Hutzler's
Encyclopedia
Hutzler's, or Hutzler Brothers Company, was a department store founded in Baltimore by Abram G. Hutzler (1835–1927) in 1858. From its beginning as a small dry goods store at the corner of Howard and Clay Streets in Downtown Baltimore
, Hutzler's eventually grew into a chain of 10 department stores, all of which were located in Maryland.
After Abram brought his two brothers, Charles and David, into the business in 1867, the retail store was left in David's hands while Abram and Charles operated a wholesale business. The retail store expanded into three other storefronts on Howard Street in 1874, 1881 and 1887, gradually transforming into a department store. Abram and Charles discontinued the wholesale business in 1888 to concentrate on the company's retail operations.
The original Howard Street locations were razed in 1888 and replaced by the five-story Hutzler Brothers Palace Building
, designed by the architectural firm of Baldwin & Pennington. An example of neoclassical architecture
, the Palace was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1984. Its exterior features included Nova Scotia gray stone, carved with arabesque heads and foliage, and large display windows. Facing Clay Street, a keystone carved with the image of Moses Hutzler was placed over a display window. The new store was organized into several departments and employed 200 workers.
In 1908, the company incorporated as Hutzler Brothers Company of Baltimore City. This was later amended to Hutzler Brothers Company.
to negotiate prices determined by the bargaining skill of individual customers. One-pricing for basic commodities was actually practiced in rural stores before the Civil War, but Hutzler's may have been the first retailer to apply the policy to such a broad range of merchandise, including every item in the store.
Hutzler's led the retailing industry as one of the first to establish a liberal return policy, granting refunds to dissatisfied customers, and the first Maryland retailer with its own fleet of delivery trucks. It is also believed to be the first retail chain that did not discriminate against African-American customers. They operated the first bargain counter during the civil war.
A five-story art deco
style expansion to the downtown store, described as "Greater Hutzlers", opened on October 1, 1932. This building eventually extended to nine floors and became known as the Tower building.
When it reached the peak of its operations in the 1950s, the Downtown location covered 325000 square feet (30,193.5 m²) of retail space.
. Other stores followed at Westview Mall
, Eastpoint Mall
, Southdale Center
(this location was moved to Harundale Mall
), Security Square Mall
, Harford Mall
, White Marsh Mall
, and Salisbury Mall. In 1980, a small store in the Inner Harbor
area was opened.
Designed for customers using automobiles, rather than pedestrian traffic, the Towson Hutzler's lacked the showcase windows of the downtown store. On the third floor of the Towson Hutzler's, customers dining in the store's Valley View Room, also known as the Tea Room, enjoyed a view overlooking the historic Hampton Mansion
. The store restaurant had its own bakery, featuring Lady Baltimore cake and Goucher cake.
in 1983 to take charge of the company and reverse the downward trend. In the Fall of 1984, he moved the downtown store from its original location into the new Atrium building next door, site of Hochschild Kohn's
former downtown location. The "Palace" name was also moved to the new building. By the time Arena arrived in 1983, the Hutzler's Palace store had contracted to 95000 square feet (8,825.8 m²) of retail floor space. Its new location in the Atrium building reduced Hutzler's to 70,000 square feet.
The move to the Atrium was part of a five year plan, announced by Arena in August 184, to buy four Hochshild Kohn's locations and expand to expand Hutzler's from eight to 15 stores in the Baltimore area.
Arena's efforts were unsuccessful. Hutzler's began closing stores, first with the Inner Harbor store in December 1986. The other locations followed until 1990, when all were gone.
Hutzler's remained a family-owned, Maryland business throughout its 132 years. Its downtown location is believed to hold the record among American department stores for the longest survival at an original location. David A. Hutzler, who joined the company's board in 1976, remained at his position until the company closed in 1990, without going through bankruptcy or lawsuits as its operations ended and assets were liquidated.
Downtown Baltimore
Downtown Baltimore is the section of Baltimore traditionally bounded by Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard to the west, Mt. Royal Avenue to the north, President Street to the east and the Inner Harbor area to the south. It consists of four neighborhoods: Westside, City Centre, Inner Harbor, and...
, Hutzler's eventually grew into a chain of 10 department stores, all of which were located in Maryland.
Early years
At age 23, Abram Hutzler was not yet old enough to secure credit; his father, Moses Hutzler, signed the official documents Abram needed to open the store in July 1858. Although the store originally traded as M. Hutzler & Son, Moses Hutzler was otherwise not involved in the business.After Abram brought his two brothers, Charles and David, into the business in 1867, the retail store was left in David's hands while Abram and Charles operated a wholesale business. The retail store expanded into three other storefronts on Howard Street in 1874, 1881 and 1887, gradually transforming into a department store. Abram and Charles discontinued the wholesale business in 1888 to concentrate on the company's retail operations.
The original Howard Street locations were razed in 1888 and replaced by the five-story Hutzler Brothers Palace Building
Hutzler Brothers Palace Building
The Hutzler Brothers Palace Building is a historic flagship department store building located at Baltimore, Maryland, United States and built by Hutzler's. It was constructed in 1888, with a south bay added in 1924. The original limestone Romanesque eclectic façade is three bays wide and five...
, designed by the architectural firm of Baldwin & Pennington. An example of neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
, the Palace was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1984. Its exterior features included Nova Scotia gray stone, carved with arabesque heads and foliage, and large display windows. Facing Clay Street, a keystone carved with the image of Moses Hutzler was placed over a display window. The new store was organized into several departments and employed 200 workers.
In 1908, the company incorporated as Hutzler Brothers Company of Baltimore City. This was later amended to Hutzler Brothers Company.
Innovative retail practices
An innovator of progressive retailing practices, Hutzler's was believed to have established the one-price policy in 1868. With one-pricing, all customers pay the same price, set by the store for a specific item, for specific period of time. This policy replaced the process of higgling or hagglingBargaining
Bargaining or haggling is a type of negotiation in which the buyer and seller of a good or service dispute the price which will be paid and the exact nature of the transaction that will take place, and eventually come to an agreement. Bargaining is an alternative pricing strategy to fixed prices...
to negotiate prices determined by the bargaining skill of individual customers. One-pricing for basic commodities was actually practiced in rural stores before the Civil War, but Hutzler's may have been the first retailer to apply the policy to such a broad range of merchandise, including every item in the store.
Hutzler's led the retailing industry as one of the first to establish a liberal return policy, granting refunds to dissatisfied customers, and the first Maryland retailer with its own fleet of delivery trucks. It is also believed to be the first retail chain that did not discriminate against African-American customers. They operated the first bargain counter during the civil war.
Downtown expansion
A five-story building on Saratoga Street and two smaller buildings on Howard Street were added to the Hutzler's downtown location in 1916. Then in 1924 another five floors were added to the Saratoga Street building, bringing it up to 10 floors. Hutzler's Downstairs, an outlet for discounted merchandise, opened in the store's basement in September 1929.A five-story art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style expansion to the downtown store, described as "Greater Hutzlers", opened on October 1, 1932. This building eventually extended to nine floors and became known as the Tower building.
When it reached the peak of its operations in the 1950s, the Downtown location covered 325000 square feet (30,193.5 m²) of retail space.
Suburban expansion
In 1952, after nearly 100 years exclusively on the original site, Hutzler's opened its first branch store in Towson, MarylandTowson, Maryland
Towson is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 55,197 at the 2010 census...
. Other stores followed at Westview Mall
Westview Mall
Westview Mall was an indoor mall located in Catonsville, Maryland. The mall originally opened in 1958 as an outdoor strip mall, but was later converted into an indoor shopping center . The original anchors were Hutzler's and Stewart's although Stewart's became Caldor in 1983...
, Eastpoint Mall
Eastpoint Mall
Eastpoint Mall is a mall in Dundalk, Maryland. The mall currently has 140 stores, including its anchors Sears and JC Penney.The food court at the mall has been the site of retirees from World War II to reminisce....
, Southdale Center
Southdale Center
Southdale Center, commonly known as just Southdale, is a shopping mall in Edina, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis, which opened in 1956. It is the United States' oldest fully enclosed, climate-controlled mall...
(this location was moved to Harundale Mall
Harundale Mall
Harundale Mall, one of the first enclosed shopping malls, was located in Glen Burnie, Maryland, United States at the intersection of Ritchie Highway and Aquahart Road. Harundale Mall has been replaced by Harundale Plaza located at the same location...
), Security Square Mall
Security Square Mall
Security Square Mall is a large mall in the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The mall features over 100 stores and restaurants, as well as a food court, with Burlington Coat Factory, Macy's, Old Navy and Sears serving as anchor stores. One section of the mall, Seoul Plaza, used to...
, Harford Mall
Harford Mall
The Harford Mall is a shopping mall owned by CBL & Associates Properties that is located near the junction of Maryland Route 24 and U.S. Route 1, about north of Baltimore. Its major stores include Macy's , Old Navy and Sears...
, White Marsh Mall
White Marsh Mall
White Marsh Mall is a shopping mall in the unincorporated and planned community of White Marsh in Baltimore County, Maryland, USA. The White Marsh Mall is one of the largest regional malls in the Baltimore area, with 5 anchor stores and 142 specialty shops in ....
, and Salisbury Mall. In 1980, a small store in the Inner Harbor
Harborplace
Harborplace is a festival marketplace in Baltimore, Maryland, that opened in 1980 as a centerpiece of the revival of downtown Baltimore. As its name suggests, it is located on the Inner Harbor....
area was opened.
Designed for customers using automobiles, rather than pedestrian traffic, the Towson Hutzler's lacked the showcase windows of the downtown store. On the third floor of the Towson Hutzler's, customers dining in the store's Valley View Room, also known as the Tea Room, enjoyed a view overlooking the historic Hampton Mansion
Hampton National Historic Site
Hampton National Historic Site, in the Hampton area north of Towson, Baltimore County, Maryland, United States, preserves a remnant of a vast 18th-century estate, including a Georgian manor house, gardens, grounds, and the original stone slave quarters. The estate was owned by the Ridgely family...
. The store restaurant had its own bakery, featuring Lady Baltimore cake and Goucher cake.
Declining years
In response to declining business in the 1980s, Hutzler's hired Angelo Arena from Marshall Field'sMarshall Field's
Marshall Field & Company was a department store in Chicago, Illinois that grew to become a major chain before being acquired by Macy's Inc...
in 1983 to take charge of the company and reverse the downward trend. In the Fall of 1984, he moved the downtown store from its original location into the new Atrium building next door, site of Hochschild Kohn's
Hochschild Kohn's
Hochschild Kohn's, also known as Hochschild-Kohn or simply Hochschild's, was a 20th-century American department store chain based in Baltimore, Maryland. It was started in 1897 as a partnership between Max Hochschild, Benno Kohn, and his brother Louis B. Kohn...
former downtown location. The "Palace" name was also moved to the new building. By the time Arena arrived in 1983, the Hutzler's Palace store had contracted to 95000 square feet (8,825.8 m²) of retail floor space. Its new location in the Atrium building reduced Hutzler's to 70,000 square feet.
The move to the Atrium was part of a five year plan, announced by Arena in August 184, to buy four Hochshild Kohn's locations and expand to expand Hutzler's from eight to 15 stores in the Baltimore area.
Arena's efforts were unsuccessful. Hutzler's began closing stores, first with the Inner Harbor store in December 1986. The other locations followed until 1990, when all were gone.
Hutzler's remained a family-owned, Maryland business throughout its 132 years. Its downtown location is believed to hold the record among American department stores for the longest survival at an original location. David A. Hutzler, who joined the company's board in 1976, remained at his position until the company closed in 1990, without going through bankruptcy or lawsuits as its operations ended and assets were liquidated.