Townsend & Wall facts for kids

Townsend & Wall, officially known as Townsend, Wyatt and Wall, was a very important department store in downtown St. Joseph, Missouri. This big store was located at 602 Francis Street. It served the community for a long time, from 1866 all the way to 1983. Today, the building is still standing and is used for apartments.

A Building with History

The building where Townsend & Wall was located is quite special. It is listed as a contributing building to the St. Joseph Commerce and Banking Historic District. This means it's an important part of a historic area in St. Joseph. The district itself is on the National Register of Historic Places. This is a special list of places in the United States that are important to history. The building was designed by an architect named Walter Boschen. It has five stories and is a prominent part of the Historic Retail District Felix Street Corridor in St. Joseph's city plan.

The Store's Journey Through Time

The story of this famous store began in 1866. It was founded by a man named John Townsend. He was born in Illinois and started his career working in another store.

Early Beginnings

John Townsend's first store was at 403 Felix Street. It was called Townsend & Lowell. This partnership lasted for two years. In 1868, Lowell retired from the business. The store then moved to 319 Felix Street and changed its name to Townsend & Wood.

New Partners and Growth

As the store grew, John Townsend took on new partners. In 1879, the store became Townsend, Wyatt & Co. This happened when J. Cavan Wyatt and John D. Richardson, Jr. joined the business.

A Big Change and a Fire

In 1890, the store joined with another company called Emery Dry Goods Co. The new, bigger company was named Townsend, Wyatt & Emery Dry Goods Co. They moved to a new location at Sixth and Edmond. However, a sad event happened in September 1893. The store was destroyed by a fire.

The Final Name

J. Cavan Wyatt, one of the partners, passed away in 1911. A few years later, in 1914, the store's name changed one last time. It became Townsend, Wyatt and Wall. This new name included Thomas R. Wall, who had joined the company. The store continued to operate under this name until it closed in 1983.