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| Another book about one of Pittsburgh'sgreat department stores |
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| Click this link to see the new book on Kaufmann's by Letitia Savage. |
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| Kaufmann's, Pittsburgh's largest store, called itself "The Big Store" with good reason: it occupied over a million square feet of space in buildings built in 1898, 1913, and 1955. |
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| In 1930, Kaufmann's unveiled an innovative modern redesign of its first floor, with diagonal aisles, 3 sets of escalators, and a spare yet elegant style based on German Expressionism. |
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| A particularly striking feature of the first floor was the forest of black marble-sheathed columns incorporating concealed lighting which continued across the ceiling in a grid pattern. |
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| Kaufmann's 1955 addition bridged across Cherry Way, and gave the store a new Street Floor Men's Store along Fifth Avenue in The Golden Triangle. |
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| The massive 1955 addition was itself sheathed in marble and bore the signature Kaufmann's "K." |
Kaufmann Brothers
5th Avenue and Smithfield Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15230 (1971/1898/1913/1955)
GRant 1-7000
First Floor
Cosmetics • Fine Jewelry • Fashion Jewelry • Handbags • Gloves • Umbrellas • Fashion Accessories • Millinery • Hosiery • Jerome Alexander Wig Boutique • First Floor Sportswear • P.M. Dressing • First Floor Lingerie • Sweaters • Blouses • Candy • Stationery • Personally Yours • Books • Men’s Furnishings • Men’s Gloves • Men’s Arrow Sportswear • Men’s Oak Bar
The Arcade
Arcade Junior Sportswear • Arcade Shoes • Epicure Shop • Bake Shop • Arcade Lunch Counter
Balcony
Stationery • Office Machines • Optical
Street Level
Men’s Accessories • Smoke Shop • Shave Shop • Men’s Sportswear • Men’s Active Sportswear • The Tic Toc Restaurant
Second Floor
Men’s Clothing • Men’s Outerwear • Clay Poole College Shop • The Trend Shop • Men’s Shoes • Men’s Hats • Men’s Sportswear • Men’s Sweaters • Men’s Casual Pants • Men’s Monogramming Shop • Polo Shop • Men’s Gift Outpost
Third Floor Young Fashion Floor
Infants’ Wear • Nursery Furniture • Boys’ Clothing • Boys’ Furnishings • Distance Runner • Tot Boys • Tot Girls • Girls’ Shop • Teen Shop • Girls’ Sleepwear • Children’s Accessories • Children’s Shoes • For Good Little Girls and Boys • Who’s Zoo • NFL Shop • Arcadia Studio • S.R.O. (Standing Room Only) Snack Bar
Fourth Floor
Adoria Dresses • Adoria Coats • Adoria Sportswear • Fur Salon • Bridal Salon • Town & Country • Contempo 4 • Mix-Ups • The Swim Shop • Shoe Salon • Pappagallo • Etienne Aigner Signature Shop • New Attitudes Sportswear
Forecast Miss Forecast • Forecast Casuals • Anne Klein Room • Calvin Klein Room • Lady Forecast
Fifth Floor
Babette Dresses • Babette Sportswear • Babette Coats • Babette Shoes • Red Cross Shoes • Woman’s World • Colony • Junior Dresses • Junior Sportswear • Junior Suits • Junior Coats • Junior Lingerie • Junior Shoes • Yourself & Co. • Jr. Salon
Sixth Floor
Round-The-Clock Dresses • Uniform Shop • Foundations • Daywear • Sleepwear • Loungewear • Satinsleep Shop • Fashion Fabrics • Singer Sewing Center • Art Needlework • Linens • Bath Shop • Monogramming Shop
Seventh Floor
Housewares • The Kitchen • Entertainers • China • Silver • Glassware • Gifts • Decorative Accessories • Bridal Gift Registry • Lawn Mowers • Wallpaper • Appliances • Pet Shop • Storm Doors
Eighth Floor
Draperies • Bedspreads • Decorative Pillows • Decorator Fabrics • Lamps • Picture Galleries • Mirrors • Televisions • Floor Coverings • Luggage • Home Cleaning • Atlas Travel Service
Ninth Floor
Furniture • Sporting Goods • Glitter and Glo • Fife and Drum Shop
Tenth Floor
Furniture • Model Rooms • Sleep Shop • L’ Unique • Rivet Shop • Recliners •
Fine Furniture Galleries
Eleventh Floor
Kaufmann’s Vendôme Boutique • Gift Galleries • Carlin Shop • Knits • Import Boutique •
Ready-to-Wear • Sportswear • Missoni Boutique • YSL/Rive Gauche • Anne Klein Boutique •
Calvin Klein Boutique • Vendôme Art Gallery
Elizabeth Arden Salon
Eleventh Floor Restaurants • Auditorium
Twelfth Floor
Adoria Beauty Salon
(1,011,000 sq. ft.)
Coming in due course.
5th Avenue and Smithfield Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15230 (1971/1898/1913/1955)
First Floor
Cosmetics • Fine Jewelry • Fashion Jewelry • Handbags • Gloves • Umbrellas • Fashion Accessories • Millinery • Hosiery • Jerome Alexander Wig Boutique • First Floor Sportswear • P.M. Dressing • First Floor Lingerie • Sweaters • Blouses • Candy • Stationery • Personally Yours • Books • Men’s Furnishings • Men’s Gloves • Men’s Arrow Sportswear • Men’s Oak Bar
The Arcade
Arcade Junior Sportswear • Arcade Shoes • Epicure Shop • Bake Shop • Arcade Lunch Counter
Balcony
Stationery • Office Machines • Optical
Street Level
Men’s Accessories • Smoke Shop • Shave Shop • Men’s Sportswear • Men’s Active Sportswear • The Tic Toc Restaurant
Second Floor
Men’s Clothing • Men’s Outerwear • Clay Poole College Shop • The Trend Shop • Men’s Shoes • Men’s Hats • Men’s Sportswear • Men’s Sweaters • Men’s Casual Pants • Men’s Monogramming Shop • Polo Shop • Men’s Gift Outpost
Third Floor Young Fashion Floor
Infants’ Wear • Nursery Furniture • Boys’ Clothing • Boys’ Furnishings • Distance Runner • Tot Boys • Tot Girls • Girls’ Shop • Teen Shop • Girls’ Sleepwear • Children’s Accessories • Children’s Shoes • For Good Little Girls and Boys • Who’s Zoo • NFL Shop • Arcadia Studio • S.R.O. (Standing Room Only) Snack Bar
Fourth Floor
Adoria Dresses • Adoria Coats • Adoria Sportswear • Fur Salon • Bridal Salon • Town & Country • Contempo 4 • Mix-Ups • The Swim Shop • Shoe Salon • Pappagallo • Etienne Aigner Signature Shop • New Attitudes Sportswear
Forecast Miss Forecast • Forecast Casuals • Anne Klein Room • Calvin Klein Room • Lady Forecast
Fifth Floor
Babette Dresses • Babette Sportswear • Babette Coats • Babette Shoes • Red Cross Shoes • Woman’s World • Colony • Junior Dresses • Junior Sportswear • Junior Suits • Junior Coats • Junior Lingerie • Junior Shoes • Yourself & Co. • Jr. Salon
Sixth Floor
Round-The-Clock Dresses • Uniform Shop • Foundations • Daywear • Sleepwear • Loungewear • Satinsleep Shop • Fashion Fabrics • Singer Sewing Center • Art Needlework • Linens • Bath Shop • Monogramming Shop
Seventh Floor
Housewares • The Kitchen • Entertainers • China • Silver • Glassware • Gifts • Decorative Accessories • Bridal Gift Registry • Lawn Mowers • Wallpaper • Appliances • Pet Shop • Storm Doors
Eighth Floor
Draperies • Bedspreads • Decorative Pillows • Decorator Fabrics • Lamps • Picture Galleries • Mirrors • Televisions • Floor Coverings • Luggage • Home Cleaning • Atlas Travel Service
Ninth Floor
Furniture • Sporting Goods • Glitter and Glo • Fife and Drum Shop
Tenth Floor
Furniture • Model Rooms • Sleep Shop • L’ Unique • Rivet Shop • Recliners •
Fine Furniture Galleries
Eleventh Floor
Kaufmann’s Vendôme Boutique • Gift Galleries • Carlin Shop • Knits • Import Boutique •
Ready-to-Wear • Sportswear • Missoni Boutique • YSL/Rive Gauche • Anne Klein Boutique •
Calvin Klein Boutique • Vendôme Art Gallery
Elizabeth Arden Salon
Eleventh Floor Restaurants • Auditorium
Twelfth Floor
Adoria Beauty Salon
(1,011,000 sq. ft.)
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Monroeville
1961
253,000 sq. ft.
Tic Toc Restaurant
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Mount Lebanon
1965
239,000 sq. ft.
Tic Toc Restaurant
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McKnight Road
1966
210,000 sq. ft.
Tic Toc Restaurant
|
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Rochester
1968
181,000 sq. ft.
Tic Toc Restaurant
|
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Fort Steuben Mall
Steubenville, OH
1974
132,000 sq. ft.
|
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Millcreek Mall
Erie, PA
1975
160,000 sq. ft.
|
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Westmoreland Mall
Greensburg, PA
1976
156,000 sq. ft.
|
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Ohio Valley Mall
Wheeling, WV
1979
150,000 sq. ft.
|
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Century III
West Mifflin, PA
1979
150,000 sq. ft.
Patio Restaurant
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Tic Toc Restaurant on the First Floor/Street Level in the Men's Department.
ReplyDeleteThank you . . . I do not know how I forgot the Tic-Toc . . . it was in my notes, and also, I visited the store in 2008 as I was in Pittsburgh for a wedding. I wanted to eat lunch at the Tic-Toc, but it was smoky and my wife vetoed it.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to know if there is any pictures of the talking Christmas tree that the store in Rochester, pa. Had????
DeleteAnyone know the name or brand of cash register that Kaufmann's and Gimbels used in the 60s and 70s? They looked like giant adding machines and they produced a 3part NCR receipt. The right side of the register had different department buttons and the top button would light if you needed authorization from the credit department.
ReplyDeleteUnitote comes to mind - I was an extra while in college 1972 - 1976
DeleteIf it was an NCR receipt then it must have been National Cash Register
DeleteNCR stands for No Carbon Required made by Moore Business Forms. Moore could have made the machine as well, but I’m not sure.
DeleteNCR stands for No Carbon Required made by Moore Business Forms (RR Donnelly today). Moore could have made the machine too, but I’m not sure.
DeleteNCR stands for No Carbon Required made by Moore Business Forms (RR Donnelly today). Moore could have made the machine too, but I’m not sure.
Deletewhat stores did Kaufmann's move into Mall locations? I know the Mt Lebanon freestanding store moved into South Hills Village (formerly Gimbels)around 1984-85
ReplyDeleteThe Monroeville store moved in the Monroeville mall. I think in the 80's when Horns closed up.
DeleteI really don't know the answer to your question . . . perhaps Wikipedia has the answers. My focus here is on these stores and their "original" guise, if such a thing can be quantified. Once they started consolidating, closing, moving, I find that they became more of a generic entity, lacking in the charm and interest they possessed initially. That's why i illustrate the original branch stores, and continue up until the late '70s.
ReplyDeleteThe free standing Jaufmann's locations were relocated to Gimbels mall locations in South Hills and Monroeville in 1986-1987 after massive remodels and the demise of Gimbels. The brand new Gimbels in Ross Park mall was doubled in size by the Joseph Horne Co., who relocated the Northway Mall location there in 1987. What a shame too....the Mt. Lebanon Kaufmann's had so much more character and charisma than any mall location could ever provide.
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right about that. I worked in the Mt. Lebanon store and am still amazed that the Galleria can house so many retailers in the space once occupied by one Kaufmann's store.
DeleteMy Dad worked there. He was downtown then got a promotion to the Mt.Lebanon store. It was a really good life for a little girl who liked to use Daddy's "executive discount". I would love if you could reply to me. My Dad, Tony, has died. The place means alot to me.
DeleteGimbel's went under right before Ross Park opened, which is how Horne's got the property. Kaufmann's relocated to Ross Park too, closing its McKnight Road store after 20 years. Ross Park's store opened on August 15, 1986 with the rest of the mall (the only department store to do so) and is the only three story structure at Ross Park. The McKnight store became a Builder's Square on the lower level. The upper level was divided between Giant Eagle and a few other stores (there was an auto supply store there for a while, but it's now a liquor store). The lower level is now a Dunham's and Stein Mart.
ReplyDeleteKaufmann's also took over the Strauss location at Southern Park Mall in Boardman, OH.
Tic-Toc is still at the downtown location. To my knowledge this is the only remaining Tic-Toc restaurant.
Strouss, good grief!
DeleteKaufmann's is loosing some of its magic. Macy's announced a consolidation in the downtown Pittsburgh location on 9/21. The store will close the top 6 floors. The remaining 6 floors will have about 525,000 square feet of selling space.
ReplyDeleteThe 11th floor restaurants will close but the Tic Toc will remain open. Another casualty will be the remaining wooden Otis escalators between the 11th and 12 floors.
Here is a link to a Post Gazette article: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11264/1176332-53-0.stm?cmpid=newspanel4
In the 1960's, my grandmother would take me to the 11th floor dining room. What a treat. Tablecloths and cloth napkins. I was probably wearing a jacket and tie. They had the best chicken-a-la-king!
DeleteFor my birthday, my mother would take me for a day-long shopping trip to downtown Pittsburgh every year between 1956 and 1968. We took an early train from McKeesport and returned late in the afternoon after spending nearly most of the day exploring Kaufmann's, starting with the book department and the adjacent coin and stamp departments (not on your list) on the first floor and then working our way up, floor by floor. In my recollection, there was a large pet shop on a middle floor, featuring tropical fish, birds, reptiles and amphibians, and rodents (no cats or dogs). I didn't see it in your list, or was that the "Who's Zoo" (3rd floor)? I also enjoyed the impressive collection of Steuben crystal on one of the top floors, possibly the 11th, near the restaurant. But I also liked to look at the furniture, the kitchen gadgets, the fine china... I usually came home with some new clothes and a couple of books, mostly volumes from the Modern Library. I still have the books -- and some very pleasant memories.
ReplyDeleteThanks for mentioning the Steuben glass area. I loved to browse through there and dream of having some pieces of that beautiful glass. I couldn't remember the name. I worked as a temporary worker through college in women's sportswear, greeting cards, towels, an women's shoes (which was exactly as portrayed in comic strips with women trying on dozens of shoes and buying none. Ugh.).
DeleteThen you may remember the monkey that lived in the pet shop right at the escalators!
DeleteI have a three leg table (half moon) that has a metal tag that reads: Kaufmann's Fifth Avenue Pittsburgh. Can anyone tell me how old this table is?
ReplyDeleteI have the same table - did you find out the age or market value?
DeleteI have a beautiful secretary with a slant desk that you can lock with a key. 3 shelves with 2 glass doors and 3 drawers below the desk area. It was purchased at the downtown store in the '50's. It has the good/bronze plaque on the back. I would love to keep it but don't have the room. Does anyone know the value of it? It's in fantastic shape.
DeleteI grew up going to the Tic Toc Restaurant with my great aunt (one of my grandmother's sisters). It is one on my favorite memories of spending the day with my Aunt Hazel. We started the day by hopping a trolley on Broadway Avenue in Dormont (right across from her apartment) and stopping at GC Murphy's lunch counter and having a chocolate milkshake, then shopping there and other place in town. Our final stop would be for lunch at the Tic Toc Restaurant in in the old kauffman's building. I was always treated as an adult even thought i was only 13 or 14 years old. Then we would hop back on the trolley and head home. I have been trying to find pictures of the Tic Toc Restaurant in Downtown Restaurant and the GC Murphys downtown for months now. It seems impossible. Do you know if there is any pictures available. I am trying to do a family scrapbook and would really like to include pictures of these memories. Thank you in advance for your help.
ReplyDeleteSincerely,
Janet Weissert
You can google kaufmanns tic tock restaurant pittsburgh and then click images.There are pictures and even some menus
DeleteDear Janet:
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments. I do not have a picture of the Tic-Toc. I will keep my eye out for one, and publish it on this page when I find it - so check back often.
Alternately, you could call Macy's in downtown Pittsburgh, and see if they maintain archives of the store's history (it all may have been transferred to New York or Chicago)). I tracked down the archives of the long-shuttered Jacobson's, about which I wrote a book, and there were photos of anything I could have hoped to find.
So good luck!
Bruce
I worked at Tic Toc in Mt Lebanon.. 1968...
DeleteYou would have known my mom, Edna Mae Kasten.
DeleteDawn or Ted: Did you know my Dad, Tony in the carpet department?
DeleteHi! Love your blog! Extremely interesting.
ReplyDeleteI went to Pittsburgh this past weekend, hoping to buy something from Kaufmann's, as a momento of the time I lived there in the late 80's. However, I was greatly disappointed to find it as Macy's. We have a Macy's in Milwaukee, where I currently live. Nothing very interesting about going to another Macy's. I appreciate how you are trying to keep the history.
:-) Marion
To the user with the Table, I found a tag just like that buried in the ground, if you ever find out how old it is I'd love to hear about it. Also it was shaped like an oval with a circular hole at the top (for a string maybe) one side says "Kaufmann's Fifth Avenue Pittsburgh" on the other side (partially decade) says something like (I think) "69078" Just wanted to know what the back of your tag says. If you reply I'd appropriate it
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Does anyone know what happened to the portrait studio in the Arcade? I have an old photo and on the back it says for more copies of this photo...I know it's a long shot but is there anyway to find those negatives?
ReplyDeleteDid the 11th floor restaurant have a name?
ReplyDeleteRE the portrait studio on the Arcade. In later years it was located on the 11th floor at the entrance to the restaurant. It was a lease department.
ReplyDeleteDick
I work at the Downtown Macy's and should be able to provide you with any information relating to the building, including its recent changes. The restaurant on eleven is completely intact and was named Edgar's, after Edgar Kaufmann. As for the portrait studio, it's now located near the men's restroom on two. Pete's Shoe Shine and the travel agency are also concentrated in the same space.
ReplyDeleteEdgar's was a nice restaurant back in the 90's but it went downhill fast. I think it closed long before Macy's took over.
ReplyDeleteThere was a branch store at the Shenango Valley Mall in Hermitage, PA in 1967.
ReplyDeleteI am looking for the recipe that was used for the wedding cake available at Kauffman's. I am told it was a white heavy cake and samples were sometimes given out at the door. Do you know where I can find it?
ReplyDeleteI have a kaufmans johnny carson trench coat is it worth anything and if so how much?
ReplyDeleteMy heart was broken into a million peices when I
ReplyDeletereturned to Pittsburgh and discovered my beloved store was mow Macey's. Such Marketing as
the Month of Roses, the month of June. The La Grand Tour Shops and Christmas Trim the Tree Shop sale that causes a stamped one year in the mid 1960's when two thousand people came to the after Christmas half-off sale on the 9th floor.
What a wonderful,beautiful store. The Fourth floor sales force was excellent.
mst7/15/2012
Purchased a small wooden table from a thrift store today. It has a metal plate that reads Kaufmann's Fifth Avenue Pittsburgh on the underside. Can you tell me anything about this well made little 'end' table?
ReplyDeleteI have one too.....did you get any info on yours???
DeleteTry an antique store or antique mall in your area. Kaufmann's sold thousands of products and fixing a price on any one of them is difficult task.
ReplyDeleteI worked in the security office in the 70's and 80's. I would love to know what happened to some of the people who worked there. Where is the security office in the Downtown store located? Still on the mezzanine? My name is Bunny. Anybody remember me? hahahaha
ReplyDeleteI do remember you. I worked in the men's dept t by en moved on to the buying offices
DeleteBunny. This Chuck Dougherty.I worked with you in security. You took my
Deleteplace as dispatcher when they put me in charge of missing merchandice,
and later cash shortages and detective work later. I live in Georgia now. But working for Kaufmans security was the best and most enjoying job I have ever had.
I have a letter from Mr. Quincy A Rohrbach dated april 21st, 1927.It reads as such:
ReplyDeleteDear Sir:
This lette, which left Chicago at 8:00 this morning by Air Mail, is sent you to commemorate an interesting event in Pittsburgh's progress-- the initial trip of the new United States Air Mail Service to Pittsburgh.
We are at the beginning of a great age, the conquest of the air, and Pittsburgh must overlook no opportunity to utilize this element and encourage the development of its use within our area.
The cancellation stamp on the envelope in which this letter is sent was authorized by the goverment for use this day onlly, for mail carried on the inaugural flight. It is possible that in years to come it will have an historical value that will justify its careful preservation.
Sincerely yours,Eagan Kaufmann
Any one know where I might find its value and whom may be interested in purchasing such an item. The letter and envelope are in excellent conndition. Thanks Sandy
Sandy I know I am late in responding but I thought I would give it a try. I do have interest in your air mail letter if you still have it. I had worked for Kaufmanns from the 1970s till it closed.
DeleteI like many other workers have many stories to tell.
Bob R. Phone 937 478 0262
I was born and grew-up in Pittsburgh, PA and most fondly remember the restaurants in Kaufmann's as a lovely treat. I still possess 2 volumes of the "official" Kaufmann's cookbooks (I and II). They include most of the favorite recipes that the restaurants served. I now live in southern Virginia and love to read them and remember..... I recall the shoe department on "4". WOW, what a great selection. Anyone remember Max Azens for prom gowns?
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I just returned from a trip to Pittsburgh and stayed downtown and visited Kaufmann's (Macy's). From the outside you can see what a grand store it is with the terra cotta facade and beautiful corner clock. The interior has some of the traditional aspects of the old department store with its Tic Tock restaurant, Arcade candy counter and bakery.
ReplyDeletemy wife and I wish Macy's would spend some money upgrading the upper floors of the store to make it into a truly first-class shopping experience. The store decor seems dated and in many departments the carpeting needs replaced. Where is the visual merchandising? It seems that this has all gone by the wayside with the Macyization of most US department stores.
Downtown Pittsburgh is a great place and certainly has the downtown professionals, plenty of transportation services and attractions to keep this a first-class store.
I was glad to see the old Gimbels store renovated with retail on the ground floor and HJ Heintz corporate headquarters above.
I know this is probably a long shot but I don't know where I could ask this.
ReplyDeleteI'm doing some research on a great granduncle who lived in Pittsburgh in the 1920's and I recently found out (on his World War I Draft Registration) that he worked as a cook at Kaufmann's in 1918. I'm from France and I don't know anything about this store.
Does it mean he was working in a restaurant? How many restaurants were there at the time? Are there some archives anywhere?
I know this is probably an impossible request but it's really difficult for me to find those information being from another country.
Thank you for your comment. I would be nice to help you from so far away.
ReplyDeleteKaufmann's had several restaurants, but at the time, I think that the main dining room is where he could have worked - on the eleventh floor, likely in the kitchen.
You could contact Macy's department store at this location, which is still open, to see if there are any archives.
Also, much of the specific information I have about Kaufmann's can be seen in the google newspaper archives. Since you have such excellent English, you could read and search about the store in the Pittsburgh Gazette, Post-Gazette, and press at this location:
http://news.google.com/newspapers#P
I hope that this helps; bonne chance!
Bruce
Also try the "Pittsburgh Press". I believe that was the dominant paper at that time.
ReplyDeleteDick
There was also a store in Latrobe, PA. I remember shopping there with my grandmother when I was a little girl in the 60's. I remember being very impressed with Kaufmann's. I LOVED it!
ReplyDeleteI just posted a picture on my FB page of me, sitting on Santa's lap and I believe it was at Kaufmann's in the early 1960s! We followed the red and green lights in the ceiling to find him. What a wonderful memory.
ReplyDeleteI have a 1950's Adoria vintage wool coat with fur on the colar that I need to get rid of asap. Do you know anyone that would be interested? If so who, where and how much???
ReplyDeleteI HAVE AN OLD TREADLE SEWING MACHINE MARKED "KAUFMAN SPECIAL" IWAS WONDERING IF ANYONE COULD TELL ME IF IT CAME FROM KAUFMAN'S?
ReplyDeleteRE: the treadle sewing machine. Sounds as though it may have come from Don Kaufman Sewing Machines in Temple, PA. Have no idea of the place of purchase.
ReplyDeleteI have come across a large gift box with the
ReplyDeletename Kaufmann's Pittsburgh 19, Pa. It is an ivory color top and a gold color bottom. there are gold dots around the K and a gold ribbon swirl close to the K. It does not fold up. I was wordering if it is worth saving or if it might be something that would be good for the meseum. I am in Slidell, La.
hugheydm,
ReplyDeleteYour gift box is definitely unique and a momento from a cherished store in Pittsburgh. It's value is up to you as a resident of LA. The Heinz History Center may be interested in having it, as they display items from many of the former local stores. You may contact them, via e-mail, at this address: www.heinzhistorycenter.org/
Dick
Thank you for the info. I will try doing that. I also have another box from a different store that I will see if they are interested in. Thanks again. Happy New Year.
ReplyDeleteLast fall, Macy's renovated the Tic Toc restaurant and updated its menu. In an age when department store restaurants are largely a thing of the past it was great to see them recommit to this classic.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/customers-welcome-back-tic-toc-cafe-in-macys-653906/
Macy's is also seeking a partner to repurpose the upper floors. Hopefully that will prompt a renovation of the store in its current scale as even in its downsized state is is the largest retail store between New York and Chicago.
As an aside - thanks to the state ban on smoking on restaurants, the Tic Toc is now smoke free.
ReplyDeleteI formerly ate at the Tic Toc, on occasion, when I worked in the visual merchandising dept in the early 70's. It was always enjoyable and crowded. That was when the store was in full swing under the Kaufmann's name. It is a shame that it no longer exists in its original incarnation.
ReplyDeleteDick
Dick, did you know my father, Tony, in carpeting?
DeleteElaine, do you have the recipe for the ice cream pie??? I would die for that recipe... Good times growing up in Kaufmanns.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone remember the thumbprint cookies from the bakery? Yum!!
ReplyDeleteAlso don't forget the budget store on two levels in the basement
Kaufmann's also had a wonderful toy department, especially at Christmas, also many trains and displays and exclusive European toys
ReplyDeleteYes, Kaufmann's was The Place to see Santa Clause and get a photo taken! Only after being awestruck by the miracle of moving toys and people in the grand window displays, ceremoniously unveiled on a certain day!
DeleteAre there any plans for a book about the history of Kaufmanns?
ReplyDeleteI have been trying to locate the candy co that Kaufmann`s carried, I believe it was Price candy, Are they still in business? If so could I get some information on them
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know where the Tic Toc Cookbooks or reproductions of the books can be obtained? I am not even sure of the exact title of the cookbooks. I grew up in Pittsburgh, and worked in the Tic Toc restaurants both downtown and in Mt. Lebanon. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteMy Dad ate at the Tictok almost every day for lunch! You would have known him! Tony! He worked in the carpeting department . Then when I came shopping with my mom, he'd take us there or to Edgar's for lunch. Do reply here, I would love it.
DeleteThe two Tic Toc Restaurant cookbooks I have are just called "Kaufmann's", one is white with red, the other is white with green, both are only 57 pages each. The information in the front of the white/green book indicates that it is 'Cook Book II', and that both were produced by Mrs. Jean Gibson. Further, the first book indicates that these were recipes from their fine foods in the restaurants and bakers. I could not find that they had been reproduced, however, second hand books stores may have copies.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Ice Cream Pie - it was called "Mile High Ice Cream Pie" - one of the Kaufmann's recipe books has a recipe for "Ice Cream Pie"
Yield: 1 9"-Pie
Crust:
1 1/3 c. Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter, melted
Blend ingredients and press firmly into 9-inch pie pan. Place crust in freezer.
Ice Cream Pie Filling:
1. Gently spoon and press 1/2 gallon of your favorite ice cream into frozen crust. Fill in crevices by firming ice cream with the POINT of the spoon.
2. Roughly smooth the top of the pie and return to freezer.
3. When ready to serve, cut into 10 servings and top each serving with a layer of whipped cream and/or your favorite topping.
4. For sauce you may use your favorite sauce - fudge, butterscotch or strawberry.
5. If you use fudge or butterscorch sauce, sprinkle top of each piece with a teaspoon of chopped pecans.
The sounds very much like the "Mile High Ice Cream Pie" that was served at the Tic Toc Restaurant at Kaufmann's flagship store. It was such a gooey confection that it was served on two plates, one small plate to hold the pie and whipped cream, and the second larger plate to hold the sauce that ran over the first plate.
Sorry, no recipe for white wedding cake, or for thumbprints.
Enjoy! - Kelly
My father would take us kids downtown every December for a day of Christmas shopping... my favorite part was the Santa Shop where you could shop without your parents. We'd hit all the big department stores, but I loved the Santa Shop at Kaufmanns the most. I recently took my children down to shop at the Santa Shop that Macy's puts on and let me tell you it is sad to say the least. Clearance junk.
ReplyDeleteInteresting! Am interested in finding the
ReplyDeletereceipes for Kaufmann's Chocolate Port Wine cake
with chocolate butter creme icing and Kaufmann's Black Forest Cake with whipped cream
icing.
Contact: BK at bkpjwm1@verizon.net
Macy's is having a "Meet me under the clock" contest and is supposed to have ornaments mugs notecards etc for the Kaufmann's clock anniversary
ReplyDeleteHallo,
ReplyDeleteI want to let you know, that our town will lay “stumbling stones” in memory of the members of the familie Kaufmann who lived in Viernheim.
These little cobbles are placed in memory of people who were victims of the Nazis between 1933 and 1945. Initiator is the artist Gunbter Demnig (www.stolpersteine.com).
The words on the four cobbles are:
Hier wohnte Mayer Kaufmann, Jg. 1858, „Schutzhaft“ 1938, KZ Dachau 1938, Flucht 1939 England, überlebt
Hier wohnte Sofie Kaufmann, geb. Kaufmann, Jg. 1864, Flucht 1939 England, überlebt
Hier wohnte Isaak I Kaufmann, Jg. 1866, „Schutzhaft“ 1938, KZ Dachau, Flucht 1939 England, überlebt
Hier wohnte Frieda Kaufmann, geb. Kaufmann, Jg. 1875, Flucht 1939 England, überlebt
With best wishes
Gisela Wittemann
Stadt Viernheim
FB Stadtgeschichte
Weinheimer Str. 9 (Museum)
Ketteler Str. 3 (Stadtarchiv)
68519 Viernheim
Tel: 06204/9292073
Fax: 06204/9292079
Mail: gisela.wittemann@viernheim.de
What would one do if they had an old Kaufmann's store sign/plaque they thought they would like to get rid of? Any ideas?
ReplyDeleteI just found this site. I traveled by Pat bus many Saturdays to shop at Kaufmanns with my Mother. We would have lunch at the Tic Tac. After my design school days I worked in Kaufmann's monogram department for 3 years during the Christmas season. Kaufmann's was a second home to me. I was familiar with every floor. From the basement "budget" departments to the 11th floor hair salon. I miss the old "department" store days. Today it is mass marketing and no individualism. Macy is great but it is no Kaufmann's.
ReplyDeleteDid you know my Dad, Tony, from upstairs in the carpeting department?
DeleteI grew up in Pittsburgh and went shopping downtown every Saturday morning with my Mom and Grandma. We had lunch at Stouffer's and also Kaufmann's 11th floor restaurant. I always ordered the smiley face sandwich with the deviled ham and green olive slices for eyes. My mother's favorite department was Vendome where she could get Jaeger and St. Johns.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know what that sandwich was called? I wonder if it's in the cookbook. I wish I could find the cookbook. Thanks to everyone for the memories!
I just came across a photo of my great grandmother and on the back is stamped KAUFMAN'S ARCADE PORTRAIT STUDIO. I just read through the history which says that Kaufman's opened in 1871, and became the big store in 1877. Was there an Arcade added in 1877? The first mention of the Arcade was in 1930. My GGM died in 1889.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to narrow down the date of the portrait. Any info would be helpful.
The arcade was (is still, as a matter-of-fact) a floor-between-floors (perhaps more correctly, a mezzanine)that helped resolve the sloping streets the store bordered. I don't know the specific history of it, but I should think a thorough combing of the Pittsburgh newspapers available for free on Google newspaper archives would surely tell more.
ReplyDeleteBruce
Hi I recently purchased a small desk with Kaaufmans Pittsburg on a small brass plate on front and a clear glass top with a shelf underneath I was wondering if this was used at the Tic Toc to great and pass out menus if not where was it used. Thank You Pamela Simmons 724 687 9035
ReplyDeleteLooking for persons interested in small items from the various department stores in the Pittsburgh area. Such as pins, shoe hooks, buttons, charge coins, medals and others. I have a large collection.Thanks Richard E Mail mystic93@zoominternet.net
ReplyDeleteI see know mention of the stamp department and book and magazine dept.
ReplyDeleteThe Kaufman family commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to design a country house for them--the famous "Falling Water." It was an ultra-modernistic structure perched over a waterfall. It is one of the most famous 20th century buildings in the world.
ReplyDeleteFLW also remodeled Edgar Kaufmann's office in the store . . . but I don't think that it is still in existence
ReplyDelete-Bruce
Hi, Thank you so much for this wonderful blog. I lived in Pittsburgh from 1989 to 1993 and would take the busway downtown to Kaufmann's every Saturday from my place in Shadyside. I loved wandering around for hours inside the store! I remember some areas that I didn't spot on the directory. There was a B. Dalton bookshop on one of the upper floors and a cafeteria-type snack bar. I also recall a terrific deli on one of the upper floors that served delicious roast beef. In this area were also specialty foods--spices, European imports and a large candy counter. But I can't recall the floor. It seems to me there was also a dental office located in the building. I also used to attend author dinners/lectures at the downtown store, in particular William Least-Heat Moon discussed his book, "Blue Highways" there one evening.
ReplyDeleteThanks again, Amanda
@DerekStarr on December 26, 2011: I have a Kaurmann's tag, exactly like the one you describe, with the six-digit number 252952 on the back.
ReplyDeleteRichard, September 23, 2013: Do you have one of these tags and do you know what their purpose was?
Thank you!
The office that FLW designed for Edgar Kauffman does still exist! It now belongs to the V&A museum in London. http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O69452/frank-lloyd-wright-room-kaufmann-panelled-room-wright-frank-lloyd/ The website says that it is "in storage" now, but I saw it there maybe 15 years ago.
ReplyDeleteHi, I just purchased an amazing set of bedroom furniture with the Kaufmann's Fifth Avenue Pittsburgh metal plate referenced by others here. I'm not an expert, but I love old furniture and I'd say it's a combination of mahogany solids and mahogany and walnut veneers. The veneers are inlaid with the walnut forming a narrow frame around the mahogany. Beautiful wood, beautiful grain, all original finish I'm sure. Not pristine condition, but it will be fine for my guest room after I clean it, touch it up, and give it a good rubdown with lemon oil
ReplyDeleteWith two pieces marked 1947 in handwritten crayon, it includes:
a full sleigh bed with headboard, footboard and solid wood side rails
a gorgeous serpentine front dresser about 48" wide with four wide drawers, the top one with dividers, all with what must be the original peach quilted drawer liners... plus original glass top
a lovely vanity with five drawers, one with a divider tray, more peach satin liners... glass top... and bench with original upholstery (in desperate need of re-do, but still, original)
a very petite bedside table that lost its original glass top just before I picked it up
I share all this just in case anyone might have any familiarity with such a set. I didn't buy it as a collector or investor, just a lover of old, beautiful, well-made-in-America furniture. It's impossible to find affordable furniture crafted with this kind of quality today, and it's fun to find so many pieces still together after 60+ years.
It's also fun that this purchase led me to this website, and so many fans of Kaufmann's. :o)
Does anyone have the recipe for Kaufmann's Port Wine Chocolate cake? We used to get it at the Pittsburgh store. It's one of my sister's fondest memories and she'd love to try and make it. Thanks for any help.
ReplyDeleteI have 2 pics that were hung in Kaufmans one of my dad and one of his brother they look like they were done with chalk and are in frames that are in a wooden oval frame that is really beautiful. They look very rich. I could take a pic and email to someone if I had email to send it to.
ReplyDeleteLoved the downtown Kaufmann's store; my sister and I loved to ride the old wooden escalator up to the top floor.
ReplyDeleteHello, I saw a china cabinet in a second hand store that had a metal plate that read "Kaufmann's, Pittsburg" with a street address but I could not see the number. Did Kaufmann's sell furniture?
ReplyDeleteKaufmanns did sell furniture. I have a secretary desk with the slant front and it's in great shape. It has the gold/bronze plate on the back top. I'm pretty sure it was bought in the '50's. It's in great shape and wasn't used a lot. Hate to get rid of it but I just don't have the room. I'd like to know more about the furniture they sold also.
DeleteDoes anyone have the recipe for Kaufmann's brownies (the ones that were sold in the Bake Shop on the Arcade)?
ReplyDeleteIf anyone has this recipe, I'd love to have it. Kaufmann's brownies were, IMO, the best ever.
DeleteIn the 60's my grandmother would take the bus downtown and maybe window shop a little, but mostly sit in the big ladies room They had a room with comfortable chairs and ashtrays that must have sat 20 or 30 people. I believe it was on the 2nd floor.) She would people watch and chat with other ladies who regularly did the same thing. I think people did the same thing at Hornes but their ladies room was much smaller. I loved its gigantic mirror as a kid though.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! The ladies lounge on 5!!! Huge! And when you walked in there was a lot of smoke to go through because ladies were sitting there on the comfy couches smoking. There was also a smaller restroom on 3 behind the big scale. I'm referring to the one that you could weigh yourself on.
DeleteI remember that all too well. Miss those days
DeleteTo whom it may concern, anyone out there interested in old vintage hats from Kaufmann's, I have around 15, dating from 1901 -1971, all original boxes, and receipts and I also have an old bridal veil made of steel and rhinestones, if interested please call me, 412-728-4685
ReplyDeleteanyone have recipe for the tic toc burger
ReplyDeleteWhat ever happen to the murals that were hanging over the elevators? They were pictures of Pittsburgh and the workers in various jobs.You could see them from the balcony. My mother would set me on a chair and go shopping. No worry of kidnapping in the early 40's. Carol
ReplyDeleteKaufmann's published 2 spiral bound cookbooks in the 70's.One was black and white, the other green and white. They say Kaufmann's on the outside, but say Tic Toc restaurant on the inside pages. They both have a red bow tie on bottom of cover. These books are hard to find. but sometimes do pop up on Ebay.
ReplyDeleteAnyone know about the Jewelry??? I have a vintage necklace that I am trying to price. E-mail me at -- mph3155@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteI remember Pomeroys in Willingboro, NJ. My mom used to work in the restaurant part back in the 70s. I remember that smelly perm solution from the beauty salon that was just a few weeks away too. I also remember Woolworths. I used to work there in the late 70s/early 80s. I miss those carefree days. Those days were such good days in retrospect...
ReplyDeleteOn special occasions, back in the 1940's my mother would take me to lunch at Kaufmann's Vendome.
ReplyDeleteI remember white table clothes, silver ware, and waiters were dressed in all white uniforms.
Our waiter would even cut my piece of meat.
Anyone know who produced furniture for Kaufmann's?
ReplyDeleteIf you look through the 2 Pittsburgh papers on Google News Archives, you can find ads for Kaufmann's. The furniture ads will certainly mention the manufacturers.
ReplyDelete-Bruce
RE: Sept. 2, 2010 comment above. Gimbels and Kaufmann's used "Unitote" registers. Experienced clerks could use these things like hi-speed typewriters and write up a sale in seconds. It fascinated me as a kid.
ReplyDeleteI worked at Kaufmann's in the late '80s and early '90s, and I hated it! Why? Because the May Corp. was the greediest bunch of morally bankrupt scum I have ever encountered in 51 years of life. We all knew the death of Kaufmann's was only a matter of time...
ReplyDeleteWhen we were at the Victoria and Albert Museum in England, imagine my surprise when I walked into Edgar Kaufmann's office. Because it had been designed by Frank LLoyd Wright it was reconstructed there.
ReplyDeleteI worked at Kaufmann's for ten years until it closed. It was like a family and I made wonderful friends. I was at the South Hills Village store. It looks like anonymous beat me to the Victoria and Albert museum story. And the beautiful murals were taken down and are in storage somewhere on the North Side. They should be hung in Heinz History Center,
ReplyDeleteThere are rumors now that the top floors of the previous downtown Pittsburgh Kaufmann's, which were closed by Macy's, will be revived as apartments.
ReplyDeleteFor Deb who requested the Chocolate Port Wine Torte recipe on March 18, 2014. It can be found in the Kaufmann's Cookbook (red bow tie) on page 43.
ReplyDeleteCHOCOLATE PORT WINE TORTE
Yield: 1 9-inch-3-layer cake
Cocoa, unsweetened - 1 cup
Boiling water - 2 cups
Butter - 1 cup
Granulated sugar - 2 1/2 cups
Eggs, whole - 4
Vanilla extract - 1 1/2 teaspoons
Sifted cake flour - 2 3/4 cups
Baking soda - 2 teaspoons
Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
Baking powder - 1/2 teaspoon
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine cocoa and boiling water and beat with wire whisk until smooth. Cool.
3. Sift flour with soda, salt, and baking powder.
4. In large bowl of mixer, beat butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla about 5 minutes at high speed.
5. At low speed, mix in flour mixture, one-fourth at a time, alternately with cocoa mixture which has been divided into thirds. DO NOT OVERBEAT.
6. Divide batter equally into three 9-inch greased and floured round cake pans.
7. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until tests done. Cool in pans for 10 minutes before inverting pans on cooling rack. Remove pans and cool the cake.
When cake is cool:
Using 1/2 cup Port Wine, sprinkle the bottom of the three layers. Place two layers, top side down, on cake plate. Spread each of these two layers with 1 cup Raspberry Preserves. Place third layer, top side up, on cake and frost with fudge icing.
FUDGE ICING
Semi-sweet chocolate bits - 6 ounces
Coffee cream - 1/2 cup
Butter - 1/2 pound
Unsifted confectioner's sugar - 2 1/2 cups
In saucepan, combine chocolate, cream and butter. Stir over medium heat until smooth. Remove from heat. With wire whisk, blend in confectioner's sugar. Place pan over ice and beat until frosting holds shape. Frost top and sides of cake.
Hi Anonymous! Do you have a recipe for the original thumbprint cookies from the old Kaufmann's cookbook?
DeleteThank You BAK
ReplyDeleteWhat a great website !!!
I thought I was the only one who had an affinity for shopping in the stores of yesterday. I have the fondest memories of going shopping in downtown Pittsburgh in the early 1960’s with my Mom.... I was born in Pittsburgh in 1957.. My Dad worked downtown but my Mom did not drive so we would take the Bus from Pleasant Hills and make it an all day affair.. It was a magical thing and a real adventure to be in downtown for a young boy. A world unto itself. . We almost always got lunch at one of the many nice restaurants that were in these stores, ( Kaufmann’s, Gimbels, Joseph Horne. ) I did not know that these were the stores we went to but my Mom wrapped our Christmas decorations in paper and boxes from these stores and now that she has passed it was the only way I would have known…
Ben
With the news of the Downtown store closing I've made it my mission to find the recipe for the Arcade Bakery's thumbprint cookies I believe I've found the cookie part: https://cbspittsburgh.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/thumbprint-scan.pdf but I'm now searching for the buttercream fosting they use. I see a fudge version is posted above and sounds like it could be it. If anyone comes across the buttercream or feels like begging someone in the bakery for this transplanted Pittsburgher. I would be forever grateful. The loss of this store is just heartbreaking but it lasted far longer than I ever expected. Hopefully I can make the thumbprints when I need to feel a little nostalgic.
ReplyDeleteThe restaurants on the 11th Floor in the Downtown Pittsburgh Kaufmann's store were named Edgar's and Michael's, after the owners. I worked there from 1981-2002. In the early 80's, I remembered meeting the housekeeping staff that worked directly for Mr. Kaufmann. She was in her 70's at that time and was a treasure of information, I'm sure. Gimbel's, Horne's and Sak's preceded the announcement that Macy's (Kaufmann's) Downtown store is closing for good too. I will truly miss the windows at Christmas time, (some years their holiday theme was a little bizarre, but the "Yes, Elizabeth, there is a Santa Clause" was my favorite) and how shiny the first floor was decorated for the holidays. The Arcadia Studio was on the 9th floor, near the candy counter/vision center. They sold furs and had a fur storage department on the 11th floor. The Vendome Shops, also on 11th floor were exquisite, very high end. The thumbprint cookies from the bakery had enough icing on them for a large cupcake, just decadent and delicious. I met the baker whose recipe is/was still being used today. The recipe was a secret for the longest time! The bakery's ovens were on the 13th floor where the employees cafeteria was. The cook (sweetest little woman named Annie) made the best bacon for your breakfast. When I first started, the credit card machines rolled ink over the impression of the cards on the receipts. Some people still had their original Kaufmann's credit cards that were metal. Santa Claus was on the 7th Floor, in the toy department. The line was forever! I remember Elizabeth Taylor on the 1st floor when she was promoting her Diamonds perfume. They had the Steelers/Penguins/Pirates championship trophies on display in the auditorium, also on the 11th floor. You could get autographs of Hall of Famers when they were at the presentations. Loretta Swit and Cyril Wecht (and many more) would be at B. Dalton books signing copies on the 9th floor.
ReplyDeleteKaufmann's archives re stored t the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh.
ReplyDeletehttp://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/f/findaid/findaid-idx?c=hswpead;cc=hswpead;rgn=main;view=text;didno=US-QQS-MSS371
Hello there, first of all, we would like to offer sincere thanks for this beautiful museum. Mr.BAK,we would like to thank you for bringing so many memories back to us. It's wonderful !
ReplyDeleteQuestion: The Tic Toc Restaurant is so very wonderful. Yet, we believe that fine dining like Marshall Field's Walnut Room is wonderful and an important part of the department store tradition! There are vague memories we have about a restaurant called the Forbes Room ? Can anyone offer more details ? Thank you again for this beautiful museum! God Bless you Mr.BAK ! We really appreciate this very special place !
Thank you for being so kind. I created this "museum" so that the history of all of these great stores is never forgotten.
ReplyDeleteKaufmann's had a restautant(s) on the eleventh floor of their store in Pittsburgh, that were more formal than the Tic-Toc. Whether one of them was called the Forbes Room or not, I do not know. Perhaps a visitor to the Department Store Museum could help with this matter?
Also, a book is being produced at this very moment about the history of Kaufmann's, by a Pittsburgh resident, and it should be available by Christmas. I will post on this site when more details are available.
- Bruce
There was indeed a restaurant on the eleventh floor called the Forbes Room. It featured a luncheon buffet as well as a menu, There were three restaurants at one time on eleven. The Forbes Room, Edgars, and The Georgian Room (this was the most formal room). There was also a snack bar in the budget basement years ago, and a pizza shop and deli on one of the upper floors (maybe 9). The Tic Toc room remained open for about a month after Macy's announced the store closing. What a terrible loss for Pittsburgh.
ReplyDeleteThere was indeed a restaurant on eleven called the Forbes Room. It featured both a regular menu and a luncheon buffet. There were two other restaurants on eleven: Edgar's (named after Edgar Kaufmann) and the more formal Georgian room. These restaurants closed several years ago.
ReplyDeleteThere was indeed a restaurant on eleven called the Forbes Room. It featured both a regular menu and a luncheon buffet. There were two other restaurants on eleven: Edgar's (named after Edgar Kaufmann) and the more formal Georgian room. These restaurants closed several years ago.
ReplyDeleteThe basement had a snack bar as well as the the third floor ~ SRO, there was also a snack bar ( also sold fresh popcorn at the skywalk on the parking garage side; the pizza shop originally opened on the fifth floor and then relocated to 9; the deli in the early1970's was on the arcade in the Epicure department and then relocated to nine; there were mini kiosks on the arcade as well as the third floor that sold bagels, cookies & brownies "Bagel Box"; in the summertime hot dogs, drinks and popcorn were sold outside on the sidewalk on Fifth Avenue above Cherry Way
ReplyDeleteI'm writing a novel set in 1919. Can anyone tell me what restaurants in Kaufmann's were then and if you could post any pictures. That would be great!
ReplyDeleteWhen will the book about Kaufmann's be available?
ReplyDeleteI have to assume next year. I know that s Pittsburgh resident is working on it.
ReplyDelete- Bruce
I worked in the downtown Pittsburgh store until the name changed to Macy's. My wife had worked there as well and that's how we met. We got engaged outside of the Christmas windows in 2004. My handwritten proposal was worked into one of the Christmas windows thanks to our friends in the visual department. We have the moment she saw it on tape thanks to our friends in the security department. It's a shame the building is shuttered now.
ReplyDeleteI am in Australia researching surviving old wooden escalators like the ones in Macy's department store, Herald Square, NYC. Does anyone know about the fate of the wooden escalators in the former Kaufmann's store on 5th Ave and Smithfield St, Pittsburg? How many are left? Will any be retained by the developers of the proposed hotel on that site? Thank you, Andrew
ReplyDeleteDon't forget the toy departmanet on the ninth floor, this area expanded for Christmas and included a train display.
ReplyDeleteAlso at Christmas time there was the children's very own gift shop, and on the eleventh floor, there was an activity area for children visiting Santa, that included rides as well as activity tables
Does any else remember the Talking Christmas Tree that was located in the Childrens Department on the Third floor?
ReplyDeleteYes I vaguely remember the talking Christmas tree��
DeleteFascinating! I too grew up shopping with my Mother and what a special day including the Tic Toc. I recently purchased at auction an Antique woodblock Japanese print by Kunisada Utagawa(1786-1868) framed and plated on back "J.J.Gillispie Co 11th floor Kaufmann Bldg 5th & Smithfield". Anyone have an idea when this would have been sold by this Co.?
ReplyDeleteI have a small side table. It has inlaid tile in the top. Underneath is small rectangular metal stamped tag that says "Kaufmann's Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh. Does anyone know anything about this item or someone that I could ask about it? Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI'm refinishing my fathers childhood bedroom set that was purchased second hand in the mid fifties. I found a metal tag "Kauffmans 5th Ave. Pittsburgh", all pieces are original with marking on the back (sty. ###, order 201), does anyone know how to find the age with these #'s?
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know the name of a fragrance Kaufmans use to sell that smelled like watermelon? I use to wear it in the 80's. I bought it st the Kaufmans in Eugene Oregon. I seem to recall the bottle was black and I think the name of the perfume was Champagne. Any and all comments and memory recall welcome!! Thank you
ReplyDeleteIf you bought it in a store in Oregon it was not this store. The Pittsburgh store is Kaufmanns - two n's.
DeleteI have a sketch marked Kaufman's 48 on the back. It is an orignal sketch called The Old Synagogue. Signed by an artist Filner and dated 1931. Was this just random wall art? In original frame with a brown paper backing. Curious! Thanks for any input. My email is Katiestoys@aol.com.
ReplyDeleteI miss Christmas shopping at Kaufmann's, and the delicious greasy hamburgers at the Tic Toc.
ReplyDeleteWOULD KAUFMANN'S HAVE KEPT RECORDS FROM THE EARLY 1900'S OF POSTMORTEM PORTRATIS. i AM TRYING TO IDENTIFY A PICTURE THAT IS IN MY FAMILY.
ReplyDeleteWOULD KAUFMANN'S HAVE KEPT RECORDS FROM THE EARLY 1900'S OF POSTMORTEM PORTRATIS. i AM TRYING TO IDENTIFY A PICTURE THAT IS IN MY FAMILY.
ReplyDeleteI am looking for a candy that was sold at the candy counter at Kaufmann's during Easter time. The bottom half was chocolate and egg-shaped and the top half was a yellow chick coming out of the egg. I am looking for either the candy name or the name of the manufacturer. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteROC
I am trying to track down either the name of a candy or the manufacturer of an Easter candy that was sold at Kaufmann's; the bottom half was chocolate, shaped like the bottom half of an egg and the top half was a yellow chick coming out of the egg. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteROC
I have a kaufmanns bedroom suite for sale. It's approx 100 years old, in great condition. Two dressers that are vanity like with mirrors and chairs.and a chest of drawers. All wood with solid oak.contact info. 717-809-5766. Mnunemaker02@gmail.com. Facebook John Lee Nunemaker. Thanks for any information
ReplyDeleteFinally!! The book "Kaufmann's the big store Pittsburgh" by Letitia Savage is available, on ebay and at Arcadia books
ReplyDeleteFor a quick link to it that helps The Department Store Museum, see the top of this page
DeleteAs I scrolled down through these photos, I was strolling down memory lane. I gasped when I saw the big K surrounded by a circle of dots. My mother worked for Kaufmann's during my childhood, in the credit department on the 9th floor.. When I was in grade school, every piece of clothing I had came from Kaufmann''s basement. I remember the toy department, also on the 9th floor.I especially loved looking at the Madame Alexander dolls and wishing I could have one. All of my Santa pictures were from Kaufmann's. My great aunt sold Girl Scout gear on the 3rd floor for many years.
ReplyDeleteI remember the gleaming brass revolving doors on Smithfield St, and the wonderful smells that were in your face once you got through the doors. Leather, perfumes and cosmetics. When I would go up to my mother''s office, I rarely used the elevators. I rode the escalators from floor to floor. At the 7th floor one had to walk through the Oriental rug department to get to the escalator up to 8. Those escalators, from 8 on up, at the back of the store were wooden, and made clicked clack sounds as they moved. I loved going from floor to floor, looking at all the things I could buy someday when I had my own money. When I grew up, got a job and had my own money, I shopped the 5th floor for all my clothes.
I also remember when Kaufmann's Christmas boxes had red tops with Christmas trees on them. And the Christmas windows! So much time and effort went into making those windows delight little kids!
Kaufmann''s was such a huge part of my childhood that I cried when the announcement came that the store was closing. Seeing the big K encircled by dots on this blog brought all these memories rushing back. The end of an era.
Clearly Kaufmann's was extraordinary, and your comments support that view. Thinking of Kaufmann's, and all these great department stores that have vanished from the landscape, it's important to remember what they represented. The "Big K surrounded by dots" was a familiar sight in Pittsburgh, but now it has vanished (along with everything it stood for) and the same is true all over the country. I think our cities, and our lives, are much worse off as a result, as you so beautifully describe in your lovely, meaningful comment.
Delete- Bruce
I also cherished every floor at Kauffman's. If you walk through the Oriental Rugs, then you saw my Dynamic father, Tony. He was there as an assistant buyer and later he moved to the Mount Lebanon store. He was promoted. He ate at the tiktok but when I came to visit with my mom for lunch he would take us upstairs to 11. But sometimes we also ate at the Tik Toc. He just loved those hamburgers. I didn't like the downstairs budget store too much myself. It was too much looking and not enough gloss. I remember being smaller and shopping on the third floor and the department called Girls 7 to 14. Then when I got older I shopped on the 5th floor. I had a little bit of a better run then you did, because my dad had what was called executive discount. Everything over $100 had a huge discount. So I always got the best coats every winter. I loved reading your comment here and I hope you liked reading mine. Do you remember the monkey in the pet Department?
DeleteI think it is ironic they are turning the former Kaufmanns/ Macys Department Store building into expensive??apartments and now there are no more major stores to patronize in downtown Pittsburgh! Give the residents somewhere to shop!
ReplyDeleteI am glad they are preserving the beautiful building, but you would think Macy's could have prospered with a downtown 3 level store with the Tic Toc restaurant at that location. What are they doing wrong?? Now they are doing away with their downtown Portland, Oregon and Minneapolis stores as well.
The Elizabeth Arden Salon was on the 11th floor.
ReplyDeleteThe Elizabeth Arden Salon and Boutique was on the 11th Floor.
ReplyDeleteMy now ex-husband bought me the most beautiful diamond slide from Kaufmann's in Rochester. Unfortunately, around 10 days ago my housekeeper stole it from me.(There is an investigation going on). I am heart broken. I just saw one exactly like mine listed on eBay. I'm sick to my stomach. I just loved Kaufmann's. It is sad it is no longer in existence. It was a great store.
ReplyDeleteTerrible this happened to you.I hate thieves.I miss Kaufmanns as well.I remember a painting that hung on the wall in the ladies room.It was woman probably in 1800's walking on cobblestone and shopping holding umbrellas.Their dresses were like bunting with large bows above their bottoms making their bottoms look huge.They had the button up the side boots.I loved that painting.
DeleteHi.. I worked at the South Hills Village Kauffmann's straight out of high school. I was there from 1989 - 1996. I worked in the Juniors dept and the Boys dept. My dad was the electronics manager for many years. I miss it. I enjoyed my time there and the friends i made. I even met my husband while working there. Lol! One of my favorite memories was getting to march in the Celebrate the Seasons parade. So fun. ��
ReplyDeleteI worked at "Brooks Pharmacy" at S.H.V. in the very early 1990's.I still remember going to Woolworths lunch counter.
DeleteI used to sit on the outside bench of Kaufmann's on my lunch breaks sometimes. My parents and relatives would shop at the various Kaufmann's stores, my one aunt has a 'vintage' Vendrome Blasport pleated dress(?) from them. My dad one time got (from the downtown candy store) some chocolate covered grasshoppers and ants for his sisters, they loved them until he told them the secret 'crunchy' ingredient- insects!! They all started screaming, ha ha! He had to do something with three sisters in the house.
It's funny but I do miss the malls. Seeing Century III go down the tubes and be boarded up is so sad, I remember going there too as a child and getting salty soup from the Vendomatic.
I just found a pieve of furniture with a metal stamp on the bottom. Kaufmann Pittsburgh Pa. Found it at a thruft store
ReplyDeleteI just bought a piece of furniture. When i turned it over it has Kaufmanns Pittsburgh Pa metal stamp on it. I loved going there with my dad.
ReplyDeleteAs part of our training in the early 90's we learned that Kaufmann's was the first retailer to charge the same price to everybody and actually put prices on the merchandise. Prior to that, one would have to ask a clerk the price and be "sized up" by the sales person for how much you could and would be likely to pay. Selling in those days was truly an art, based on class. The more egalitarian practice broke new ground.
ReplyDeleteDoes anybody have an old catalog that mentions them selling prefab homes? My wife read in a book that they sold houses through their catalog and one was built in Johnstown, PA but we cant find any records of what the prefabs looked like or if the one in Johnstown still exist.
ReplyDeleteI am trying to find the name of a candy that I would purchase at the Rochester Kaufmann's store. I thought that they were Annaclairs but Google turned up pictures of what I consider to be Bon Bons. The candies that I bought were large and lumpy with a marshmallow (I believe) cream center covered in chocolate and nuts. This was in the late 70's and the 80's.
ReplyDeleteStolen Heaven.My Aunt used to buy me some.Delicious! Along with Tic Toc shops chocolate silk pie.
DeleteGoogle Annaclairs. There is a picture and you are right.
ReplyDeleteFor more nostalgic views of downtown Pittsburgh department stores please see:
ReplyDeletehttp://pajack.com/stories/pittsburgh-stories/goin-down-town/
One of the "Pittsburgh Stories" by Pennsylvania Jack
I would like to see the Kaufmann's murals. If they were made in 1913, it is possible that they were posed by the great American supermodel Audrey Munson (adding to the value).
ReplyDeleteIn 1978, to celebrate July 4th, Kaufmann's ran two ads in the Pittsburgh Press with the line, "May the Fourth be with you!" I showed Disney for Star Wars Day on May 4th that this line was not coined in 1979 (there is more 1978 evidence), but Disney ignored me!
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49699604/may-the-fourth-be-with-you-star-wars/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49699980/may-the-fourth-be-with-you-star-wars/
Thank you for posting that!
ReplyDeleteTrying to find some info on a painting that was framed and sold by Kaufmann & Baer on sixth and smithfield the artist signed J.J.M can anyone help me find more info on who the artist is or where i would fine a inventory of paintings sold at this store
ReplyDeleteThe 9th floor also had the candy counter, Deli, Pizza Shop, Bradley's Books, Frame Shop. I worked there around 1992 :)
ReplyDeleteRegarding the frosting for the Thumbprint cookies, I read that it is a French buttercream. Both have a similar sheen and it is not overly sweet. Since traditional French buttercream is yellow in color, I'm wondering if maybe the frosting is a combination of French buttercream and Italian or Swiss buttercream.
ReplyDeleteThe giant, delicious, thumbprint cookies are now available from Prantl's bakery. I believe a former employee of the bakery at Kaufman's works there.
ReplyDeleteWhen did the Kaufman west of the Three Rivers stadium close / demolished.
ReplyDeleteI believe that was the warehouse but have no idea when it was demolished.
DeleteHi, I have an old Kaufmann's shipping container that has a buckle belt to keep it shut and it says please return to the big store.Anyone ever seen one and maybe know the era its from?I was going to donate to the Heinz history center.
ReplyDeleteHello! I am really hoping someone can help me. Does anyone remember the bakery making chocolate cake with with white icing and they were dipped in a chocolate coating? If so, what were they called? I am trying to find a recipe. Thank you so much!!
ReplyDeleteBrings back childhood memories going there that building seemed never ending.
ReplyDeleteThe main thing I miss about Kauffman's was the grilled hot dogs with brown mustard and onion relish those were so good.
Also the Christmas displays in windows outside were magical for a kid.
Sure do miss them days, late 70's early 80's.
Hi! Does anyone have any information of value about long length black ladies dress gloves with silver sequence balls on the end? They have an original tag from Kaufmann’s sewn in. They’re new. They’re elbow length 100% wool- not lined. Thank you! Email - christylynn2103@gmail.com
ReplyDelete