Hahne & Co. department store

Hahne & Co. department store building in Newark, New Jersey, in the mid-20th century looked like this:

The building, located at 609 Broad Street, was the flagship store for the Hahne & Company department store chain.   The store was founded in 1858 and the building shown in the image opened in 1901. 

The Hahne & Co. building in Newark is predominantly recognized for its Art Deco style. However, the National Register of Historic Places also lists Renaissance architectural styles in relation to the building. This suggests a blend of influences, characteristic of the early 20th-century period when it was constructed. 

Hahne & Co. was considered one of Newark's "Big 3" department stores and was a major landmark in the city. 

Hahne & Company: Newark's Storied Department Store Legacy"

Where Broad Street meets Military Park, stands a Beaux-Arts marvel that once embodied the city's commercial grandeur: the Hahne & Company Department Store. Founded in 1858 by German immigrant Julius Hahne, a former pocketbook maker, the enterprise began humbly as a toy and notions shop at Broad and Central Avenue, selling bird cages and trinkets. By the 1870s, rising living standards spurred expansion; Hahne departmentalized his offerings—innovative for Newark—stocking general merchandise from apparel to housewares, earning a reputation as the "carriage trade" emporium for affluent shoppers arriving in horse-drawn finery.

The store's apotheosis arrived in 1901 with the opening of its flagship at 609 Broad Street, the first Newark building purpose-built as a department store. Architect Goldwin Starrett, known for opulent designs, crafted a seven-story steel-frame edifice clad in white brick and limestone, blending classical symmetry with modern fireproofing. At its core lay the Grand Court: a soaring four-story atrium crowned by a 200-foot skylight, illuminated by a grand staircase and crystal chandeliers, where patrons sipped soda from a 60-seat fountain or browsed an art gallery and amusement hall. An escalator—then a novelty—ferried shoppers skyward, while a basement merry-go-round enchanted children during Yuletide rushes. Hahne's motto, "The Store With The Friendly Spirit," encapsulated its ethos: fixed prices, no rebates, and elite service that rivaled Manhattan's finest.

As Newark's "Big Three" alongside Bamberger's and Kresge's, Hahne's anchored downtown commerce, drawing crowds for holiday displays that "weave a spell of delight." In 1916, it co-founded the Associated Merchandising Corporation, fueling national expansion. Branches sprouted: Montclair in 1929 (its compact size forcing Christmas decor storage at the flagship), Livingston in 1967, and Short Hills. Peak prosperity hit mid-century, with the 441,000-square-foot Newark palace buzzing: women's couture salons, a fur vault, and a restaurant serving elegant teas. Employees, many lifelong, recalled a familial culture; one executive, arriving in 1977, found "people who'd worked there 40 years... welcoming from day one."

Yet, seismic shifts loomed. Post-World War II suburbanization siphoned shoppers to malls; television and discount chains eroded appeal. The 1967 riots ravaged downtown, accelerating "white flight" and vacancy. By 1986, amid corporate upheaval, Hahne's announced closure of its Newark flagship and headquarters; the May Company, post-acquisition, shuttered it in 1987. The once-vibrant atrium echoed with silence for 26 years, its ornate plaster crumbling into an eyesore.

Revival dawned in 2013, when Prudential Financial, L+M Development Partners, Goldman Sachs, and Rutgers University forged a $143 million public-private pact. Historic preservationists Beyer Blinder Belle and Inglese Architecture spearheaded adaptive reuse, approved by the National Register of Historic Places (listed 1994) and local commissions. The 2017 reopening birthed a mixed-use beacon: 160 apartments (64 affordable) across upper floors and a new nine-story addition; ground-level Whole Foods (Newark's first), Petco, CityMD, Barnes & Noble Rutgers bookstore, and Marcus Samuelsson's restaurant. Rutgers' arts collaborative animates the restored Grand Court, its skylight gleaming anew.

Today, Hahne's symbolizes Newark's renaissance, bridging immigrant ambition with urban renewal. As Mayor Ras Baraka noted at the ribbon-cutting, it "marries the grandeur of our past with the possibilities of our future," evoking grandparents' shopping sprees while fostering diverse dreams. From toy shop to thriving hub, Hahne & Company's spirit endures, proving history's power to retail tomorrow.