Higbee's was a
department store founded in 1860 in
Cleveland,
Ohio.
In 1987, Higbee's was sold to the joint partnership of
Dillard's department stores and
Youngstown-based developer,
Edward J. DeBartolo. The stores continued to operate under the Higbee name until 1992, when DeBartolo sold his shares to his partners and the chain was re-branded as Dillard's.
History
Higbee's was founded by Edwin Converse Higbee and John G. Hower on September 10, 1860, as Higbee & Hower Dry Goods. The first day of business saw $100 in sales. It was reorganized as The Higbee Co. in 1902 after the death of Mr. Hower and relocated from its original
Public Square
A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...
location to a new five-story
Playhouse Square Center
Playhouse Square is a theater district in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is the largest performing arts center in the US outside of New York City (only Lincoln Center is larger). Constructed in a span of 19 months in the early 1920s, ...
store, directly across from its sworn arch-rival
Halle Brothers Co. In 1929 it was acquired by the
Van Sweringen brothers, who moved the store to their new $179 million
Terminal Tower complex on Public Square, partly in response to pleas from women who wished to occupy homes in their new suburb of
Shaker Heights
Shaker or Shakers may refer to:
Religious groups
* Shakers, a historically significant Christian sect
* Indian Shakers, a smaller Christian denomination
Objects and instruments
* Shaker (musical instrument), an indirect struck idiophone
* Cock ...
and ride the Vans' new railroads into the city for quality shopping. The store subsequently went bankrupt in 1935 as the Van Sweringen empire collapsed in the
Great Depression, but thanks to store executives Charles P. Bradley and John Murphy, the company was reorganized and flourished under their guidance for many years.
The 1960s and 1970s saw the addition of several stores in suburbs as well as expansion to
Akron
Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city ...
and
Canton, all under the watch of president
Herbert Strawbridge, who also saw the value of giving new life to
The Flats district in
Downtown Cleveland.
In 1984,
Industrial Equity, a subsidiary of
Brierly Investments, acquired Higbee's, selling it three years later to a joint venture of
Dillard's and
Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. who planned to combine Higbee's with an intended acquisition of
Horne's
The Joseph Horne Company, often referred to simply as Joseph Horne's or Horne's, was an iconic, regional department store chain based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The store was one of the oldest in the country being founded on February 22, 1849, ...
. The deal was cancelled abruptly, resulting in several years of litigation. In 1992 Dillard's bought out DeBartolo's shares and rebadged Higbee's and five of the Northern Ohio Horne's stores with its name. During the 1990s, several inner-ring stores were closed while new far-flung locations opened or expanded.
The 192-foot-tall, 11-story Public Square flagship store was famous for its tenth-floor Silver Grille restaurant. It closed in January 2002. The Main Floor, second and third floors were restored in 2007 to house the new offices of the Convention & Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland and the Greater Cleveland Partnership, while the Silver Grille was restored for special events.
The building was again completely remodeled in 2011 and opened on May 14, 2012 as the
Horseshoe Casino Cleveland. The building was again renamed, becoming the Jack Cleveland Casino and reopening on May 11, 2016 after Rock Gaming LLC took over management.
In popular culture
* The store on Public Square was prominently featured in the 1983 movie ''
A Christmas Story'' and in the 2022 movie ''
A Christmas Story Christmas
''A Christmas Story Christmas'' is a 2022 American Christmas film, Christmas comedy film directed by Clay Kaytis with a script he co-wrote with Nick Schenk, from an original story co-written by Schenk and Peter Billingsley. It is a legacy seque ...
''
* Higbee's was referenced in Season 7 Episode 12 of ''
Mad Men
''Mad Men'' is an American period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on the cable network AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, lasting for seven seasons and 92 episodes. Its f ...
''.
* Higbee's was referenced in Season 1 Episode 20 of ''
30 Rock''.
References
External links
Papers relating to the Higbee Companyat Baker Library Special Collections, Harvard Business School
{{Dillard's history
Defunct department stores based in Cleveland
History of Cleveland
Defunct companies based in Ohio
Retail companies established in 1860
Retail companies disestablished in 1992
Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1935
1860 establishments in Ohio
1992 disestablishments in Ohio
Skyscrapers in Cleveland
Defunct companies based in Cleveland
Tower City Center