McCurdy's

McCurdy's (formally McCurdy and Company) was a Rochester, New York-based department store. Founded in 1901, the company was acquired by May Department Stores in 1994, but as a result of an antitrust settlement due to both McCurdy's and May's Kaufmann's stores being the predominant anchors in the area shopping malls, its stores were divested to The Bon-Ton Department store chain.

McCurdy helped found Rochester's Midtown Plaza, where its flagship store was located.

McCurdy's was a medium to high priced establishment, in direct competition with Sibley, Lindsay and Curr (later just Sibley's). To make themselves accessible to all, the Midtown, Long Ridge (now Greece Ridge), and Eastview Malls had "budget stores" which ran seconds, closeouts, and special merchandise at prices just above the discount houses- with McCurdy's service and cachet.

The Midtown Plaza location and Sibley's main store were directly across the street from each other on East Main Street in downtown Rochester, although McCurdy's was a bit more conservative in merchandising.

McCurdy and Co owned Midtown Plaza in downtown Rochester NY, which was the site of the home store of the McCurdy chain. It was torn down in 2010.

Midtown's most striking feature was the mechanical "Clock of Nations" in the main floor atrium. Rising through two stories, the clock featured mechanical dolls that would circle the main clock on the hour with a country highlighted each hour. The dolls were housed in capsules that featured a door that would open and close to reveal the dolls. The highlighted country's capsule would be illuminated and a melody appropriate to the country would play. Generations of children (and adults) sat in the atrium in eager anticipation each hour. When Midtown's patronage dwindled, stores closed and the future was obvious, the clock became a cause celebré all across the region. The clock was moved to the Greater Rochester International Airport terminal in 2008.^[1]

References

• Folklore and Legends of Rochester: The Mystery of Hoodoo Corner and Other Tales - Michael T. Keene - Google Books