tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post326496428102699686..comments2024-03-19T02:28:22.065-05:00Comments on Pleasant Family Shopping: Montgomery Ward's Georgian PeriodDavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07788722183424550052noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-64933134023024084622010-04-10T23:21:26.183-05:002010-04-10T23:21:26.183-05:00Anonymous - thanks off that update on the Salt Lak...Anonymous - thanks off that update on the Salt Lake City Georgian Wards - wow, it's a shame that the store made it so long with its original exterior only to lose it to a retailer who lasted less than five years in the space!Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07788722183424550052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-53438877830643363892010-03-26T21:50:15.670-05:002010-03-26T21:50:15.670-05:00There was a Georgian-style Monkey Wards in downtow...There was a Georgian-style Monkey Wards in downtown Salt Lake City, similar to the first and second pictures. I became aware of the building in the early '80s and it had been remodeled into a bank by then. I thought it was a fairly new "retro" building until I recently came across pictures of it as a Wards in the '40s and '50s. The styling of the building held up very well and it looked 'fresh' until 5 or so years ago when Old Navy moved in and completely re-skinned the exterior. Old Navy's gone now, but alas, so is the Georgian-style of the original architecture.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-15880578640861251012010-02-06T13:24:09.894-06:002010-02-06T13:24:09.894-06:00There is a Monkey Wards store from teh Georgian pe...There is a Monkey Wards store from teh Georgian period in downtown Marion Ohio. The facade was remodelled in the 1970s when the windows on the street level were covers in stucco panels and used to Fulfillment Corporation of America as office space. Then in the 1990s the panels were removed and the front somewhat restored. The building was the converted to office space. it is an elegant looking building!The Cool Cookiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04162345087029159056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-55190383048318566652009-11-14T23:58:10.890-06:002009-11-14T23:58:10.890-06:00Aaron - Thanks for those great links - that's ...Aaron - Thanks for those great links - that's a very cool set of documents you have on the Dearborn Wards site redevelopment there! It's a real shame that the store was too far gone to reuse - the concepts that incorporated it were very attractive.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07788722183424550052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-63437423661516792822009-11-08T12:45:15.985-06:002009-11-08T12:45:15.985-06:00There's a Georgian Wards on Michigan Ave. &...There's a Georgian Wards on Michigan Ave. & Schaefer in Dearborn, MI that last I saw, still retained it's classic sign well past the closing of the chain (it remained open until the very end!) Google maps still shows the building, though the Google Street View confirms that the store has been demolished.<br /><br />Before:<br />http://www.flickr.com/photos/ssbn737rm/4086119251/sizes/o/<br /><br />http://www.flickr.com/photos/ssbn737rm/4086874906/sizes/o/<br /><br />After:<br />http://www.flickr.com/photos/ssbn737rm/4086119731/sizes/o/SSBN 737 RMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10014811477251231525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-49718121066752807122009-09-30T14:28:31.230-05:002009-09-30T14:28:31.230-05:00A beautiful example of a Georgian Montgomery Wards...A beautiful example of a Georgian Montgomery Wards is located on State St. in Madison, WI. It is the first phase of what is now a three city block performing arts ceter, called the Overture.ANDY PAGEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00436351263940733528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-60007573205205287712009-06-10T17:07:53.946-05:002009-06-10T17:07:53.946-05:00Phil - Thanks so much, I really appreciate it! It&...Phil - Thanks so much, I really appreciate it! It's always a pleasure to hear from someone who worked in one these classic stores in the heyday, and especially so in your case - a two-generation Wards family. <br /><br />I have a promotional photo of the Allen Park distribution center from shortly after it opened, which you may already have. If not, I'd be glad to email it to you if you'll shoot me your email address. Mine's on the "profile" section. Thanks again!Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07788722183424550052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-48830303750870687242009-06-10T13:22:05.508-05:002009-06-10T13:22:05.508-05:00Dave,
Your article was fantastic. I grew up wit...Dave,<br /> Your article was fantastic. I grew up with Wards. My father went to work for Wards in Chicago in the thirties. First designing the displays for the stores nationwide then to customer service as Serv. manager in Muskegon, MI('38)then transferred to Menands (Albany)NY ('43)then back to Chicago and onto Kansas City, MO('44)where he was District Service Manager in charge of 29 stoes in Missouri, Arkansas and Kansas. I loved to travel with him in the summer to the different towns. He was then transferred to Detroit('54) where he first set up the Allen Park distibution center and then the Auto Service centers. I worked in five different stores starting with the Dearborn store in 1955. If I were to tell the whole story it would take ten pages so I will end it here.......PhilPhilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08889288192597929206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-4206259935253163262009-06-03T23:22:05.481-05:002009-06-03T23:22:05.481-05:00Dan - Thanks for the great photo -(I'm impress...Dan - Thanks for the great photo -(I'm impressed with the Krzr photo quality, for sure!) These are without doubt some of the classiest stores that ever existed. Were it not for the painted sign, I'm sure most would be clueless it was ever a Wards. And even the painted sign shows great attention to detail, matching the distinctive Wards font of the day.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07788722183424550052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-76418126812376831342009-05-26T22:11:49.980-05:002009-05-26T22:11:49.980-05:00That last post was from Dan, by the way!!!That last post was from Dan, by the way!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-39318420182467711982009-05-26T22:11:24.327-05:002009-05-26T22:11:24.327-05:00As promised, here is the link to the Georgian-styl...As promised, here is the link to the Georgian-style ex-Montgomery Ward's in Marion, Ohio. Look closely and you can see a faded Montgomery Ward painted on the side. This was taken with a Motorola Krzr cell phone camera!<br /><br /><A HREF="http://www.flickr.com/photos/14006301@N07/3567847477/sizes/l/" REL="nofollow">http://www.flickr.com/photos/14006301@N07/3567847477/sizes/l/</A>May 26, 2009 7:02 PMAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-85708142743174942172009-04-28T18:50:00.000-05:002009-04-28T18:50:00.000-05:00Thanks, I'm so glad you liked them. I'll keep an ...Thanks, I'm so glad you liked them. I'll keep an eye out for more. :)Nessahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00560592169560020750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-33819378516595043582009-04-20T13:24:00.000-05:002009-04-20T13:24:00.000-05:00Nessa - Thanks so much, and I'm a big fan of your ...Nessa - Thanks so much, and I'm a big fan of your Flickr page! Those are great photos. I'll put a note on the post with links to them. The Cumberland store in particular is a knockout! It looks like the Morgantown store has been modified a good bit on the first floor, but still looks nice, and I really like the "W" capstone up top. I'm almost certain that the Cambridge location was a Wards store as well, with a balustrade roof (like the Rome, GA store on the post) instead of the more common mansard roof. The storefront was obviously bricked in sometime later. Thanks again!Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07788722183424550052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-35975096190066916162009-04-16T09:52:00.000-05:002009-04-16T09:52:00.000-05:00Hello!
I'm a long time reader of your blog but I ...Hello!<br /><br />I'm a long time reader of your blog but I think this is my first comment. I love collecting pictures of these Montgomery Ward's stores.<br /><br />Here are a few you might like to see.<br /><br />Cumberland, MD:<br />http://www.flickr.com/photos/nessachan/1444928406/<br /><br />Morgantown, WV:<br />http://www.flickr.com/photos/nessachan/3141689480/<br /><br />Cambridge, OH:<br />http://www.flickr.com/photos/nessachan/3099557733/<br />(I think. Not positive about this one.)<br /><br />I loved seeing all the other ones you posted. I have seen a few more of them around, but have no pictures, boo.Nessahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00560592169560020750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-34390595355113333542009-04-14T21:35:00.000-05:002009-04-14T21:35:00.000-05:00Anonymous - Thanks for that update. What a true be...Anonymous - Thanks for that update. What a true beauty that one must have been!<br /><br />Didi - Thanks very much! It's a pretty interesting story, especially about Avery's conflicts with FDR. If CNN and Fox News were around then, you could imagine the lead-in coverage - "Day 3 of the Montgomery Ward showdown!..."<br /><br />Anonymous - I looked it up on Windows Live Local, and wow, that's a great one! They were timeless buildings, for sure.<br /><br />Dan - Let us know if you come across it. Thanks.<br /><br />Steven - I totally agree. It's hard to imagine classier stores than these.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07788722183424550052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-21265624154934706712009-04-13T00:00:00.000-05:002009-04-13T00:00:00.000-05:00I don't use these words often in connection with M...I don't use these words often in connection with Montgomery Ward, but these stores are beautiful. They are tastefully and consistently styled and any chain would be happy to have had them in their fleet.Livemallshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01567198484359363455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-88708576076114773992009-04-12T23:48:00.000-05:002009-04-12T23:48:00.000-05:00Marion Ohio has an old Wards of a similar vintage....Marion Ohio has an old Wards of a similar vintage. I snapped a picture of it once, but can't seem to find it.<BR/><BR/>-DanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-47212148698749615532009-04-12T12:11:00.000-05:002009-04-12T12:11:00.000-05:00Ottawa, IL has an old Wards building in the downto...Ottawa, IL has an old Wards building in the downtown from that era. It is now a Children's Clothing store. It is at the corner of Jefferson and La Salle St, you can't miss it. It still has the old sign.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-86662863595601832842009-04-10T20:35:00.000-05:002009-04-10T20:35:00.000-05:00My hats off to you, Dave! What a wonderfully writt...My hats off to you, Dave! What a wonderfully written pieced. You certanly covered a lot and many of these things I had not heard of. I did not know Ward had difficulty in the 30s. I certainly did not know of the aeizure by the US Army (which I feel was definitely unconstitutional). But I like the happy bit of info on Rudolph the red nosed reindeer! So amazing and interesting! Great post.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-35381773795464081882009-04-10T18:08:00.000-05:002009-04-10T18:08:00.000-05:00the Gratiot Ave Wards in Detroit remained open unt...the Gratiot Ave Wards in Detroit remained open until the early 1980s and was tore down and a supermarket was built on the site. the store was located about 1/4 mile north of 7 Mile.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com