Russeks
Russeks was a department store at 390 Fifth Avenue, at the intersection with West 36th Street, in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, a building also known as the Gorham Building.
History
[edit]The Russeks as a fur family dated back to prior to 1823.[1] The company was co-founded in 1901 by brothers Frank Russek and Isidore H. Russek, and became Russeks Fifth Avenue, Inc.[2][1]
Russeks started as a furrier in Manhattan in New York City in 1901 at 19th Street and Sixth Avenue in Manhattan with less than $1,000 in capital, and expanded into luxury clothing and accessories.[3][1] In 1905 they moved to 23rd Street, in 1911 they moved to 34th Street between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue, and in 1913 they moved to 362 Fifth Avenue.[1]
In 1924, they opened a department store on 390 Fifth Avenue and West 36th Street in Manhattan.[4][5] This was 390 Fifth Avenue, designed by Stanford White of McKim, Mead & White, and completed in 1904-05 for the Gorham Manufacturing Company.[6]
In the 1940s (at least), they had a department store in Detroit, Michigan.[7][8]
After arriving in the United States from Europe after World War 2 in 1949, Holocaust survivor Marion Wiesel worked at the department store as a salesperson.[9]
In February 1959, the company announced the closure of their Fifth Avenue store, after five years of losses, but said they would continue to operate in hotel and suburban locations.[5] In 1960, the new owner, Spear Securities, remodelled the exterior of the lower floors.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "GORHAM BUILDING SOLD," The New York Times.
- ^ "ESTATE OF RUSSEK v. COMMISSIONER - 20 T.C.M. 123 (1961) - btcm1231116". Leagle. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
- ^ "Faded Beauty: Russeks Department Store the Little History Left". serstyle.com. September 5, 2017. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
- ^ "Data". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
- ^ a b "RUSSEKS TO CLOSE FIFTH AVE. STORE; 5 Years' Losses Reported -Shops Will Continue in Hotel and Suburbs". New York Times. February 26, 1959. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
- ^ a b Gray, Christopher (October 22, 2000). "Streetscapes/The 1905 Gorham Building, at Fifth Avenue and 36th Street; Recreating a Stanford White Design -- Using Paint". New York Times. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
- ^ "1982.144.097 - Print, Photographic". detroithistorical.pastperfectonline.com.
- ^ "Russeks". detroithistorical.pastperfectonline.com.
- ^ "Marion Wiesel - Social Justice Warrior," WIZO, February 10, 2021.