urbanSTL

Better yet, live productions. That theatre was a palace like the FOX.



Movies coming soon... the new Jefferson Arms theatre is expected to be underway soon.

I was back at the downtown Macy's today. I know crews spent the last few days removing the letters from the large rooftop signs facing Olive and Locust streets. I'm not sure, but it looks like the brackets were moved and the sign background is being cleaned, which leads me to believe Macy's signage will be installed soon.



The main level of the store is a war zone in spots- and I mean that in a good way. Work proceeds behind canvas in the southeast corner of the store. The new escalator shaft is sealed off for now, and merchandise has been shifted again in spots. It's less than a month until the planned block party to commemorate the complete transition to Macy's, so it'll be interesting to see what can be accomplished between now and then.

The ladies at the lunch counter on the 1st floor say that the new paint is the first since some have been there (15-20 years).

Is there any indication as to what the renovation plans are?



I've always wondered if the store has any cool historic touches that have been covered up that may be re-exposed.

This is funny...anyone who recalls the store before the last remodel may have to be in their 60s!

Matt wrote:This is funny...anyone who recalls the store before the last remodel may have to be in their 60s!

The oldest look I can remember is it's early 1980's style. You know.. low ceilings, lots of mauve and burgundy, and chrome horizontal stripes on the walls!



Hmm.. that's probably a lot like how the old Chesterfield store looked.

Well, I ain't over 60 yet, but I remember when Famous Barr (and the other department stores) had elevator operators! I remember when they remodled and put in the new automated elevators (late 50's or early 60's) complete with recorded voice anouncing each floor... and all around them a vertical grey-blue faux weathered wood. There was also a grey and gold graphic painted on them of either a large sunflower or a N/W/S/E cartouche with a smiling sun face. I think it was a sunflower, because I remember a stalk with leaves on it.

As for architectural details, none stick out in my mind other than the exterior which needless to say has not changed, other than awnings.

Sometimes neglect can be really good. Papa Fabare's is just waiting to be rediscovered. Even if its not completely authentic (I don't know), it's convincing.

Papa Fabare's is just waiting to be rediscovered.

That is my fav. place for lunch! Waiting to be REdiscovered? That joint is packed from 11-3 everday. They make a lot of money.



I hope they don't change the interior of that place - it's awesome!







PS: Found some pics I took last Christmas of the first floor of the store... not great quality... but here they are:

The oldest look I can remember is it's early 1980's style. You know.. low ceilings, lots of mauve and burgundy, and chrome horizontal stripes on the walls!

So you were there last week too?

stlmike wrote:

The oldest look I can remember is it's early 1980's style. You know.. low ceilings, lots of mauve and burgundy, and chrome horizontal stripes on the walls!

So you were there last week too?

Haha! No seriously -- it HAS been updated since then -- just not as much as the stores that got the 90s "wood and green-or-peach carpet" look.

Okay, so I'm only 40, but I guess that qualifies me as an older forum member Anyway, I'll do my best to comment on some detail now missing as I spent just about every holiday season of my childhood shopping in Downtown St. Louis. Growing up in Quincy, IL we would make a yearly holiday shopping trip and it *always* included a day of shopping downtown. I remember fondly the stores that were demolished to make way for the ill-fated Centre that we would peek into as we went from Styx to Famous... sorry, veering off topic a bit.



The first level of DT Famous has seen significant changes over the years, and most of them occured during the transition from flagship to "mall" store. The now mirrored colums were quite ornate, and the detail had a very deco feel, if I remember correctly. The escalators were mostly stainless steel and very streamlined. The made the most wonderful noise. Anyone remember that? The street entrances were gorgeous, and all doors and windows were outlined in stainless, I believe. There were a bunch of revolving doors that I used to love to play in! Are there any left? I can't recall. I too remember the elevator operators - very cool! I moved to St. Louis in 1983, and I think most was still there then. I guess the decision was made with the introduction of St. Louis Centre to make the shoppers feel as if they could be at any Famous, which is a real shame. If you've ever been to the Chicago State St. Marshall Field's or Carson, Piere, Scott, it had a very similar feel, but maybe not quite as grand. I too remember fondly Styx, but that's a different topic...

Do tell. I don't think anyone minds.

i use the famous-barr downtown store almost everyday. the upper floors still have alot of the deco look. there are still some of the deco lights and escalaters left, and they are wonderful.

jeffrk wrote:The first level of DT Famous has seen significant changes over the years, and most of them occured during the transition from flagship to "mall" store. The now mirrored colums were quite ornate, and the detail had a very deco feel, if I remember correctly. The escalators were mostly stainless steel and very streamlined. The made the most wonderful noise. Anyone remember that? The street entrances were gorgeous, and all doors and windows were outlined in stainless, I believe. There were a bunch of revolving doors that I used to love to play in! Are there any left?

I'm (almost) 32, and I (vaguely) recall a lot of the details you mentioned about the downtown Famous-Barr store. My grandmother worked for May Company until the mid-1980s, and I was with her there shopping frequently since she couldn't stay away from the place even on her days off.



The Famous-Barr flagship officially moved to Saint Louis Galleria in 1991 and then to West County Center in 2001, but like you pointed out, the shift from flagship store to "any mall" store began in the early 1980s. I cannot recall enough to pinpoint specific dates, but I'd say that the majority of changes took place between 1982 and 1985.



During that period, the first four levels received a then-modern makeover in an apparent effort to complement the neighboring Saint Louis Centre. Unfortunately, that meant covering the ornate rounded columns with mirrored glass and installing that gaudy mauve and chrome crap on the ceiling. Also, selling space was significantly reduced as May Company expanded its various corporate offices in the basement and on some upper floors (I know I was bummed when the toy department on the eighth floor was eliminated). Santaland was eliminated either just before or around the time that the flagship status was transferred to the Galleria.



Since then, only modest- and questionable- changes have been made. The Art Deco escalators on the first four floors were replaced with modern versions a few years ago- but the old ones on floors 5-7 are still in use and look great IMHO. The revolving doors at the Sixth Street entrance were replaced with conventional doors, and the Seventh Street entrance (which also had revolving doors) was sealed. This, along with a row of uninterrupted and undecorated windows, gives the impression that the store is closed IMHO. Hopefully Macy's will address that!

I moved to St. Louis in 1983, and I think most was still there then. I guess the decision was made with the introduction of St. Louis Centre to make the shoppers feel as if they could be at any Famous, which is a real shame.

It was quite a shame- and unfortunately that trend wasn't exclusive to Famous Barr or May Company. Stix was seriously downsized around the time that it was acquired by Dillard's, and it died a slow and painful death from neglect, just like most downtown department stores that were acquired by Dillard's (Higbee's, McAlpin's, etc.) at some point.



Most downtown department stores in America were extensively modernized at some point, and the vast majority of them closed in the last three decades as businesses, residents, and shoppers shifted to the suburbs en masse. (Thankfully, May resisted the temptation to install glass and steel panels over the massive terra cotta facade of the Railway Exchange building, because that trend was all the rage in the 1950s and 1960s).



I believe the downtown FB store may have suffered the same fate as most downtown stores had May Company not been headquartered here. That's why I find it encouraging to see the level of investment that Federated is making in the store.



Like many people, I lament the passing of the Famous Barr name. IMHO, though, these days it's nothing more than a name. May Company did little if anything for about 20 years to separate the downtown store from others- and IMHO did the bare minimum to cater to its most loyal shoppers- at least in terms of merchandise selection and store maintenance. And there was little to distinguish a suburban Famous-Barr from a similar L.S. Ayres store in Indianapolis, or The Jones Store in Kansas City, other than the name on the doors.



I don't know if Federated will pull out all the stops by making shopping at the downtown Macy's a distinct and unique experience compared to its suburban St. Louis counterparts, but simply by addressing the store's overall condition and the merchandise mix, I'd say they're already off to a good start. As long as they keep Papa Fabarre's and that Famous Onion Soup, of course.

Very well stated. I wonder what the median income is for the 100,000 downtown workers? I swear I'll go into Famous at lunch, itching to buy something, and can't find a single appealing product.

^ The "To Wong Foo" analogy is a good one. I know what you mean about the downtown store- there were those in corporate that wanted to make the store a special place again- and then there were those at the top that saw there store merely as a loss leader to keep open mostly because there was nothing better to do with the bottom seven floors of the Railway Exchange.



I'm glad the downtown store survived through thick and thin, and I'll give the top dogs some credit for that. However, it could've been so much better, and the same can be said for May Company stores in general. A few years ago, May could've acquired Federated. The leadership at the top was lacking, and Famous and its similar counterparts (Hecht's, Foley's, Kaufmann's, etc.) in other cities became a bit stale, which is sad given the talented people that made up the bulk of May Company overall.



Here is today's Post-Dispatch story about the Famous-to-Macy's transition: Macy's Makeover



I've always made it a point to shop at Famous-Barr, particularly the downtown store. I must say, though, that I have enjoyed shopping there much more as the transition to Macy's progresses. My wife is smitten with the Macy's private label merchandise, as she couldn't find much at Famous that she really liked. I'd like to see the downtown store get more brand names and a broader selection of Macy's private labels just as Federated will do with the Galleria and West County stores. Hopefully people will respond to the positive change downtown and Federated will do that eventually even if they don't from the outset.



En route to the Rams game the other night, I noticed that the base on which the rooftop Famous-Barr letters were mounted has been painted a beige or cream color, an indication that Federated intends to crown the Railway Exchange Building with Macy's signage.

They took down the old Famous-Barr sign that graced the top of the building. A huge crane had Olive blocked off during lunch today.

^ KTVI's evening and morning news featured footage of the crane removing the Famous-Barr lettering, as did KMOV.



I think KSDK was too busy playing with the Blanchette Bridge and MoBap cameras to notice what was happening blocks from their studios.



The pictures taken from Skyfox showed the Macy's letters and red star logo sitting on the rooftop, waiting for installation. No word as to whether it will be covered with a tarp until the Sept. 9 transition date, as Federated is doing with all Macy's signage at the mall stores in the area.



One more thing of interest to some here- Macy's will change most, but not all, of the decorative bronze plaques on the exterior columns of the downtown store. The Famous-Barr plaques on the four corners of the building will remain. Nice move IMHO.

^On the news this morning they mentioned that the Macy's sign would be covered until Sept. 9.

JMedwick wrote:Hmm... well it is a nice move to at least keep the 4 on the corners, but really I would argue that the signage on the awnings makes the addtional bronze macy's signage unessisary.



Do you know what will happen the the bronze FB plates that are being removed? Macy's should be required to keep them/ donate them so they are not lost.

A nice gesture would be to donate them to the St. Louis collection at SLU, the Mercantile Library at UMSL, or even the Missouri History Museum.