, the father of South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club
member H. C. Yeager. Soon, Joseph moved to the F.H. Eaton store, and first became a partner. He bought out the business in 1849, renaming it The Joseph Horne Company, a name it would bear for more than 130 years. Horne was 23 at the time of the purchase. He joined forces with Christian B. Shea and A. P. Burchfield, whose families intermarried and entered the business, and brought a hauteur to this emporium that has never been equaled in Pittsburgh.
In 1881, the firm built their new building designed by Charles Tattersall Ingham at Wood and Liberty. In 1891, at age 65, Horne sold the wholesale side of his company's operations to the Pittsburgh Dry Goods Company. He married twice — first to Mary Elizabeth Shea, later to Emma Galway — and sired numerous children. His son Durbin Horne, born in 1854, was among Horne's children who followed their father into the family business. Both Joseph and Durbin Horne were members of the area's elite South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club
. Joseph Horne died in 1892.
Christian Bernard Shea (1835 – 1900) was the brother-in-law of Joseph Horne, and his founding partner in The Joseph Horne Company. Shea was involved with both halves of the family business — retail (Joseph Horne Co. Department Store) and wholesale (Pittsburgh Dry Goods Company). Shea was also member of South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, which suffered devastation during 1889's Johnstown Flood
.
on Smithfield. St.
In 1972, Associated Dry Goods
acquired Horne's, and ADG expanded operations of Horne's to several stores in suburban mall
s throughout the Pittsburgh region as well as in Erie, Pennsylvania
and Northeast Ohio. In December 1986, Horne's was acquired by a local investor group following ADG's acquisition by May Department Stores
. The local buyout was part of May's divesting of the Horne's chain, since May was already the owner of cross-town rival Kaufmann's
.
Two years later, the Arkansas-based department store chain Dillard's
and Edward J. DeBartolo Sr.
agreed to acquire Horne's, with plans of combining it with another recent acquisition for Dillard's — the Ohio-based Higbee's
store chain. The deal was canceled abruptly, resulting in several years of litigation. Dillard's eventually agreed to acquire five Ohio Horne's stores as part of a legal settlement in 1992.
By 1994, Federated Department Stores acquired the remaining ten Horne's stores and merged them with its Lazarus
division, completely ceasing all operations of any store under the Horne's name. This caused some anger among Pittsburgh shoppers, as Horne's was the oldest store in the city, Horne's had been a 145-year-old Pittsburgh tradition. After its closure the company was often praised for surviving 145 years with only a maximum of 15 stores. Several of the former Horne's locations operating as Lazarus were closed in 1998. Those that remained eventually became known as "Lazarus-Macy's" and in 2006 were joined with Kaufmann's in the nationwide Macy's
consolidation.
in 1871.The L shaped building is actually three builds built over the course of time. The original built in 1892 was six stories tall. Then a six story addition was added in 1897, followed by a seven story addition in 1922. The store had a total of four entrances — two on Stanwix Street, and two on Penn Avenue. It had 630000 square feet (58,528.9 m²) of selling space and was the city's second largest department store. The store remained Horne's until 1994 when it was converted over to Lazarus. Lazarus only remained in the building for 1 year before building a new location on Fifth Ave. Oxford Development Co purchased the building with hopes of ground level retail while renting floors two through seven to Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield
. Old Navy opened 20000 square feet (1,858.1 m²) on the first two floors in 1996 but closed in 2003. The building was then bought by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield
and remains to this day as Highmark offices with a ground level Rite Aid and restaurant.
at the Horne's building. Crowds in the past also eagerly awaited the Christmas window displays at Horne's, once part of the high competition among Pittsburgh's downtown stores for the attention of the Light Up Night visitors.
worked at a Horne's location in the store's display department as a summer job in 1947.
The television series Twin Peaks
provided the fictional Horne's department and owner Ben Joseph Horne were inspired by the real Horne's. The co-creator Mark Frost attended Carnegie Mellon University
in Pittsburgh.
Horne's also made notable appearances in movies, including the Monroeville Mall
Horne's location, which was shown in George A. Romero
's 1978 movie Dawn of the Dead. The Downtown Pittsburgh flagship store was the site of the 1987 erotic thriller, Lady Beware, starring Diane Lane
as a window designer. This was Horne's most notable appearance, because it was shown in its fullest and was not blocked out in the movie. Diane Lane's character worked at Horne's proudly.
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
chain based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The store was one of the oldest in the country being founded on February 22, 1849 but due to its regional presence in the country, it was often overlooked. The chain ceased operations in 1994 after being merged with the Lazarus
Lazarus (department store)
F&R Lazarus & Company — commonly known as Lazarus — was a regional department store retail chain operating primarily in the U.S. Midwest, and based in Columbus, Ohio...
division of Federated Department Stores, Inc..
Horne's Founding Families
Joseph Horne (1826-1891) was born in Bedford County, PennsylvaniaBedford County, Pennsylvania
Bedford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 49,762. The county seat is Bedford. It is part of the Altoona, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
, the son of Henry Horne, who had served in the Continental Army, Henry intended his son to be a physician. Joseph had other plans, moved three counties west to Pittsburgh and found his first job in the retail trade with Christian Yeager, the father of South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club
South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club
The South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club was a Pennsylvania corporation which operated an exclusive and secretive retreat at a mountain lake near South Fork, Pennsylvania for more than fifty extremely wealthy men and their families...
member H. C. Yeager. Soon, Joseph moved to the F.H. Eaton store, and first became a partner. He bought out the business in 1849, renaming it The Joseph Horne Company, a name it would bear for more than 130 years. Horne was 23 at the time of the purchase. He joined forces with Christian B. Shea and A. P. Burchfield, whose families intermarried and entered the business, and brought a hauteur to this emporium that has never been equaled in Pittsburgh.
In 1881, the firm built their new building designed by Charles Tattersall Ingham at Wood and Liberty. In 1891, at age 65, Horne sold the wholesale side of his company's operations to the Pittsburgh Dry Goods Company. He married twice — first to Mary Elizabeth Shea, later to Emma Galway — and sired numerous children. His son Durbin Horne, born in 1854, was among Horne's children who followed their father into the family business. Both Joseph and Durbin Horne were members of the area's elite South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club
South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club
The South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club was a Pennsylvania corporation which operated an exclusive and secretive retreat at a mountain lake near South Fork, Pennsylvania for more than fifty extremely wealthy men and their families...
. Joseph Horne died in 1892.
Christian Bernard Shea (1835 – 1900) was the brother-in-law of Joseph Horne, and his founding partner in The Joseph Horne Company. Shea was involved with both halves of the family business — retail (Joseph Horne Co. Department Store) and wholesale (Pittsburgh Dry Goods Company). Shea was also member of South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, which suffered devastation during 1889's Johnstown Flood
Johnstown Flood
The Johnstown Flood occurred on May 31, 1889. It was the result of the catastrophic failure of the South Fork Dam situated upstream of the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA, made worse by several days of extremely heavy rainfall...
.
History
In 1849, Horne's began operations as The Joseph Horne Company after Joseph Horne bought the Eaton Co. It soon became a leading Pittsburgh department store. In 1879, a new central location was built at Penn Avenue and Stanwix Street in Downtown Pittsburgh, a seven-story landmark which was the first department store in the city's downtown. The building still stands to this day and several Horne's signs remains on the building to remember the store, similar to exterior details which continue to be displayed at the former Pittsburgh Kaufmann'sKaufmann's
Kaufmann's was a department store that originated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was owned in the early 20th century by Edgar J. Kaufmann, patron of 'Fallingwater' and the Kaufmann's Desert House. In the post-war years the store became a regional chain in the eastern United States, and was last...
on Smithfield. St.
In 1972, Associated Dry Goods
Associated Dry Goods
Associated Dry Goods was a chain of department stores that merged with May Department Stores in 1986. It was founded in 1916 as an association of independent stores called American Dry Goods, based in New York City.-History:...
acquired Horne's, and ADG expanded operations of Horne's to several stores in suburban mall
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
s throughout the Pittsburgh region as well as in Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...
and Northeast Ohio. In December 1986, Horne's was acquired by a local investor group following ADG's acquisition by May Department Stores
May Department Stores
The May Department Stores Company was a national department store chain in the United States, founded in 1877 by David May. The company ceased to exist in 2005 when it was merged with Federated Department Stores, Inc . Prior to the merger it was headquartered in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri...
. The local buyout was part of May's divesting of the Horne's chain, since May was already the owner of cross-town rival Kaufmann's
Kaufmann's
Kaufmann's was a department store that originated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was owned in the early 20th century by Edgar J. Kaufmann, patron of 'Fallingwater' and the Kaufmann's Desert House. In the post-war years the store became a regional chain in the eastern United States, and was last...
.
Two years later, the Arkansas-based department store chain Dillard's
Dillard's
Dillard's, Inc. is a department store chain in the United States, with 330 stores in 29 states. Headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, Dillard's locations are concentrated in Texas and Florida; with a major presence in other states including Arizona, Iowa, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri,...
and Edward J. DeBartolo Sr.
Edward J. DeBartolo Sr.
Edward John DeBartolo, Sr. was an American businessman who is widely regarded as the father of the American shopping mall...
agreed to acquire Horne's, with plans of combining it with another recent acquisition for Dillard's — the Ohio-based Higbee's
Higbee's
Higbee's was a department store founded 1860 in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1992, Higbee's stores were re-branded as part of Dillard's.-History:Higbee's was founded by Edwin Converse Higbee and John G. Hower on September 10, 1860 as Higbee & Hower Dry Goods. The first day of business saw $100 in sales. ...
store chain. The deal was canceled abruptly, resulting in several years of litigation. Dillard's eventually agreed to acquire five Ohio Horne's stores as part of a legal settlement in 1992.
By 1994, Federated Department Stores acquired the remaining ten Horne's stores and merged them with its Lazarus
Lazarus (department store)
F&R Lazarus & Company — commonly known as Lazarus — was a regional department store retail chain operating primarily in the U.S. Midwest, and based in Columbus, Ohio...
division, completely ceasing all operations of any store under the Horne's name. This caused some anger among Pittsburgh shoppers, as Horne's was the oldest store in the city, Horne's had been a 145-year-old Pittsburgh tradition. After its closure the company was often praised for surviving 145 years with only a maximum of 15 stores. Several of the former Horne's locations operating as Lazarus were closed in 1998. Those that remained eventually became known as "Lazarus-Macy's" and in 2006 were joined with Kaufmann's in the nationwide Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
consolidation.
Flagship store
The flagship Horne's Department Store in Pittsburgh was the first department store in Pittsburgh, and remained so until the founding of Kaufmann'sKaufmann's
Kaufmann's was a department store that originated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was owned in the early 20th century by Edgar J. Kaufmann, patron of 'Fallingwater' and the Kaufmann's Desert House. In the post-war years the store became a regional chain in the eastern United States, and was last...
in 1871.The L shaped building is actually three builds built over the course of time. The original built in 1892 was six stories tall. Then a six story addition was added in 1897, followed by a seven story addition in 1922. The store had a total of four entrances — two on Stanwix Street, and two on Penn Avenue. It had 630000 square feet (58,528.9 m²) of selling space and was the city's second largest department store. The store remained Horne's until 1994 when it was converted over to Lazarus. Lazarus only remained in the building for 1 year before building a new location on Fifth Ave. Oxford Development Co purchased the building with hopes of ground level retail while renting floors two through seven to Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield
Highmark
Highmark is a not-for-profit health insurance company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the largest health insurer in Pennsylvania, and through a purchase in 1996, the largest health insurer in West Virginia. As Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, it primarily serves the 29...
. Old Navy opened 20000 square feet (1,858.1 m²) on the first two floors in 1996 but closed in 2003. The building was then bought by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield
Highmark
Highmark is a not-for-profit health insurance company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the largest health insurer in Pennsylvania, and through a purchase in 1996, the largest health insurer in West Virginia. As Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, it primarily serves the 29...
and remains to this day as Highmark offices with a ground level Rite Aid and restaurant.
The Horne's Tree
The lighting of the Horne's Christmas tree at the flagship store was a long-held holiday season tradition. The 6 story electric tree would be placed on the corner of the building at Penn ave. and Stanwix St. People would crowd the corner for a show and the lighting. The tree is still displayed annually in the tradition of Pittsburgh's Light Up NightLight Up Night
Light Up Night is a day-long family festival in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania coinciding with the unofficial start of the Winter holiday shopping season. Many retailers in Downtown Pittsburgh remain open late, and street vendors and other concessionaires sell food and give away hot...
at the Horne's building. Crowds in the past also eagerly awaited the Christmas window displays at Horne's, once part of the high competition among Pittsburgh's downtown stores for the attention of the Light Up Night visitors.
Left over Horne's
Several years after the closing of the last Horne's stores, several signs remain at the historic downtown flagship store building, each bearing the Horne's name. On the left corner of the building, two plaques remain that read "Joseph Horne Co Dry Goods Importers and Retailers". Also, above three of the entrances to the building, there is a sign engraved in stone that reads "1849 - Joseph Horne Co. - 1879" marking the founding of the company and the year the building was built. Four sidewalk slabs adjoining the building also have the Horne's logo engraved in them.Horne's and popular culture
Well beyond Pittsburgh, Horne's became a part of popular culture. Artist Andy WarholAndy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
worked at a Horne's location in the store's display department as a summer job in 1947.
The television series Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks is an American television serial drama created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. The series follows the investigation headed by FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper , of the murder of a popular teenager and homecoming queen, Laura Palmer...
provided the fictional Horne's department and owner Ben Joseph Horne were inspired by the real Horne's. The co-creator Mark Frost attended Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
in Pittsburgh.
Horne's also made notable appearances in movies, including the Monroeville Mall
Monroeville Mall
Monroeville Mall is a two-level, enclosed shopping mall in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, eastof Pittsburgh. It is located near the junction of Interstate 376 and I-76...
Horne's location, which was shown in George A. Romero
George A. Romero
George Andrew Romero is a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter and editor, best known for his gruesome and satirical horror films about a hypothetical zombie apocalypse. He is nicknamed "Godfather of all Zombies." -Life and career:...
's 1978 movie Dawn of the Dead. The Downtown Pittsburgh flagship store was the site of the 1987 erotic thriller, Lady Beware, starring Diane Lane
Diane Lane
Diane Lane is an American film actress.Born and raised in New York City, Lane made her screen debut at the age of 13 in George Roy Hill's 1979 film A Little Romance, starring opposite Sir Laurence Olivier. Soon after, she was featured on the cover of Time magazine...
as a window designer. This was Horne's most notable appearance, because it was shown in its fullest and was not blocked out in the movie. Diane Lane's character worked at Horne's proudly.