| Industry | Retail |
|---|---|
| Fate | Converted to Macy's |
| Successor | Macy's |
| Founded | 1911 |
| Defunct | 2006 |
| Headquarters | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Products | Clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, and housewares. |
| Parent | The May Department Stores Company (1911-August 30, 2005) Federated Department Stores, Inc. (August 30, 2005-September 9, 2006) |
| Website | www.macys.com |
The Famous-Barr Co. (originally Famous & Barr Co.), St. Louis, Missouri, was a division of Macy's, Inc. (formerly Federated Department Stores). It was formerly the hometown division of The May Department Stores Company, which was acquired by Federated on August 30, 2005. On February 1, 2006, it was subsumed into the newly created Macy's Midwest division. The Famous-Barr Co. was created in 1911 through the merger of The William Barr Dry Goods Co. and previously May-owned The Famous Clothing Store. Famous-Barr was the first air conditioned department store in the United States. In 1991 it took operation control of the L.S. Ayres division in Indiana, and in 1998 took on The Jones Store in Kansas City when May acquired that chain in the aftermath of the Dillard's acquisition of Mercantile Stores Co. Both chains retained their names, but shut down their headquarters.
The Famous-Barr name was retired on September 9, 2006 when Federated Department Stores converted most of May's regional department stores to the Macy's nameplate.
The original 1924 Famous-Barr store is still in operation in downtown St. Louis, is located in the historic Railway Exchange Building. It was the home of May Co. before Federated's acquisition. The store now operates as Macy's Central's secondary headquarters. On July 10, 2009 Macy's Inc. announce that they would downsize the downtown flagship store from 7 stories to 3. The store still remains one of the largest Macy Department stores nationwide.
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