Industry Retail Successor Macy's Ceased operations September 9, 2006 Founded 1911 | Fate Acquired by Macy's Defunct September 9,2006 Founder David May | |
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Products Clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, and housewares. Website Archived official website at the Wayback Machine (archive index) Headquarters St. Louis, Missouri, United States Parent organizations The May Department Stores Company, Macy's Inc. | ||
The Famous-Barr Co. (originally Famous and Barr Co.) was a division of Macy's, Inc. (formerly Federated Department Stores). Headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri in the Railway Exchange Building (St. Louis), it was the flagship store of The May Department Stores Company, which was acquired by Federated on August 30, 2005. On February 1, 2006, it was subsumed into the newly created Macy's Midwest division.
Famous-Barr was created in 1911 through the merger of The William Barr Dry Goods Co. and previously May-owned The Famous Clothing Store. Famous-Barr was the first air conditioned department store in the United States. The store opened in Downtown St. Louis in 1914. In 1991 it took operational control of the L.S. Ayres division in Indiana, and in 1998 took on The Jones Store in Kansas City when May acquired that chain in the aftermath of the Dillard's acquisition of Mercantile Stores Co. Both chains retained their names, but shut down their headquarters.
The Famous-Barr name was retired on September 9, 2006, when Federated converted most of Macy's regional department stores to the Macy's nameplate. The downtown Saint Louis store and headquarters were first shrunk and then closed in summer 2013; the remaining retail employees moved to other stores, while the headquarters staff moved to Earth City.