J. N. Adam & Co.

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J. N. Adam & Co.
Industry Retail
Founded1881
Defunct1960
FateLiquidation
Headquarters Buffalo, New York
Key people
 James N. Adam (founder)
ProductsGeneral merchandise
Parent Associated Dry Goods Corporation

The J. N. Adam & Co., commonly referred to as J. N.'s, was a department store located in Buffalo, New York that became part of the Associated Dry Goods Corporation. [1]

Contents

History

Former J. N. Adam & Co. flagship store, June 2009 J.N. Adam-AM&A Historic District Jun 09.jpg
Former J. N. Adam & Co. flagship store, June 2009

The J. N. Adam & Co. was founded in 1881 by James Noble Adam, a brother of Robert B. Adam, a founder of AM&A's, another Buffalo based department store. [2] The co-founder of the store was William H. Hotchkiss who, in 1905, negotiated the purchase of rival store Hengerer's. Both stores continued to operate and, in 1916, became initial parts of the Associated Dry Goods Corporation. [1]

The downtown store was initially located at 292 Main Street. [3] [4] They later moved to the corner of Main and Eagle Streets, where over a span of thirty years they built a massive 600,000 sq. ft. downtown store. [5] The flagship store was designed by architects Starrett & van Vleck, who also designed the Downtown Athletic Club and the flagship stores of Lord and Taylor, Bloomingdales, and Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City. [6]

In 1937, a satellite branch of J. N. Adam & Co. opened at 114-120 Falls Street in Niagara Falls, New York. [7]

Closure

J. N.'s closed in 1960, and the Buffalo store became the new home for the downtown location of AM&A's. The flagship store operated as a Bon Ton until 1995. On February 20, 2009, the former store complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places as the J. N. Adam–AM&A Historic District. [8] In 2015, a New York City-based development group purchased the building with the intention of converting it into a 10 floor, 300-room, Asian-themed hotel and restaurant complex. [9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Personnel". Time . April 20, 1931. Archived from the original on December 15, 2008.
  2. ↑ Rizzo, Michael F. (2007). Nine Nine Eight: The Glory Days of Buffalo Shopping. Morrisville, North Carolina: Lulu Enterprises, Inc. ISBN   978-1-4303-1386-1.
  3. ↑ "New Building on Main Street". The Illustrated Buffalo Express . July 26, 1891. p. 8. Retrieved November 11, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ Wachadlo, Martin (Spring 2004). "J. N. Adam & Co. / AM&A's department Store Complex". Preservation Report. Preservation Coalition of Erie County. Archived from the original on October 16, 2008. Retrieved August 19, 2008.
  5. ↑ "J. N. Adam & Co. Plans $500,000 Store Building". Buffalo Evening News . April 11, 1935. pp. 1, 3 . Retrieved November 11, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Elvins, Sarah (2004). Sales & Celebrations: Retailing and Regional Identity in Western New York State, 1920-1940. Ohio University Press. ISBN   0-8214-1549-2.
  7. ↑ Hornaday, Hilton (February 21, 1948). "$4,000,000 Expansion Program at J. N. Adam & Co. Completed". Buffalo Evening News . p. 3. Retrieved November 11, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties": 2/17/09 through 2/20/09 National Register of Historic Places.
  9. ↑ Sommer, Mark. "New owners of AM&A's building envision a hotel at the long-vacant site - The Buffalo News" . Retrieved July 30, 2015.
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