Lasalle & Koch
Encyclopedia
Lasalle & Koch Co. or Lasalle's was a department store
in Toledo
, Ohio
, U.S.A., with branches in some nearby communities.
in 1923.
In 1927, the company commissioned mural artist Arthur Covey
to create a series of paintings about Toledo-area industries which were exhibited in the store's display windows.
During the postwar era, Lasalle's expanded by opening branches in the downtown shopping districts of smaller Northwest Ohio cities: Bowling Green (1945), Tiffin (1947), Sandusky (1949), and Findlay (1955).
In late 1957 and most of 1958, there was a 13-month-long strike against Lasalle's and two other Toledo department stores, Lamson's and Lion Store
, by the Retail Clerks International Association, which later became the United Food and Commercial Workers
. The strike was settled by a "Statement of Understanding" under which the striking workers were reinstated to their jobs but the union was not recognized.
Lasalle's opened their first suburban shopping center branch in 1962, in Toledo's Westgate Center.
Following the name change in 1981, Macy's Midwest closed the Lasalle's executive offices, credit department, and buying department, and moved their functions to Kansas City. After two years of gradually reducing the floor space of the downtown store by closing off floors, Macy's Midwest management closed it.
Macy's sold the remaining Ohio stores and their Toledo warehouse to Dayton retailer Elder-Beerman
in 1985. Elder-Beerman now operates a store at the Westgate Village Shopping Center at 3301 Secor Road in Toledo as well as in communities near Toledo including Bowling Green, Ohio
, Monroe, Michigan
, Adrian, Michigan
, Findlay, Ohio
, Sandusky, Ohio
and Defiance, Ohio
.
The downtown Toledo building stood neglected and vacant for thirteen years. In 1996, developers converted the store to apartments and retail space. The building is part of the Madison Avenue Historic District.
The current Macy's store in Toledo's Franklin Park Mall has no connection with the Lasalle's stores. It was opened in 1971 by the J.L. Hudson Company of Detroit. Hudson's and Dayton's had merged in 1969, but each division kept their respective identities and local management. All Dayton-Hudson stores adopted the Marshall Field's nameplate in 2001, during which time corporate parent Dayton-Hudson had adopted the name of their former subsidiary, Target. In 2006, following the Federated purchase of May Co. and the Marshall Field's stores, these stores became Macy's.
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...
in Toledo
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, U.S.A., with branches in some nearby communities.
History
The Lasalle & Koch Company opened its flagship downtown Toledo at 513 Adams Street in 1918. The company was purchased by R.H. Macy & Co.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...
in 1923.
In 1927, the company commissioned mural artist Arthur Covey
Arthur Covey
Arthur Sinclair Covey was an American muralist known for creating paintings of industrial workers doing their jobs.Covey was born in Leroy, Illinois on June 13, 1877. He died in Tarpon Springs, Florida on February 5, 1960....
to create a series of paintings about Toledo-area industries which were exhibited in the store's display windows.
During the postwar era, Lasalle's expanded by opening branches in the downtown shopping districts of smaller Northwest Ohio cities: Bowling Green (1945), Tiffin (1947), Sandusky (1949), and Findlay (1955).
In late 1957 and most of 1958, there was a 13-month-long strike against Lasalle's and two other Toledo department stores, Lamson's and Lion Store
Lion Store
The Lion Store is a defunct retailer and department store chain in the city of Toledo, Ohio. The stores were bought by Mercantile Stores and were eventually sold to Dillard's.-History:...
, by the Retail Clerks International Association, which later became the United Food and Commercial Workers
United Food and Commercial Workers
The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union is a labor union representing approximately 1.3 million workers in the United States and Canada in many industries, including agriculture, health care, meatpacking, poultry and food processing, manufacturing, textile, G4S Security, chemical...
. The strike was settled by a "Statement of Understanding" under which the striking workers were reinstated to their jobs but the union was not recognized.
Lasalle's opened their first suburban shopping center branch in 1962, in Toledo's Westgate Center.
Consolidation and sale
The Lasalle's stores were converted to the Macy's name in 1981. At the time of the name change, Lasalle's operated the flagship downtown Toledo store, and suburban branches at Westgate, Northtowne, and Woodville Mall. Lasalle's also had stores in the downtown shopping districts of Bowling Green, Sandusky, Findlay, and Tiffin.Following the name change in 1981, Macy's Midwest closed the Lasalle's executive offices, credit department, and buying department, and moved their functions to Kansas City. After two years of gradually reducing the floor space of the downtown store by closing off floors, Macy's Midwest management closed it.
Macy's sold the remaining Ohio stores and their Toledo warehouse to Dayton retailer Elder-Beerman
Elder-Beerman
Elder-Beerman is a U.S. chain of department stores founded in 1883 and owned by The Bon-Ton. The chain is based primarily in the United States' Midwest region...
in 1985. Elder-Beerman now operates a store at the Westgate Village Shopping Center at 3301 Secor Road in Toledo as well as in communities near Toledo including Bowling Green, Ohio
Bowling Green, Ohio
Bowling Green is the county seat of Wood County in the U.S. state of Ohio. At the time of the 2010 census, the population of Bowling Green was 30,028. It is part of the Toledo, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bowling Green is the home of Bowling Green State University...
, Monroe, Michigan
Monroe, Michigan
Monroe is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 20,733 at the 2010 census. It is the largest city and county seat of Monroe County. The city is bordered on the south by Monroe Charter Township, but both are politically independent. The city is located approximately 14 miles ...
, Adrian, Michigan
Adrian, Michigan
As of the 2010 census Adrian had a population of 21,133. The racial and ethnic makeup of the population was 84.1% white, 4.4% black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 5.9% from some other race and 4.0% from two or more races...
, Findlay, Ohio
Findlay, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 38,967 people, 15,905 households, and 10,004 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,266.3 people per square mile . There were 17,152 housing units at an average density of 997.6 per square mile...
, Sandusky, Ohio
Sandusky, Ohio
Sandusky is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Erie County. It is located in northern Ohio and is situated on the shores of Lake Erie, almost exactly half-way between Toledo to the west and Cleveland to the east....
and Defiance, Ohio
Defiance, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,465 people, 6,572 households, and 4,422 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,562.4 people per square mile . There were 7,061 housing units at an average density of 670.0 per square mile...
.
The downtown Toledo building stood neglected and vacant for thirteen years. In 1996, developers converted the store to apartments and retail space. The building is part of the Madison Avenue Historic District.
The current Macy's store in Toledo's Franklin Park Mall has no connection with the Lasalle's stores. It was opened in 1971 by the J.L. Hudson Company of Detroit. Hudson's and Dayton's had merged in 1969, but each division kept their respective identities and local management. All Dayton-Hudson stores adopted the Marshall Field's nameplate in 2001, during which time corporate parent Dayton-Hudson had adopted the name of their former subsidiary, Target. In 2006, following the Federated purchase of May Co. and the Marshall Field's stores, these stores became Macy's.