H. P. Wasson and Company
Encyclopedia
H.P. Wasson and Company, aka Wasson's, was an Indianapolis, Indiana
, based department store chain founded by Hiram P. Wasson. Its flagship store, the H.P. Wasson & Company Building, was built in 1937 and is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
.
in downtown Indianapolis.
Wasson's was acquired by Goldblatt's
of Chicago in 1967. The Goldblatt's acquisition of Wasson's was not successful as the two chains did not cater to the same market segments. Wasson's catered to the middle class, whereas Goldblatt's was a discount department store. During Goldblatt's ownership a distinct decline in merchandise quality occurred. Additionally, Goldblatt's did not open any new outlets after the acquisition or relocate stores into the new regional malls that ringed the city. The last Wasson's store was closed in 1980.
was built on the site.
Wasson's Credit Union, which opened in October 1923, was the first credit union in Indiana and in the Midwest.
Competitors were L. S. Ayres, L. Strauss & Co.
and William H. Block
.
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, based department store chain founded by Hiram P. Wasson. Its flagship store, the H.P. Wasson & Company Building, was built in 1937 and is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
History
H.P. Wasson bought the Bee Hive Drygoods Store in 1874, renaming it nine years later H. P. Wasson and Company. With the death of H.P. Wasson in 1910, and his son Kenard Wasson in 1912, the store was sold to Gustave Efromyson and Louis Wolf. The chain would eventually consist of seven stores with the flagship store located at 2 West Washington StreetWashington Street (Indianapolis)
Washington Street is the primary east-west street in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The street follows the route of the National Road for almost all of its length in the city of Indianapolis. For a time, its entire length was designated as U.S...
in downtown Indianapolis.
Wasson's was acquired by Goldblatt's
Goldblatt's
Goldblatt's was a chain of local discount stores that operated in Chicago, Illinois as well as Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin. Founded in 1914, the chain grew to more than twenty stores at its peak, gradually closing its stores in the 1990s and selling others to Ames before finally closing...
of Chicago in 1967. The Goldblatt's acquisition of Wasson's was not successful as the two chains did not cater to the same market segments. Wasson's catered to the middle class, whereas Goldblatt's was a discount department store. During Goldblatt's ownership a distinct decline in merchandise quality occurred. Additionally, Goldblatt's did not open any new outlets after the acquisition or relocate stores into the new regional malls that ringed the city. The last Wasson's store was closed in 1980.
Building
The nine story Art Moderne flagship store located at 2 West Washington Street was converted into a retail/office complex in the early 1980s. The main store was designed by the noted Indianapolis architectural firm of Rubush and Hunter and constructed in 1937. A distinguishing feature of the Washington Street Store was the elimination of windows on the upper floors. With the advent of fluorescent lighting, windows were no longer required. The Washington Street location was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. The former Wasson's annex located on Monument Circle burnt down in 1970 and was subsequently replaced by a park. Recently a new corporate headquarters for Emmis CommunicationsEmmis Communications
Emmis Communications is a media conglomerate based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company owns radio stations and magazines in the United States, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria.-History:...
was built on the site.
Wasson's Credit Union, which opened in October 1923, was the first credit union in Indiana and in the Midwest.
Competitors were L. S. Ayres, L. Strauss & Co.
L. Strauss & Co.
L. Strauss & Co. was a distinctly upscale department store chain headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The store was founded in 1853 and declared bankruptcy 140 years later in 1993. The store originally was named the Eagle Clothing Company. Eagle Clothing became one of the city's retailing...
and William H. Block
William H. Block
The William H. Block Company was founded by Herman Wilhelm Bloch who immigrated from Austro-Hungary in 1874 and had Americanized his name to William H. Block, with the opening of a retail store located at 9 East Washington Street in Indianapolis in 1896. The company was also self identified as The...
.
Further reading
- Indianapolis: Hoosier's Circle City by George W. Geib, copyright 1981. pages 86,87.
- Service And Style: How the American Department Store Fashioned the Middle Class By Jan Whitaker, page 104
- The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis By David J. Bodenhamer, Robert Graham Barrows, David Gordon Vanderstel, page 652