Identity area
Type of entity
Corporate body
Authorized form of name
Abraham & Straus
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1865-1995
History
Abraham & Straus was founded by Abraham Abraham and Isidor Straus, co-owner of R.H. Macy and Company, on February 14, 1865 in Brooklyn, NY. Taking up an entire city block ( between Fulton, Hoyt, and Livingston Streets and Gallatin Place) Abraham & Straus remained one of these shopping destinations in Brooklyn throughout the late 19th and most of the 20th century. The owners often planned new expansions, like a 10 story complex in 1928 (the Great Depression made it so only three sections were constructed). In 1959, the store expanded once again spilling over to the lot across Hoyt Street. By the mid-century, however, the area surrounding the department store began to lose it's grandeur. In 1995, the store was repurposed into a Macy's. Today, you can still see parts of the original design inside the Macy's.