Bullock's

Bullock's was a chain of full-line department stores from 1907 through 1995, headquartered in Los Angeles, growing to operate across California, Arizona and Nevada. Bullock's also operated as many as seven more upscale Bullocks Wilshire specialty department stores across Southern California. Many former Bullock's locations continue to operate today as Macy's.

History

Bullock's was founded in 1907 at Seventh and Broadway in downtown Los Angeles by John G. Bullock, with the support of The Broadway Department Store owner Arthur Letts. In 1923, Bullock and business partner P.G. Winnett bought out Letts' interest after his death and the companies became completely separated. In 1929 Bullock & Winnett opened a luxury branch on Wilshire Boulevard, referred to at the time as Bullock's Wilshire (the apostrophe would later be removed).

In 1944 Bullock's acquired I. Magnin & Co., a venerable San Francisco-based upscale specialty chain.

Starting in 1958, Bullock's built a series of four shopping centers initially called Bullock's Fashion Square, small, elegant, and open-air, with large Bullock's stores dominating, surrounded by only around 20 or 30 much smaller specialty stores, such as I. Magnin, Desmond's, Mandel's and Silverwoods. The total gross buildable area of Bullock's Santa Ana, for example was , versus only for all the other retailers combined. Bullock's Fashion Square in Santa Ana opened in 1958, followed by a Fashion Square for the San Fernando Valley (later "Sherman Oaks Fashion Square") in 1962, a Fashion Square in Torrance (later called "Del Amo Fashion Square") in September 1966 and Fashion Square in La Habra (which uniquely included a Buffum's branch from the beginning) in April 1968.

In 1964 the then public-owned Bullock's/I. Magnin organization was acquired by Federated Department Stores, much to the dismay of surviving founder P.G. Winnett, who publicly lambasted the deal (which was initiated by his own son-in-law, Bullock's President Walter W. Candy Jr.). In the 1970s, to differentiate itself from the full-line Bullock's stores, the very exclusive Wilshire location dropped its apostrophe, and became Bullocks Wilshire, and began its own expansion.

In February 1970, Federated Department Stores replaced its Bullock's Realty Corporation, which owned and managed the Fashion Square malls, with an organization called Transwest Management; "New division will advise retailers", Los Angeles Times, February 15, 1970 p.151. Transwest sold the Torrance (future "Del Amo") Fashion Square in March of that year to new co-owners Great Lakes and Guilford Glazer and Associates, while selling the three other Fashion Squares for $13 million to Urban Investment and Development Company (UIDC), who would sell them in 1973 to Bank of America Realty Investor and Draper and Kramer for $16.3 million.

Bullock's, Bullocks Wilshire, and I. Magnin retained their autonomy under Federated, as well as their "carriage trade" niche, with I. Magnin expanding into the Chicago and Washington, D.C. metropolitan areas and Bullock's opening stores in Phoenix, Las Vegas and Northern California. In 1983 however, Federated shuttered the Bullock's North division and sold most of its locations to Seattle, Washington retailer Nordstrom. In 1988, after an ugly takeover battle between Robert Campeau and Macy's for Federated, Bullock's and I. Magnin were sold by Campeau to Macy's as a consolation prize for one billion dollars, which plunged Macy's into debt. The new owners responded by dismantling Bullock's Los Angeles corporate offices, merging Bullocks Wilshire into I. Magnin, and Bullock's into its Macy's South division, sending what had been Federated's most profitable division into a precipitous decline and alienating customers.

The end came quickly for Bullock's after Macy's filed for bankruptcy protection in 1992, with the Bullocks Wilshire stores being renamed I. Magnin two years before. Underperforming I. Magnin and Bullock's locations were closed, and I. Magnin itself was dissolved in January 1995 once Federated Department Stores reappeared on the scene and acquired Macy's. In 1996—following the acquisition of Broadway Stores, Inc.—Federated consolidated all its traditional department-store business in California under the Macy's nameplate, ending 89 years of Bullock's.

Luxury market Although the Bullocks Wilshire stores were deemed the most exclusive, the full-line Bullock's stores offered upscale designers such as Giorgio Armani, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Missoni, Krizia, Stephen Sprouse, Valentino, Salvatore Ferragamo, Byblos, Hugo Boss, Gieves & Hawkes, and Robert Graham. Under Federated, the 22 Bullock's stores offered consistent assortments in each location, a key to the company's profit and success (exceptions were the Lakewood, West Covina, Carlsbad and Grossmont, California, locations.) Under the corporate oversight of Macy's South in Atlanta, the 22 Bullock's stores were divided into three competing regions: merchant offices with extremely limited control were established in Santa Ana, Sherman Oaks and the existing 800 South Hope Street building. Macy's, now under tremendous debt, national economic issues and having alienated customers with swift and usually reactive changes to the Bullock's brand, focused and relied on South Coast Plaza, Sherman Oaks and Beverly Center to retain an upscale clientele.

Store list Only full line Bullock's division stores. Note: "Closing" refers to store closing date as Bullock's or Macy's. No. Name Address/Mall Opened(M/D/YYYY) Closed*(M/D/YYYY) Building Current Use Notes 01 Downtown / Bullock's complex Broadway, 7th, and Hill Street, Downtown Los Angeles (freestanding) 3/4/1907 6/26/1983 St. Vincent Jewelry Center 1907 (at opening) at 641 S. Broadway. Added more buildings over time: 1912: 10-story brick and concrete structure by Morgan & Walls with an almost identical (to the first building) brick and terra cotta facade. Adjacent to the north at 639 S. Broadway. 1917, 1919 expanded to 460,000 sq. ft. 1923-28 Added 400,000 sq. ft. via three more additions and purchase of two adjacent buildings. 1934: Added Store for Men on Hill Street, its last large-scale enlargement; built bridge over Saint Vincent's Court. at closing."Bullock's Department Store #1, Downtown, Los Angeles, CA (1906-1907)", PCAD Wilshire 3050 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles (freestanding) 9/24/1929 4/13/1993 (as BW flagship) Southwestern Law School became "Bullocks Wilshire"(separate division) ca. 1972, then rebranded I. Magnin along with all other BW branchesPalm SpringsResort Store November 1930 Razed to make way for the Desert Inn Fashion Plaza, which was in turn razed in 2013. This was a Spanish Colonial-style "resort store" within the Desert Inn complex, replaced by a full Bullock's branch in 1947."Bullock's New Palm Springs Shop Cheerful", Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov 1930, p. 40 (part II, p. 20) Westwood Collegienne 1002 Westwood Boulevard 5/14/1932"Westwood Shop Opens Tomorrow", Los Angeles Times, 13 May 1932, p.28 Replaced by full-line store 1951 Vacant (previously Sur La Table) This was a specialist "Collegienne" store designed in Spanish Colonial style by Parkinson & Parkinson and built by Janss Investment Corporation at a cost reported variously as $150,000 and $185,000.“Bullock’s opens branch”, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 1933, section V page 3 03 Pasadena 402 South Lake Avenue (freestanding) 9/19/1947 - Macy's Architects Wurdeman & BecketPalm Springs (full branch) 151 South Palm Canyon DrivePalm Springs Telephone Directory January 1964 10/18/47 Razed to make way for The Mercado and a new Saks Fifth Avenue. Modernist building, replaced the Desert Inn "resort shop". Became a Bullocks Wilshire branch in the 1960s. Architects Wurdeman & Becket. 04 Westwood 10861 Weyburn (SE corner Westwood and Weyburn), L.A. (freestanding) 9/5/1951 Target Replaced "Westwood Collegienne" store; architect Welton Becket. Was a Macy's from 1996 to 1999. 07 Santa Ana Santa Ana Fashion Square 9/17/1958 - Macy's This was the first of four Bullock's Fashion Square centers. Architects Pereira & Luckman. Mall was built out extensively and is now called MainPlace. 09 San Fernando/ Valley/Sherman Oaks Sherman Oaks Fashion Square 4/30/1962 - Macy's 10 Lakewood Lakewood Center 4/26/1965 1993 Razed Razed 1995, now site of The Home Depot and a supermarket 12 Del Amo Del Amo Fashion Square, Torrance 9/12/1966 - Macy's (Main) 15 La Habra La Habra Fashion Square, razed, now site of La Habra Market Place strip mall 8/12/1968 1992 Razed Razed in late 1990s 17 Northridge Northridge Fashion Center 9/10/1971 Macy's Store was rebuilt new after 1994 Northridge earthquake 18 South Coast Plaza South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, California 9/26/1973 - Macy's 19 Mission Valley Mission Valley Center, San Diego 2/19/1975 - Macy's Home & Furniture 20 West Covina Plaza West Covina 9/25/1975 2008, Macy's consolidated into former Robinsons-May store Razed Razed in 2008, now site of Best Buy. 150,000 sq.ft. Welton Becket & Assoc., architects 21 Century City Century Square, later Century City Shopping Center, now Westfield Century City 9/9/1976 - Nordstrom (formerly Macy's) 22 Scottsdale Scottsdale Fashion Square 1/31/1977 1996 part of Dillard's 23 Chris-Town Chris-Town Mall, Phoenix November 1987 (closed) Razed to make way for Target. 24 Mission Viejo Mission Viejo Mall 3/3/1980 - Macy's 25 Carlsbad Plaza Camino Real (and other names), now The Shoppes at Carlsbad 10/2/80 Macy's Men's, Home & Furniture 26 Las Vegas Fashion Show Mall 2/14/1981 Macy's 27 Beverly Center Beverly Center, Los Angeles 4/4/1982 - Macy's 28 Manhattan Beach Manhattan Village 4/4/1982 - Macy's 29 Thousand Oaks The Oaks 8/4/1983 - Macy's Men's, Home & Children's 30 Grossmont Grossmont Center, La Mesa 9/15/1983 1993 Target 31 Palm Desert Palm Desert Town Center 11/3/1983 2006, Macy's moved into former Robinsons-May store Partially razed Razed above ground, underground level is part of Macy's Furniture Store 32 Citicorp Plaza Seventh Market Place, now FIGat7th, Downtown Los Angeles 8/4/1986 1996 Gold's Gym (level M1), Target (level M2), Zara (level M3) In this mall, the Robinsons-May became the Macy's, which also later closed as there was a Macy's in nearby Broadway Plaza. 74* Burbank Burbank Town Center 9/2/1992 - Macy's *opened under Macy's ownership, 74 was under Macy's numbering scheme

Selected divisions

Bullocks Wilshire

Bullocks Wilshire was one of the more important divisions of Bullock's, Inc. until it was consolidated into I. Magnin by Macy's in 1989. The division could be traced to the opening of a single luxury branch store of Bullock's in 1929. In 1968, The Bullock's store in Palm Springs (built in 1947) was transferred to the control of Bullock's Wilshire to be its first branch store. Four years later, in 1972, Bullock's Wilshire store was separated from Bullock's as a separate division with its own, president, chairman, buyers and staff with Walter Bergquist, former president of Bullock's, assigned as the division's first president.

I. Magnin

I. Magnin was acquired in 1944 and stores in this division were kept separate from those of Bullock's and the other divisions. Many I. Magnin stores were near the first Bullock's branches and complemented them in such as fashion that Bullock's purposely placed I. Magnin branches in three of the four Fashion Square malls that it built (in addition to inviting Desmond's, Silverwoods and other Fashion businesses not owned by Bullock's). The division lasted until 1994 when Macy's liquidated the brand and converted some of the stores to Macy's stores, selling some to Saks Fifth Avenue, and closing the rest.

Bullock's North