Abandoned department store in Ohio

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The Anderson Brothers building was constructed in two stages, the original portion in 1899 and a substantial expansion and addition in 1925. The design of the expansion was intended to give the building the appearance of a single modern structure. The building served its original function of housing a department store from its construction in 1899 until 1984; this activity occupied the four southern bays of the expanded structure. A separate retail operation occupied the two northern bays for many years. The building was constructed during the greatest period of growth and prosperity in Portsmouth.

George Washington Anderson arrived in Portsmouth in 1867 and opened a store, which he operated until 1871 when he sold it to go to Kansas to try his hand at farming. He returned to Portsmouth within a few years and in 1874 purchased a shoe store. Anderson took his son, William B., into the business in 1878, changing the name of the store to G. W. Anderson & Son. By 1886, the Andersons had expanded to store and added dry goods to their stock. The elder Anderson died in 1895, but his son remained in the business and continued to expand it with other siblings joining him in the business. In 1899, Maggie Anderson Crawford (William B. Anderson's sister) began construction on a new four-story brick building at the corner of Chillicothe and Third Streets for the Anderson Brothers Department Store. It opened for business in this location on January 1, 1900. The building was expanded in 1925, when two additional floors were added and the smaller building next door was incorporated as part of the building The enlarged structure received a unified facade extending across and over both earlier buildings. Anderson Brothers occupied the southernmost four bays and Atlas Fashions located in the northernmost two bays. Anderson Brothers remained a major department store in Portsmouth until 1934, when during the depths of the Depression it ceased operation. The building was then was taken over by Sears, Roebuck & Company, which continued to operate a store in this location until 1984. William B. Anderson was described in a 1924 newspaper article as one of the "men who helped make Portsmouth." In addition to running the retail store from the time he was 18, he served as President of the Portsmouth Board of Trade, and director of several businesses including Security Bank and the Breece Manufacturing Company in Portsmouth, and the Anderson-Newcomb Co. in Huntington, West Virginia.

The City of Portsmouth, strategically located at the confluence of the Ohio and Scioto rivers, for a number of reasons, enjoyed a high level of economic activity during the 19^th and early 20^th centuries. The Ohio River and its bustling commercial traffic contributed greatly to the city's early development as a manufacturing and commercial center, which was enhanced early in 1832 when Portsmouth became the southern terminus of the Ohio and Erie Canal. The period between 1830 through 1860 was marked by increases in population and development of the original plat with commercial buildings, residences, churches, schools, and early industries.

A significant iron industry developed in and around Portsmouth during this period because of the city's close proximity to the Hanging Rock Iron Region of southern Ohio. Growth continued when railroad lines were introduced to the busy river port town in the early 1850s. The role of the railroad was significantly expanded when what became the Norfolk and Western Railway located a major freight yard in the city in the 1870s. This move provided further consolidation of Portsmouth as the industrial, commercial and transportation hub of southeastern Ohio. By the turn of the 20^th century, Portsmouth was a major producer of steel, shoes, and other industrial products. Another major factor contributing to Portsmouth's growth and development was the city's role as the seat of government for Scioto County.

The Boneyfiddle neighborhood is located to the west of the present downtown area of Portsmouth. During most of the 19^th century, Second Street in Boneyfiddle was the hub of the city's commercial and industrial activity. As the population of the city began to grow in the late 19^th century, the physical boundaries also grew into newly annexed areas to the east. One of the major shifts at this time was the development of the central business district along Chillicothe Street, a north-south street that led directly to the Ohio River and a ferry (replaced by a bridge in 1927) to Kentucky. Chillicothe Street gradually supplanted Second Street in Boneyfiddle as the core of the city's central business district. By the early 20^th century, the vast majority of commercial construction was taking place along Chillicothe Street and its intersecting streets in the central business district. Chillicothe Street still forms the backbone of Portsmouth's downtown area today.

Like many Ohio communities, the fortunes of Portsmouth have changed dramatically. The steel and shoe industries, which once employed thousands, are gone. The loss of industrial activity is reflected in the population figures for Portsmouth. During the years of expansion of industry, Portsmouth grew steadily from slightly over 10,000 people in 1870, to nearly 18,000 in 1900, 33,000 in 1920, and peaking at 55,000 in 1950. A slow and steady population decline began in the 1950s and has continued until the present, with Portsmouth's 1990 population at 22,700. It was during Portsmouth's greatest period of growth and development, from 1900-1930, that the Anderson Brothers Department Store was constructed and expanded. In spite of these changes, downtown Portsmouth still serves as one of the primary retail areas serving Scioto and Lawrence counties in Ohio and Greenup and Lewis counties in Kentucky.

The Anderson Brothers Department Store occupies a prominent location in the downtown commercial streetscape. Although some buildings have been lost, particularly at the north and south ends of the street, Chillicothe Street is still a fairly continuous streetscape of two- to three-story late 19^th and early 20th-century commercial buildings. Alterations to storefronts are very common, with a number of upper-story alterations as well. The Anderson Brothers Department Store is one of four large individual buildings constructed during the early 20^th century that dominate the downtown streetscape. Others include the Hurth Hotel at 222 Chillicothe Street (1926), the First National Bank Building at 428 Chillicothe Street (1912, 1925), and the Masonic Temple/Firstar Bank Building (c1920s) at the northeast corner of Chillicothe and Sixth Street.

All four large downtown buildings are examples of the Second Renaissance Revival style. The Anderson Brothers building, like other late 19^th and early 20^th century examples such as the Gilbert Grocery Company and the Washington Hotel in the Boneyfiddle District, has strong elements of the style but is not a full-blown example. The First National, Masonic Temple/Firstar, and Hurth Hotel buildings, since they are later in date, are more fully-developed Second Renaissance Revival buildings. They have, for example, the distinctly articulated lower floors typical of the style, as well as other elements such as rusticated masonry, classical design elements, and a strong three-part facade composition. In the Anderson Brothers building the style is not as fully developed, but it is nonetheless strongly suggested by elements such as the cornice, several beltcourses, and plain upper wall surfaces. The paneled course above the second floor separates the lower floors from the upper, and the cornice and the beltcourse below the sixth-floor windows complete the effect of a three-part facade composition. The Anderson Brothers building thus is an excellent example of the movement of architectural design from Romanesque Revival and other late 19^th century styles toward the more complex revival styles of the early 20^th century.

Building Description

The Anderson Brothers Department Store Building is located at 301-307 Chillicothe Street in downtown Portsmouth, Ohio. The orange-colored brick building measures six stories and has a flat built-up roof and a stone foundation. It possesses strong elements of the Second Renaissance Revival style, including rectangular massing, a symmetrical facade, brick and stone wall treatments, round-arched openings, and classically-inspired details. It was constructed in two distinct phases in 1899 and 1925 but was finished so it has the appearance of a single structure.

The building stands out sharply as the largest structure in the streetscape of lower Chillicothe Street. This north-south street forms the spine of Portsmouth's primary commercial district; in the early 20^th century, Chillicothe supplanted Second Street as the focus of business activity.

On Chillicothe Street today, most buildings date from the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Masonry construction predominates, and most buildings are two or three stories in height. Many storefronts have been altered, but there is still a fairly continuous streetscape of commercial storefronts extending several blocks northward from just below Third Street. The Anderson Brothers building is not the tallest of the four large structures on the street. The Hurth Hotel, located diagonally across the street from the Anderson Brothers building, is eight stories high, and the First National and Firstar bank buildings, located several blocks to the north along upper Chillicothe Street, are eight and nine stories high, respectively. However, the Anderson Brothers building dominates the lower part of downtown Portsmouth and has nearly twice the mass of the Hurth Hotel; it is by far the largest historic retail building in the city.

The original 1899 portion of the Anderson Brothers Department Store consisted of a four-story brick building measuring four bays along Chillicothe Street and five bays along Third Street. The building had the same window openings and detailing visible today but had a fairly simple parapet with corbelled brickwork. Immediately to the north and sharing a common wall was a three-story commercial building of about the same age.

In 1925, Anderson Brothers expanded into the building next door. Two additional floors were added to the original 1899 building, and three floors were added to the adjacent structure to form the existing building. Careful matching of brickwork (all laid in a running bond pattern) in the new construction and in re-facing the smaller building resulted in a single facade that looks as though it could have been built all at once. The only visual clue that this is not the case is the somewhat wider space separating the northern two bays from the southern four bays on the east elevation, where the former common exterior wall is now an interior one.

The building possesses two principal elevations because of its corner location. The main east elevation is six bays wide. The storefront level has been altered, but the remainder of the facade is intact and in largely original condition. Paired double-hung rectangular wood windows with transoms are on the second, fourth, fifth and sixth floors, while the second floor has three-part round-arched windows are set within contrasting brick arches that project slightly. Spandrels with decorative brick panels are located between the second and third-story windows. Corbelled brickwork is located above the windows on the fourth and fifth floors. The sixth-floor windows feature continuous stone lintels and sills. A stone beltcourse is located above the third-floor level. Stone decorative panels flank the window openings on the sixth floor. The projecting pressed metal cornice features modillion blocks and dentils. The storefronts have been altered, with the two northern bays covered by corrugated metal and the three southern bays covered by enameled metal panels. These treatments likely were installed in the 1950s and 1960s.

The other principal elevation is the south, facing Third Street. It is five bays wide and repeats the design features of the Chillicothe Street elevation, including the window openings with decorative brick detailing and the decorative stone panels next to the windows on the sixth floor.

The cornice on this elevation once matched that on the Chillicothe Street elevation but has been removed. A metal fire escape begins at the sixth floor and occupies the second bay back from Chillicothe Street.

The west (rear) and north (alley) elevations are very simple in design. The west elevation has a variety of window shapes and sizes, including a regular fenestration pattern of simple rectangular one-over-one double-hung windows in the southern two bays and a random pattern of double-hung and fixed sash windows elsewhere. Some of the original window openings on this elevation have been infilled. A portion of the painted "Anderson" sign is still visible in the upper corner of the building. The north elevation abuts a narrow alley. Simple double-hung one-over-one sash with transoms are on the second and third floors, with smaller rectangular fixed sash windows on the fourth, fifth and sixth floors. A metal fire escape extends down from the sixth floor at the building's northwest corner.

The interior of the building is divided by the former common building wall into two separate spaces. The Anderson Brothers Department Store occupied the four southern bays of the building from 1899 to 1934, and Sears, Roebuck and Company occupied this space from 1935 to 1984. The northern two bays were occupied, after 1929, by the Atlas Company, a retailer, which later merged with The Fashion to become Atlas Fashions. A carpet retailer later occupied this part of the building. Both Anderson Brothers and Atlas Fashions occupied all six floors of the building. Both sections of the building have staircases located at the rear, each with metal balustrade and terrazzo floors intact. In the Anderson Brothers section of the building, there were evenly spaced columns and open floor space on every floor. Infill partitions were added during the 1970s but they are located a few feet from the outer walls so that the original windows and trim remain intact. The Atlas Fashions section of the building retains its pressed tin ceilings on the first and second floors. All of the floors are large open spaces. Elevators for both sections of the building are located at the rear next to the staircases. The upper floors have been unoccupied for many years, but the first floor, in altered form, is occupied by a pawn shop.

The building maintains a high degree of integrity for a building of this age and use. The storefronts have been altered, a typical occurrence in older commercial areas, but investigation has revealed that some or all of the older storefront elements may be intact beneath the metal coverings. The upper floor levels on the exterior remain intact. The interior was relatively plain originally, with plaster walls and ceilings and wood floors. There are later partitions and lowered ceilings in the building, but the original wall and ceiling surfaces remain largely intact. This includes the likely survival of coffered ceilings, paneled beams and column capitals, all done in plaster, on the first floor of the Anderson Brothers section of the building.

Looking north along main (east) elevation on Chillicothe Street. South wall is on left (2000)

Looking northwest at southeast corner of building. South wall is on left (2000)

Detail of upper wall and cornice on main (east) elevation near southeast corner of building (2000)

Looking south along Chillicothe Street; showing north wall of building along alley, with main (east) elevation at left center (2000)

View of north wall and northwest corner of building, at right (2000)

Buildings on east side of Chillicothe Street across from store building; Hurth Hotel is on right (2000)

Looking east at west (rear) elevation (2000)

Looking southwest at first-floor storefront area, showing two types of metal panels installed c1950s-1960s. (2000)

First-floor storefront area, looking south toward south wall of building. East elevation on left (2000)

View of 1925 column, capital, coffered ceiling, and paneled beams in rear of first floor of original 1899 building (2000)

View of area above lowered first-floor ceiling, showing part of intact ceiling (2000)

Typical detail on upper floors, showing added retail display element on left and original window and trim on right (2000)

Typical upper-floor view, looking west toward rear, in southern portion of building (2000)

Typical upper floor area in northern portion of building (2000)

Third floor, looking east, in southern portion of building (2000)

Third floor, looking toward south wall, showing original window/trim behind retail display (2000)

Fourth floor, southern portion of building, looking southeast toward southeast corner (2000)

Sixth floor, looking southwest toward southwest corner of building (2000)