Spiegel, Cahn & Co., Spiegel & Co.
Life Span: 1874-TBD
Location: Wabash avenue, between Adams and Jackson
Architect: TBD
- Lakeside Annual Directory of the City of Chicago, 1874
Spiegel & Cahn. (Joseph Spiegel and Joseph I. Cahn) furniture 222 Wabash av.
Lakeside Annual Directory of the City of Chicago, 1876
Spiegel & Cahn. (Joseph Spiegel and Joseph I. Cahn) furniture 251 Wabash av.
Lakeside Annual Directory of the City of Chicago, 1880
Spiegel & Co. (Joseph Spiegel and Joseph Liebenstein) furniture 251 Wabash av.
Lakeside Annual Directory of the City of Chicago, 1884
Spiegel & Co. (Joseph Spiegel and Joseph Liebenstein) furniture 251 Wabash av.
Lakeside Business Directory of the City of Chicago, 1899
Spiegel’s House Furnishing Co State and Congress sts and Ashland av and 48th
Lakeside Annual Directory of the City of Chicago, 1904
Spiegel’s House Furnishing Co Joseph Spiegel pres; Modie J Spiegel treas; Sidney Spiegel sec 182 to 186 Wabash av, Ashland av and 48th and 9133 and 9135 Commercial av
Lakeside Business Directory of the City of Chicago, 1907
Spiegel’s House Furnishing Co 182-184-186 Wabash av. and Ashland av and 48th. 58 to 64 W. Madison. 9133 Commercial av and Armitage and Milwaukee av
Lakeside Business Directory of the City of Chicago, 1911
Spiegel’s House Furnishing Co Joseph Spiegel pres; Modie J Spiegel treas; Sidney M Spiegel sec 125-127-129 S Wabash av. and Ashland av and 48th, 9133 and 9135 Commercial av and 2023-2031 Milwaukee av
Chicago Tribune, September 9, 1875
Spiegel & Cahn
The extensive furniture warerooms of Spiegel & Cahn, No. 251 Wabash avenue, between Adams and Jackson streets, are among the largest and most completely stocked warerooms of the Great West. They occupy a spacious four-story and basement building filled with goods and articles appertaining to their business, such as parlor, chamber, library, and drawing-room furniture, manufactured in the best style and handsomest patterns, from the finest and choicest foreign and domestic woods. In addition thereto they make a specialty of beautifully inlaid tables and stands, music portfolios, easels, pedestals. jardinieres, card-receivers, foot-rests, and fancy chairs, which they are selling largely at the lowest market prices. In manufacturing and handling their wares, Messrs. Spiegel & Cahn employ over sixty hands constantly. A visit to and inspection of their rooms and wares will be found both interesting and profitable, as the utmost courtesy is exercised in exhibiting the goods.
Chicago Tribune, June 2, 1877
SPIEGEL & CAHN.
This firm of fine furniture manufacturers and dealers have been long established on Wabash avenue. The originality, beauty, and durability of their goods has led up to a continually increasing business. Messrs. Spiegel & Cahn are now in commodious and convenient at Nos. 251 and 253 Wabash avenue, where they carry a remarkably large and artistic stock of furniture of all kinds. A particular feature of their business is the making of furniture to order from original desiges, which they prepare when desired. This is a branch of true art and Spiegel & Cahn are among the most worthy exponents. We know that they have furnished many of Chicago’s best residences, as well as elegant cottage and other homes throughout the Northwest, and we commend the firm in question to all who are seeking for beautiful and substantial furniture at honorable prices.
Chicago Tribune, December 23, 1877
CHICAGO AHEAD.
We are pleased to inform the citizens of Chicago and the Northwest that after a spirited competition between New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Chicago, the contract for furnishing the elegant house just finished in Washington. D.C. for the Hon. Senator Windom, has been awarded to the enterprising firm of Messrs. Spiegel & Cahn, 251 and 253 Wabash avenue, again scoring one for Chicago..
The Commercial Advertiser, March 21, 1878
This branch of business enterprise has been rapidly developed in our city within a few years and Chicago is to-day one of the most prominent centres of the furniture trade in the country. The same agencies that have tended to build up and expand other lines of traffic—our unequaled geographical position, grand commercial advantages and splendid transportation facilities—have operated to render the great metropolis of the West the chief distributing point for the vast region regarded as tributary to Chicago in the wholesale furniture trade, until the business has assumed colossal proportions already amounting to millions of dollars annually, with a steady increase in volume.
A representative and leading house In this line is that of Messrs. Spiegel & Co. whose elegant and commodious warerooms are located at Nos 251 and 253 Wabash Avenue where they occupy four floors and basement. The basement is used for storage and miscellaneous purposes. The first floor is devoted to offices and salesroom of dining room and library furniture. The second floor is used for parlor and chamber sets of the finest description in many designs and styles; also for fancy cabinet work. The third and fourth floors are devoted to the storage of duplicate stock, and varnishing and upholstering departments. All in all they have one of the finest and most complete stocks of furniture in the city, and make a special business of supplying the trade throughout the Western country at prices consistent with the times. The business of the house was established in 1874 under the title of Spiegel, Cahn & Co., but on January 1st, 1878, Mr Cahn withdrew from the firm, which continued business under the present title ot Spiegel & Co. They have a constantly increasing trade in all sections of the West and Northwest, many parties formerly making their purchases in the Eastern market now placing their orders wholly in Chicago, to their manifest advantage, as they have concluded that they can do so on the most favorable terms and at manufacturers’ lowest prices; while they also save materially in freight expenses. Their stock presents in it details many features of superior excellence, which entitle it to the consideration of buyers, and fully maintain their past reputation for good workmanship and material. It is the existence of such vast and substantial houses that gives Chicago the honorable position she occupies.
Inter Ocean, September 15, 1892
The sheriff took possesion yesterday of the furniture store of Spegel & Co., at No. 249 State street fa executions aggregating over $100,000. To firm is one of the oldest in Chicago and is composed of Joseph Spiegel, Alexander Bergman and Albert Liebenstein.
The first indication of the failure yesterday was evidenced in the Superior Court when the firm confessed judgment in favor of the following parties for the amounts given:
Lena Liebenstein, $19,957.87; Fannie Cole, $2,545.67; Theresa Liebenstein, $5,267.30; Dora Liebenstein, $8,361.41: Herman Schaffner & Co., $39,610; Ella Fox, $4,146.67; M. Greenebaum’s Sons, $2,440: Willam Phillipson, $3,037.60; Levi Fox, $5,073.50; Charles Liebenstein, $767.56, and the Phillipson Decorative Company for $3,562.87. The judgments are based on promisary notes executed Sept. 13, 1892, and payable on demand. Executions were immediately taken out and the sheriff made a levy on the entire stock.
Attorney Isaac Mayer, whose firm represents Spiegel & Co., made the following statement concerning the failure:
- The firm was originally organized in Chicago in 1863, comprising Joseph Spiegel and Henry Liebenstein. The firm lost all their property in the great fire ot 1871. Shortiy thereafter they resumed business with Spiegel at the head of the firm and Joseph Liebenstein as successor to Henry Liebenstein. This new firm continued in business until 1883, when Joseph Liebenstein died and his Bon Albert succeeded him. In 1890 Alexander Bergman was admitted to the firin, and by these parties the business has been continued up to the present time.
During the last two years the business of firm has been dull and especially so the present season. Owing to a decline in business the firm has made comparatively small purchases, so that at present its merchandise liability will not excued $35,000 or $40,000. That amount is owing to parties throughout the United States and in small amounts not exceeding $3,000.
Mr. Joseph Spiegel has been well known in Chicago for twenty-seven years, both socially and in the business world. He has been prominently identified with nearly every charitable organization in the city. The judgments entered against the firm are with few exceptions in favor of poor people who have intrusted their all to the firm’s keeping. So as to make no distinction between those parties it was arranged that all judgments should be entered at once and a levy made upon all the assets, thereby providing for an equal distribution among the judgment credi-tors.
Concerning the financial condition of the firm, Mr. Mayer said the liabilities will not exceed $150,000. The assets, he thought, were worth about $200,000. It was the intention of the firm to resume business with the assistance of the creditors, and an arrangement to that effect will be made if possible. The parties securing the judgments comprise over two-thirds of the creditors.
Mr. Spiegel stated that his firm had been in business on State street for over six years. When they first rented the premises the lease called for $9,000 annual rental. It was gradually raised until in anticipation of the World’s Fair, the rental was fixed at
517,500 a year. This heavy expense, he said, added to the destruction of the business.
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