Harris & Frank

Leopold Harris late 1800s

Löbau on an 1896 map of West and East Prussia

Harris was born in 1836, Löbau, then in the Province of Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia, now Lubawa, Poland, brother of Morris Herschkowitz. His original name was Lewin Herschkowitz. He arrived in the United States in 1852 or 1853, spent time in Kentucky, then moved to Los Angeles in 1855. He became a U.S. citizen two years later. In 1868 he married Minna Jastrowitz.[1] He died in 1910 on Long Island, New York on his way back to Los Angeles after falling ill on a trip to Europe.

Leopold Harris & Frank's London Clothing Co., Los Angeles, late 1800s

Harris's first store, then called The London Clothing Co., was on the Los Angeles Plaza. Harris, alone and with partners, operated a succession of locations, each time further southwest from the Plaza, including

• 1876–1882: the Quincy Hall Clothing House, Downey Block, N. Main Street opposite Commercial St.[2] (at the time, Commercial St. ran eastward from Main St. just north of Temple St.)[3]
• from Feb. 1883: the London Clothing Store at the Allen Block, Spring at Temple streets (129–131 Spring and 5-7-9 New High streets)[4]
• 1894: 119–125 N. Spring at Franklin St,[5] between First and Temple streets[6]
• 1905: 337–341 S. Spring St., between Third and Fourth streets.[7] For a few months operated concurrently with the Spring and Franklin store.[8]
• 1907: moved just a block south to 447–443 S. Spring St., between Fourth and Fifth streets.[9]
• 1925: 635–637 S. Hill St.[10]
• 1947: Added a second downtown location at the former Brooks store at 644 S. Broadway[11]
• 1950: Closed the Hill Street store
• 1980: Closed its final downtown location at 644 S. Broadway[12]

Mr. Frank was also a real estate developer of the Allen Block at Temple and Spring streets, in 1887 the Salisbury Block on Spring St., and in 1898 the site of Niles Pease Furniture until 1907 and afterwards the Harris & Frank store, 437–443 S. Spring Street.[13] In 1887, Herman W. Frank (d. 1941) started working for Harris, and became a partner in the business a year in 1888,[14] when its name was changed to Harris & Frank. Frank became Harris's son-in-law by marrying his daughter Sarah.

Harris moved to San Bernardino for eight years, in which city his nephews would start the Harris Company department store chain.[15] then moved back to Los Angeles.

In 1947, Harris & Frank merged with Brooks Clothing Co. which was located at 644 S. Broadway.[10][11] As of 1950, the chain had 15 department store branches as far north as San Jose, California, and as far south as San Diego.[10] In 1959 H. Daroff and Sons, makers of the Botany 500 line of men's clothing, bought Harris & Frank which at that time had 21 branches. In 1970, Northern California chain Pauson's was merged and Pauson's stores were renamed Harris & Frank, bringing the total number of H&F stores to 40.[16]

Locations over the decades included:

• Downtown Los Angeles
• Buena Park Mall[17]
• Chula Vista Center, opened 1962
• Downey, Stonewood Shopping Center[17]
• East Los Angeles[18]
• Glendale[18]
• Hollywood Boulevard at Vine[18]
• Huntington Park, Downtown on Pacific Blvd. at Gage[17]
• Lakewood Center
• Long Beach,[18] 240 Pine
• Northridge Fashion Center
• Orange Mall
• Pasadena:
  • Downtown (390 E. Colorado Blvd.),[19] razed[20]
  • Hastings Ranch Shopping Center, Foothill at Rosemead blvds. (opened 1959)[21]
• Pomona[19]
• Santa Ana, Honer Plaza
• San Bernardino,[18] Court and E streets
• San Diego[18]
• San Jose[18]
• Santa Ana[18]
• Santa Barbara[18]
• Santa Monica[18]
• Van Nuys, 6723 Van Nuys Blvd.[22]
• West Covina, Eastland Center[19]