Sibley's
Encyclopedia
Sibley, Lindsay & Curr Company, known informally as Sibley's, was a Rochester, New York
-based department store
chain with stores located exclusively in the state of New York
. Its flagship store at 228 East Main Street in downtown Rochester also housed its headquarters offices and featured an elegant executive dining room on the top floor.
were employees at the Hogg, Brown & Taylor dry-goods store in Boston
. Wishing to go into business for themselves, they investigated potential sites and settled on the growing city of Rochester. Their first storefront, often called "the Boston store" by locals, opened in 1868. When the company opened a new 12-story, 23 acres (93,077.8 m²) flagship store in the Granite Building
, it was among the five largest department stores in the country at the time.
In 1905, after the disastrous 1904 "Sibley fire
" gutted the Granite Building and much of Rochester's dry goods district, Sibley's moved to its final location, the current Sibley Building at the corner of East Main Street and Clinton Avenue. By 1939, Sibley's was the largest department store between New York City
and Chicago
.
In 1962, competitors B. Forman Co. and McCurdy's
collaborated to construct Midtown Plaza
right across Main Street from Sibley's. Sibley's was connected to the new mall by an enclosed third-floor walkway, part of the Rochester Skyway system.
The company was acquired by the Associated Dry Goods Corporation
in 1957, which, in turn, was acquired by May Department Stores
in 1986. The Sibley's name was merged into May Company's Kaufmann's
name in 1990. Most of its suburban locations, after converting to Kaufmann's, became part of Macy's
by 2006.
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
-based department store
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 with stores located exclusively in the state of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Its flagship store at 228 East Main Street in downtown Rochester also housed its headquarters offices and featured an elegant executive dining room on the top floor.
History
Rufus Sibley, Alexander Lindsay, and John CurrJohn Curr
John Curr was the manager of the Duke of Norfolk's collieries in Sheffield, England from 1781 to 1801. During this time he made a number of innovations that contributed significantly to the development of the coal mining industry and railways.-Personal life:Curr was born in County Durham, England...
were employees at the Hogg, Brown & Taylor dry-goods store in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. Wishing to go into business for themselves, they investigated potential sites and settled on the growing city of Rochester. Their first storefront, often called "the Boston store" by locals, opened in 1868. When the company opened a new 12-story, 23 acres (93,077.8 m²) flagship store in the Granite Building
Granite Building
Granite Building is a historic department store building located at Rochester in Monroe County, New York. It was designed by J. Foster Warner in 1893 and, at 12 stories with of floor space, was the city's first skeletal steel skyscraper. Its facade is a mix of Second Renaissance Revival style and...
, it was among the five largest department stores in the country at the time.
In 1905, after the disastrous 1904 "Sibley fire
Sibley fire
The Sibley fire was a 1904 fire in Rochester, New York.The worst conflagration in the city's history at the time, the fire broke out shortly before 5 o'clock on February 26 1904 in the basement of the Rochester Dry Goods company's store at 1516 Main street.The fire caused significant damage to...
" gutted the Granite Building and much of Rochester's dry goods district, Sibley's moved to its final location, the current Sibley Building at the corner of East Main Street and Clinton Avenue. By 1939, Sibley's was the largest department store between New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
In 1962, competitors B. Forman Co. and McCurdy's
McCurdy's
McCurdy's was a Rochester, New York-based department store. Founded in 1901, the company was acquired by May Department Stores in 1994, but as a result of an antitrust settlement due to both McCurdy's and May's Kaufmann's stores being the predominant anchors in the area shopping malls, its stores...
collaborated to construct Midtown Plaza
Midtown Plaza (Rochester)
Midtown Plaza was an indoor shopping mall in downtown Rochester, New York, the first urban indoor mall in the United States.-History:...
right across Main Street from Sibley's. Sibley's was connected to the new mall by an enclosed third-floor walkway, part of the Rochester Skyway system.
The company was acquired by the Associated Dry Goods Corporation
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:...
in 1957, which, in turn, was acquired 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...
in 1986. The Sibley's name was merged into May Company's 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...
name in 1990. Most of its suburban locations, after converting to Kaufmann's, became part of 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...
by 2006.