Sanger–Harris

Sanger–Harris (later styled as Sanger Harris) was a department store chain based in Dallas, Texas. The chain was owned by department store conglomerate Federated Department Stores and was formed from the 1961 merger of two Dallas-based chains, Sanger Brothers and A. Harris and Co., both dating back to the 19th century.

At its height, the chain owned 20 stores, most in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex with some additional stores in Oklahoma and Arizona. In 1987, Federated merged Sanger–Harris into its Houston-based Foley's chain, which itself would be merged into Macy's in 2006. Most former Sanger–Harris stores have been demolished or remodeled.

History

Sanger–Harris of Dallas, Texas, was the result of the 1961 merger of then four-unit Sanger Brothers Dry Goods Company of Dallas, founded in 1868 by the five Sanger brothers and acquired by Federated Department Stores in 1951; and the two-unit A. Harris and Company of Dallas, founded in 1887 and acquired by Federated in 1961.

In 1965 the company built a new downtown Dallas store to replace the flagship stores of the two companies and, so the business legend goes, turned down the opportunity to move into a new shopping center called NorthPark Center. During the late 1970s, the chain dropped the hyphen between 'Sanger' and 'Harris' (rumored as a way to differentiate from hometown rival Neiman-Marcus), and continued as an upper-moderate shopping destination. In January 1987 it was merged into the Foley's division; the combined division was sold to The May Department Store Company the next year. Most locations are now Macy's since 2006 when Federated Stores bought out The May Department Stores Company in 2005.

Architecture

Sanger–Harris stores are known for their distinctive architectural styling, featuring large white marble columns and an abstract mosaic crafted from tiles. This design was introduced with the 1965 downtown flagship, which had the columns and mosaic covering three sides of the store. Future stores, starting with the 1970 store at Six Flags Mall, emulated this design at smaller entryways, with mosaic designs that were, with a few exceptions, unique to each store. Many of the mosaics were designed by Brenda Stubel, one of the first female architects in Dallas.

The mosaic and columns were present at most Sanger–Harris department stores constructed between 1965 and 1982. Most of these stores have since been demolished or remodeled; for example, the downtown flagship still features its marble columns, but the tiles were removed when it was renovated into an office building. The only mosaics remaining are at the Hulen Mall, Woodland Hills Mall, and The Shops at RedBird locations. Efforts to preserve the mosaics at demolished locations, such as Valley View Center and Collin Creek Mall, have failed due to the murals' thick asbestos-based stucco and lack of a metallic lath resulting in high removal, cleaning, and preservation costs.

Locations

Sanger Brothers (1868–1961)

A. Harris & Co. (1887–1961)

Sanger–Harris (1961–1987)

In popular culture

* In early episodes of ''Dallas'', the downtown Dallas store was used for filming in two different storylines:
:* When a lowly young woman agrees to give up her baby to Sue Ellen (played by Linda Gray), Sue Ellen visits a department store to shop for baby clothes and related items. Pam (Victoria Principal) there instead.
:* Pam decides she wants to work outside the home, visits "the store" for a job interview with her friend Liz Craig (Barbara Babcock); the downtown Dallas store facade can clearly be seen as Pam approaches the front door of the store. After Pam snags the job, later views of the downtown Dallas store's side entrance on Akard St. can be seen used to introduce scenes of Pam at work.
* In the 1986 movie '' True Stories'', a fashion show takes place at the mall in Virgil, Texas. As the scene is about to begin, the camera pans by a mall's exterior. A Sanger–Harris store building can be seen, among others. This exterior actually belonged to Big Town Mall in Mesquite.
* During Dallas showings of ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'', audience members would sing the Sanger–Harris jingle "You can always tell a Sanger Harris man". This was done when Dr. Frank-N-Furter came down the elevator in heels and fishnet stockings.
* Prank call comedian ''Lucius Tate'' often pretended to be a collection agent from Sanger–Harris when calling his victims.

See also

* Levy's
* Neiman Marcus
* Sanger, Texas
* Titche's
* List of department stores converted to Macy's
* List of defunct department stores of the United States

Bibliography

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References

External links

Sanger–Harris Archive at the Dallas Public Library

The Department Store Museum: Sanger–Harris

Archived TV ads

"You can always tell a Sanger Harris man", 1977

"Billy the Kid boy's slacks", 1981

"Super Saver Home Sale", undated

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanger-Harris
Defunct department stores based in Texas
Companies based in Dallas
Retail companies disestablished in 1987
Defunct companies based in Texas
Retail companies established in 1961
1961 establishments in Texas