J. N. Adam & Co.

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]

J. N. Adam & Co.
IndustryRetail
FateLiquidation
Founded1881
Defunct1960
HeadquartersBuffalo, New York
Key people
James N. Adam (founder)
ProductsGeneral merchandise
ParentAssociated Dry Goods Corporation

History
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. The store is currently threatened with demolition.[8][9] 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.[10] 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.[11]

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See also

References
  1. "Personnel". Time. 1931-04-20.
  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". Buffalo Express. 1891-07-26.
  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 2008-10-16. Retrieved 2008-08-19.
  5. "J. N. Adam & Co. Plans $500,000 Store Building". Buffalo Evening News. 1935-04-11.
  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. "Expansion Program at J. N. Adam & Co". Buffalo Evening News. 1948-02-21.
  8. "J. N. Adam (AM&As) Threatened by Vampiric Policies of Development Agencies". Greater Buffalo Blog. 2005-03-03. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
  9. "City urged to raze AM&A's structures" Business First of Buffalo, May 30, 2007 (retrieved Sep 10, 2008.
  10. "Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties": 2/17/09 through 2/20/09 National Register of Historic Places.
  11. Sommer, Mark. "New owners of AM&A's building envision a hotel at the long-vacant site - The Buffalo News". Retrieved 2015-07-30.
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