Desmond's (department store)

Desmond's brother Cornelius was a hatter in San Francisco from at least c.1864 through 1879, for a time working with their other brother Jeremiah. The shop was variously located at Bush and Sansome (1860s), under the Cosmopolitan Hotel (1869) and under the Grand Hotel (1870s) and/or at new Montgomery at Market streets. as did the Los Angeles Times. • The Historical Society of Southern California, however, gave the date of Desmond's arrival in Los Angeles as October 14, 1868 • The first mention of Mr. Desmond in Los Angeles newspapers was in November 1869, when the Los Angeles Star and Daily News both reported the opening of, and when Desmond first advertised, his "new hat shop", at the corner of Los Angeles and Commercial streets. It thus remains unclear if this was indeed the date of Desmond establishing his first shop, or his second. 1862 was the second year of the American Civil War and the 16th year that the US ruled California, Daniel Desmond arrived in the state via clipper ship via Cape Horn, Chile, as there was no transcontinental railroad. Los Angeles had a population of less than 4,500. In any case, the first store reportedly measured only a few square feet and Desmond was the only employee. Popular styles included tall, plush "toppers" that dandies wore, and wide-brimmed, flat-crowned "fiesta" hats popular with the Californio dones (gentlemen). Desmond was a member of the volunteer fire department. In Desmond's 1869 advertisements, Desmond claimed to be the only hat store in Los Angeles, filling "a want that has long been felt". In 1870 Desmond and other leading retailers moved to the Temple Block (Los Angeles) on Main Street. when it moved again across the street to the Douglas Building at 301 S. Spring St., its sixth home, as one of the largest retailers in Los Angeles at that time. Around this time Desmond's became a store of reference across Southern California, well known for a broad range of high quality men's attire. In 1924, Desmond's moved to its eighth and final location as a single store at 616 S. Broadway. Broadway was home to many other department stores at the time, including The Broadway, May Company, the Fifth Street Store, Silverwoods, Bullock's, N. B. Blackstone, and Eastern Columbia. Desmond's closed at this location in 1981. ==Branches==

Downtown branches Desmond's would add branch stores starting in 1927 with Seventh and Hope, and would also operate a branch in the Spring Arcade at 543 Spring Street, next door to the Pacific Southwest Trust and Savings Bank on Spring Street, which occupied the site of its former sole store. Suburban growth ==Gallery==

File:Daniel Desmond LATimes 01 Aug 1937 Page 93-4.png|Daniel Desmond File:03951-Los Angeles-1903-Third street and Angels Flight-Brück & Sohn Kunstverlag.jpg|1903: the turreted Hotel Ramona with Desmond's sign File:Desmonds Spring St to 1924 LAT 14 Sep 1924.png|Desmond's Spring Street Store (1915 to 1924) File:Desmond's Stores Los Angeles Times 01 Aug 1937 Page 93.png|Illustration of various Desmond's store branches from a 1937 ad ==Ownership==

Ralph R. Huesman, purchased the store from Desmond family heirs in 1921. Fred B. Huesman, his nephew, joined Desmond's five years later. Fred succeeded his uncle as president in 1944 and continued in that position until 1973, when he took the title of chairman. In the early 1960s, New York's Cluett Peabody & Company bought Desmond's. == 1977–1981 and epilogue ==

In 1977, a joint venture of Bond Clothing Stores and Harold Kapelovitz bought the chain, and Kapelovitz took over the management of Desmond's. Between 1977 and 1982 Desmond's closed all but four California locations. Meanwhile, it opened locations across the Western United States: • Arizona • Colorado: Mesa Mall, Grand Junction • Iowa: Southern Hills Mall, Sioux City • Montana • North Dakota (2): Dickinson, Bismarck (6,000 square feet, opened 1980, closed 1986) • Texas (3): Austin, Midland, Odessa • Wisconsin Northridge and West Covina stores continued operating until 1986. and hired to manage the liquidation of Babbitts department store in Flagstaff, Arizona in 1987. ==External links==