Arnold, Constable, SoHo
Arnold, Constable & Co. (1856, 1862)
Marble and brick
307–11 Canal St.
SoHo, New York
Aaron Arnold (1794–1876) opened A. Arnold & Co. downtown at 91 Front St. in 1825. He moved to Pine Street and partnered with his nephews James and George Hearn, forming Arnold & Hearn. In 1842, the Hearns departed to found their own store and James M. Constable (1812–1900), Arnold's future son-in-law, became a partner. The store became Arnold, Constable & Co. in 1853.
Expanding, they built a new marble emporium, known appropriately as Marble House, on Canal Street at Mercer in 1857, catering to the high-end carriage trade. Astors and Vanderbilts traded here. Inveterate shopper Mary Todd Lincoln made a point of stopping here on her frequent excursions to New York. As business prospered, the store was expanded both out and up. No. 307 and the fifth storey were added to the original building in 1862. It soon became the second largest department store in the city.
By the late 1860s, with their customers moving further uptown, Arnold, Constable became one of the first to open a store in what would become known as Ladies Mile. The large building, dubbed the Palace of Trade by the press, opened at Broadway and 19th Street in 1869. Meanwhile, they kept the Canal Street location open until at least 1878.
© Matthew X. Kiernan
NYBAI10-2524
Arnold, Constable, SoHo
Arnold, Constable & Co. (1856, 1862)
Marble and brick
307–11 Canal St.
SoHo, New York
Aaron Arnold (1794–1876) opened A. Arnold & Co. downtown at 91 Front St. in 1825. He moved to Pine Street and partnered with his nephews James and George Hearn, forming Arnold & Hearn. In 1842, the Hearns departed to found their own store and James M. Constable (1812–1900), Arnold's future son-in-law, became a partner. The store became Arnold, Constable & Co. in 1853.
Expanding, they built a new marble emporium, known appropriately as Marble House, on Canal Street at Mercer in 1857, catering to the high-end carriage trade. Astors and Vanderbilts traded here. Inveterate shopper Mary Todd Lincoln made a point of stopping here on her frequent excursions to New York. As business prospered, the store was expanded both out and up. No. 307 and the fifth storey were added to the original building in 1862. It soon became the second largest department store in the city.
By the late 1860s, with their customers moving further uptown, Arnold, Constable became one of the first to open a store in what would become known as Ladies Mile. The large building, dubbed the Palace of Trade by the press, opened at Broadway and 19th Street in 1869. Meanwhile, they kept the Canal Street location open until at least 1878.
© Matthew X. Kiernan
NYBAI10-2524