M. L. Rothschild Building

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Rothschild Building,
Life Span: 1905-Present
Location: SW Corner State and Jackson Streets
Architect: Holabird & Roche, A. S. Alschuler (Annex)

Lakeside Business Directory of the City of Chicago, 1907

Rothschild Maurice L

Lakeside Annual Directory of the City of Chicago, 1911
Rothschild Maurice L clothing 304 S State

Inter Ocean, June 4, 1905

New Building for State Street.
The southwest corner of Jackson boulevard and State street will soon be improved with a fine modern, up to date structure, to be erected for Maurice L. Rothschild from plans prepared by Holabird & Roche. The enterprise deserves more than a passing mention.

The building, at present, will be but seven stories high above the sidewalk, with a basement and subbasement, but the structural steel is designed to admit a skyscraper, which will in the near future rise to the sky line of the highest State street building. The finest material procurable, selected for durability, as well as appearance, will be used.

The Rothschild building will have handsome entrances on State street and Jackson boulevard; the corner being cut off to give a large show window. Granite pilasters and piers, on a granite base, will support rich ornamental entablature and cornice of the modernized Tuscan order, slightly French in detail, givibg such effect as one would expect to find in a Paris or New York store building. From the second story up to the rich cornice with its supporting French consoles a mat glaze white terra cotta will be the material used to express the architecture.

As frequently used in Chicago buildings (and now generally acknowledged as the true expression of the skeleton building’s structural being) tall vertical piers will rise to the cornice itself. Inside the building, on the first floor, is a handsome, well appointed light store, with a floor of encaustic tiles and a beamed ceiling, formed into four large panels. Two large elevators and ample stairs run to the various floors of the building. In the equipment every device and fitting known to be the latest and best will be used. The upper floors will be as well finished as the first floor.

The owner is determined to have a building second to none of its kind. For this reason it has been decided to avoid the usual effect seeming to support the building on plate glass—a style of construction which will soon be obsolete. But two or three buildings of recent construction have adopted the more substantial style of architecture, yet it must be apparent that no matter what be spent above the first story of a building, if it has the appearance of being unsupported, it lacks dignity, and is cheapened in appearance.

That good architecture has, even commercially, a value returnable in dollars and cents, is now recognized by such shrewd business men as John Wannamaker, as exemplified in his New York and Philadelphia stores, and by Marshall Field and others in Chicago, and in the contemplated new Boston store, which will have supporting piers and architectural refinements not thought necessary a few years ago.

The Rothschild building will be a great improvement to Jackson boulevard and State street. If other owners of old, out of date buildings on State street and Jackson boulevard would follow the lead in the improvement there might yet be a fine street in Chicago, which would be worth seeing, and buildings worth owning.

Chicago Tribune, February 13, 1910

There is a wide gap in the career of a man who, beginning as an apprentice boy in a country store, becomes one of the most successful merchants in the nation This is the story of Maurice Rothschild.

He was born at Hohenzollern-Heehingen and had finished the real schule, or high school, when he was 15. He knew it was time for him to get to work. With a boy’s love for adventure, his mind was soon made up to go to America.

“When I reached New York and saw that splendid city, so alive to business, I could not give failure a thought,” says Mr. Rothschild. “I hungered to get into this impelling and surging life. I believed the west would be the easier place to get a start, so I settled at Springfield; Ill. I finally found a job in a dry goods store. My pay was my board and I did extra jobs, such as carrying bundles, to pay for my clothes. I worked so hard and did so much of it that after a time I commenced to look upon work as play.”

At the end of two years Mr. Rothschild moved to Chicago and found work with Rothschild Bros. He worked quite as hard as he did when he was serving his apprenticeship. He opened the store every morning at 7 and was the last to leave at night. At the end of a year he was promoted to the head of the manufacturing establishment. He remained until he understood the business thoroughly and then he opened a place at Seneca, Kas. Without capital, he got Nelson Morris to loan him a little more than $3,000, which he paid back in about a year’s time.

Mr. Rothschild says:

I knew that I was now my own boss, but these opportunities meant fresh responsibilities. The only way I kept from worrying was by working. How about the obstacles? There were none; if there were I was so busy I did not have time to give them a thought. At the end of the first year I had paid back the money I had borrowed and started another store at Sebetha, eighteen miles away. Let me say right here I and plenty of other young men then did what few young men are willing to do nowadays. I was manager of the two stores. When I closed the one at 8 o’clock I drove eighteen miles, often through sleet and blinding rain, so I could look after the other next day.

This work lasted for five years, when Mr. Rothschild saw there were good opportunities to open stores in Minneapolis and St. Paul. He took all the money he had to pay for the leases and fixtures and got A. M. Rothschild to go in with him. They succeeded so well they opened another store in St. Paul.

When A. M. Rothschild & Co. decided to reorganize they called on Maurice Rothschild to help them. He staid with them only until the business was reorganized and then established his fourth large store in Chicago. This has grown until it manufactures for retailers in all parts of the world. Mr. Rothschild feels he has accomplished little. He says:

The game for success is not nearly as difficult as many of us think. It demands chiefly honesty, knowledge of one’s work, nerve, and willingness to work. These obstacles became the rounds by which men reach success that is lasting. The golden rule. ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ counts in business as much as anywhere. We must inspire our employers with confidence if we expect to get It. Success Is like a snowball that is made coming downhill it increases in size the farther it rolls.

Chicago Tribune, June 7, 1909

Chicago Tribune, June 27, 1929

Maurice L. Rothschild, owner of large clothing houses in Chicago, Minneapolis and St. Paul, yesterday announced plans for a $1,500,000 expansion of the store at the south west corner of State and Jackson. Four more floors are to be added to the none story building now standing and a thirteenth story annex is to be erected just south of and adjoining it on land purchased from the Chicago Title and Trust company, trustee for Henry P. Isham and others.

Although David Mayer Jr., vice president and general manager of Maurice L. Rothschild, Inc., would not disclose the price of the twenty-three feet frontage just bought, it is known that the property by the Bedford Shirt company calling for $24,000 net annually has just been cancelled. A rough estimate would show that in the neighborhood of $22,000 a front foot was paid for the lot.

Loop Place for Store.
Mr. Mayer said:

We started with a nine story store fronting only thirty-eight feet on State street. Five or six years later we built a nine story addition fronting forty-seven feet. Now we’ve completely outgrown our quarters and plan adding approximately 85 per cent more floor space in carrying out our $1,500,000 building program.

Start Work in May.
The property just bought, through Albert H. Wetten & Co., is improved with an old four story building on which leases run till next May. Work will then start on the new additions to the Rothschild store. Holabird & Roche designed the original store and Holabird & Roche probably will be architects of the latest additions.

Maurice L. Rothschild, who resides at the Drake, started in business in a one story store in Seneca, Kas., in 1885. Within a couple of years he established a store in Minneapolis. Later he opened a store in St. Paul and then one in Chicago in 1906.

Chicago Tribune, November 23, 1971

The Maurice L. Rothschild & Co. clothing store on State Street will be closed within a month or two as the first action to be taken by the nine-store Chicago chain.

Late last week Rothschild was sold by Botany Industries, Inc., of New York City to Clarence Permut, head of Erie Clothing Co. here. Also sold to Permut by Botany was the Broadstreets, Inc., clothing store, 123 S. State St.

Botany said the 10 stores were sold for cash but terms were not disclosed.

The eight-story Rothschild building at 304 S, State St. at one time contained one of the biggest stores in the Loop. It has, however, been cut back to four selling floors from six. There was no immediate indication of the use to which the State Street store would be put.

Rothschilds said it is leaving the Loop “to concentrate on and channel our efforts to other Rothschild stores.”

Chicago Tribune, January 17, 1973

Clarence Permut, head of several retail apparel firms, and Associated Retail Stores, a chain of women and children apparel stores, have leased three floors of the former Maurice L. Rothschild & Co. store building at the southwest corner of State Street and Jackson Boulevard, it was learned yesterday.

Starting about March 1, the space will be operated jointly as The State Street Store with the men’s furnishings on the first floor and the women’s and children’s apparel on the second and third floors.

Tho Permut is head of Erie Clothing Co., a spokesman for the firm said Erie does not have an interest in The State Street Store. Harold Fine, attorney for Associated Retail Stores, said the fourth floor will be leased at a related commercial operation, perhaps a shoe store.

Meanwhile, officials of John Marshall Law School are planning to sign a lease for the fifth, sixth, and seventh floors of the building. Noble W. Lee, dean, said the three floors would be linked with the school at 315 S. Plymouth Ct. by a pedestrian bridge. If the law school leases the space, it will be able to vacate the building at 321 S. Plymouth Ct. and put up a new 10-story building there, he said.

The apparel store leases were signed with Rothschild Properties, Inc., Roman-Golub & Co. real estate firm, represented the owners.

The building has been vacant since last year when the Maurice L. Rothschild store was closed. Rothschild was purchased by Erie Clothing from Botany Industries in November, 1971.

NOTES:

In 1895, another Rothschild, Abraham M. Rothschild, opened a store on the northeast corner at State and Van Buren streets. Unfortunately, on July 28, 1902, Mr. Rothschild committed suicide at his home on Michigan avenue by shooting; troubles which led to losing control of his business believed to have caused temporary insanity. Maurice L. Rothschild married his widow, Gusta Morris, the daughter of Nelson Morris, the millionaire packer, in 1905.

NOTES:

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