The Crescent
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For the English indie band, see The Crescent (English band)
| The Crescent | |
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| Type | Department store |
| Founded | 1889 Spokane, Washington |
| Headquarters | Spokane, Washington |
| Industry | Retail |
| Products | Clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, and housewares. |
The Crescent was a historic Spokane, Washington, department store. The company was once owned by Marshall Field & Company and was later sold to BATUS Retail Group. The stores were renamed Frederick & Nelson in 1988 and closed in 1992.
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[edit] History
[edit] Beginnings
The Crescent, originally the Spokane Dry Goods Company, was Spokane's leading department store for decades. The original Crescent, located on West Riverside Avenue, opened for business on August 5, 1889, the day after the Great Fire that destroyed most of downtown Spokane. As the town’s only remaining dry goods store, its entire stock sold out on the first day of business. Owners Robert B. Paterson and James M. Comstock supported the post-fire effort and did not raise prices in order to take advantage of the disaster, which began the tradition, “be fair to everyone.” Construction of the Crescent building, designed by noted Spokane architect Loren L. Rand, began in 1917 and continued to 1919. Originally five stories in height, the building was later expanded to seven. In 1949 the Crescent purchased the Alexander Building, adjacent to the south, so that it extended half a city block. The final expansion was made in 1973 to include the NW corner of the block.
[edit] Expansion
The first suburban Crescent store was built in 1959 at Northtown Mall, Spokane's first regional shopping center. Marshall Field, the Chicago store that had owned Seattle's Frederick & Nelson since 1929, purchased The Crescent in 1962. A second suburban Crescent was built in the Spokane Valley at University City shopping center in 1969.
In 1962, The Crescent was acquired by Marshall Field & Company and the company logo was changed to the Marshall Field's script.
In 1986, four of the six Frederick & Nelson locations in Oregon were sold to The Crescent because they were smaller in size than an average store.(One location at Washington Square remained Frederick's and the other in Salem was shut down). When the Crescent and Frederick & Nelson divisions were merged in 1988, the four locations were sold to Lamonts.
The Crescent, along with parent company Marshall Field's, was purchased by BATUS Retail Group in 1982. BATUS sold The Crescent and Frederick & Nelson in 1986, and the stores were renamed Frederick & Nelson in 1988, briefly, and closed in 1992. Its former store in downtown Spokane the south east corner of Main and Wall is now known as Crescent Court, which houses retail stores and offices.
[edit] Former locations
[edit] Oregon
- Corvallis – Downtown (opened 1987, Lamonts from 1988 to 2000, Gottschalks from 2000 to 2004)
- Eugene – Valley River Center (opened 1987, sold to Lamonts in 1988, became Emporium 1996, Copeland Sports 2003, The Sports Authority 2007)
- Portland – Jantzen Beach Mall (Opened 1987, sold to Lamonts in 1988, closed 1996, torn down)
- Portland – Lloyd Center (Opened 1987, sold to Lamonts in 1988, closed 1996, now Ross Dress For Less and Barnes & Noble)
[edit] Washington
- Spokane – Downtown (opened in 1919, expanded 1956, 1973, converted to Frederick & Nelson in 1988, closed in 1992)
- Spokane – NorthTown Mall (opened in 1959, converted to Frederick & Nelson in 1988, closed in 1992, became The Bon Marché in 1993, Macy's in 2005)
- Spokane – University City Shopping Center (opened in 1969, converted to Frederick & Nelson in 1988, closed and reopened as Lamonts in 1991, vacant since 1996)
[edit] Sources
- "R.L.Polk's Spokane City Directory for 1950-1985"
- Spokesman-Review archives
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