The American Department Store Transformed, 1920-1960

After attaining classic stature with palaces erected in the early 20th century, the American department store continued to evolve in ways that were influenced by changes in business practices, shopping patterns, design approaches, and urban structure. This masterful and innovative history of a celebrated building type focuses on many of the nation's greatest retail companiesMarshall Fields, Lord and Taylor, Gimbel's, Wanamaker's, and Bullock's, among othersand the role they played in defining America's cities. Author Richard Longstreth traces the development and evolution of department stores from local, urban institutions to suburban entities in the nation's sixty largest cities, showing how the stores underwent changes to adapt to dramatic economic and urban developments, including the decentralization from metropolitan areas, increased popularity of the automobile, and challenges from retail competitors on a national level. Extensively illustrated, this fascinating book offers a fundamental understanding of the transformation of Main Streets nationwide.

Matthew E. Lenoe is Associate Professor of History at the University of Rochester. He is the author of Closer to the Masses: Stalinist Culture, Social Revolution, and Soviet Newspapers.