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Hutzler Brothers Company papers

 Collection
Identifier: MS 2746

Abstract

This collection consists of papers concerning the Hutzler Brothers Company of Baltimore, Maryland. The collection consists of Hutzler Brothers Company corporate minutes, 1908-1989, Fixtures Inc. corporate minutes, 1956-71, retirement committee minutes, 1944-1975, and profit-sharing committee minutes, 1960-1967; condensed corporation balance sheets, 1914-1925, and operating statements, 1919-1976; memos and correspondence; employee records, such as training manuals, general rule books, class projects, and a grade book. Also included is a recipe file containing late 20th century recipe cards which were once used by employees working at Hutzler Department store restaurant in Towson.

Dates

  • 1880-1989

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

The reproduction of materials in this collection may be subject to copyright restrictions. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine and satisfy copyright clearances or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections. For more information visit the MCHC’s Rights and Permissions page.

Biographical / Historical

The Hutzler Brothers Company department store was founded in 1858 in Baltimore by Moses Hutzler (1800-1889), who came to Maryland from Hagenbach in Bavaria, Germany in 1838. Moses owned his own store on Eutaw Street before opening up a store in 1858 at Howard and Clay Streets for his son, Abram, who at age 23, was not old enough to secure credit.

In 1867, Abram brought his brothers, Charles and David, into the business. David looked after the Howard Street location while Abram and Charles opened a wholesale business on Baltimore Street. After the Civil War, the brothers realized the retail store was more lucrative and expanded the Howard Street location from 1874 to 1887.

As the company expanded, the Hutzler brothers decided they needed to create a new space, leading to the construction of the Palace Building on Howard St. by 1888. Designed by leading Baltimore architects, Edwin Baldwin and Josiah Pennington, this building became the nucleus of a complex that would develop over the next 60 years.

Louis S. Hutzler took over the company in 1901. The company was officially incorporated as the Hutzler Brothers Company in 1908. In 1916, a five-story structure was opened on Saratoga Street, which expanded in 1924 to a ten-story building. Albert Hutzler Sr. took over as President in 1919 followed by Charles G. Hutzler II in 1926. Hutzler’s famous Art Deco structure was added to the original Hutzler Palace in 1932.

By the 1940s Hutzler’s downtown complex was comprised of six stores including parking facilities, an underground tunnel connecting to the Saratoga St. store and offices. After World War II, Hutzler’s kept up with the suburbanization of the Baltimore metropolitan area and developed the Towson store in 1952 at Dulaney Valley and Joppa Road followed by the Eastpoint store in 1956 at Eastern Avenue and North Point Road. In Hutzler's centennial year, 1958, the Westview store opened at the intersection of Baltimore National Pike (Route 40) and the Beltway. Centennial celebration activities went on throughout the year in 1958, a highlight being a Centennial Exposition in late February at the Main (Howard Street) store featuring exhibits and demonstrations.

Suburban expansion continued in 1965 with the Southdale Shopping Center in Glen Burnie. In the 1970s, Hutzler’s started struggling. An Inner Harbor location was opened in 1980 without much success. After looking for outside help, Angelo Arena was brought in as president in 1983 and he reopened the downtown Palace location in 1985.

But Hutzler’s could not adjust to Baltimore’s changing demographics and struggled with high inventory levels and cash flow problems. Starting in 1987, Hutzler’s started closing down each branch. The Towson location was the final store to close in 1990. The company ended quietly, liquidating its assets without declaring bankruptcy.

Extent

5.84 Linear Feet (13 boxes and Oversize folders)

Language of Materials

English

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of the Hutzler Brothers Company, Inc., December 1989.

Related Materials

PP5, Hutzler photograph collection, 1850-1990

MS 2691, Hutzler Brothers Company papers, 1784-1977

Scope and Contents

The Hutzler Brothers Company Papers, Supplement is divided into seven series: Officers and Executives, Employees, Property, Openings/Anniversaries/Expansions, Financial Records, Recipe Files, and Miscellaneous Material.

The Officers and Executives series contains the corporate minutes of the Hutzler Brothers Company. Of particular interest are the articles of incorporation, company by-laws, agreements of trust, and capital expenditure reports. Topics discussed at meetings include the sale and acquisition of property, taxation, employee retirement benefits, and current sale trends. The twelve volumes span 1908 to 1989. Included also in the Officers and Executives series are the retirement committee minutes (1944-1975), profit-sharing committee minutes (1960-1967), Fixtures Inc. Corporate Minutes (1956-1971), and the exhibits presented to the board of directors meeting and the annual meeting of stockholders, both dated May 1983.

The Employees series contains information on individuals, employed between 1927-1985, who participated in training programs designed by Hutzlers for its ambitious employee. The Store Background Course Record Book (1927-1948) includes the course syllabus for each year. Subjects of discussion were history of retailing and the Hutzler Brothers Company; basic principles of business; merchandising; service, operation, and personnel; advertising and promotion; store policies and management; and receiving, marking, and warehousing. The course book also contains student grades, invitations and class photographs of store background dinners, and a blank award certificate for 1940.

The Employee series also contains executive training class projects (1985) completed by employees enrolled in Hutzler's training programs at the Towson, Harford, Security Square, and White Marsh mall stores. Topics focus on Hutzler history, maximizing business, competitive shopping, customer service standards, shortage control and protection of [Hutzler] assets. This series also consists of general rule books, training manuals and guidelines.

The Property series contains contracts and correspondence relating to the construction of a Hutzler building at 226 N. Howard Street. Additional material may be found in oversize folders including a blue print of the North Howard Street Building (1913) and a plan of the lot dimensions for the Hutzler building (1941).

The series entitled Openings/Anniverseries/Expansions consists of newspaper clippings, correspondence, employee notices, invitations, membership cards, notes, public addresses, publicity releases, and programs spanning 19 years of celebrating Hutzler's growth. This material should be used in conjunction with similar material found in MS. 2691.

The Financial Record series includes a check (1880), receipted bills (1881-1905), and condensed corporation trial balance sheets (1914-1925). Also included are two oversize volumes, each containing balance sheets and operating statements spanning from 1919 to 1976.

The Recipe File series contains late 20th century recipe cards once used by employees working at the Hutzler department store restaurant in Towson. The origin of most of the recipes, which were transcribed onto 3 x 5 index cards, is unknown. Occasionally, however, the source was saved and fastened to the index card. In other instances, no index card was prepared and only the original source, often a newspaper or magazine clipping, exists. A cost analysis for preparing a dish and instructions for its presentation are occasionally included, sometimes in place of an actual recipe. Photographs found in the recipe file at the time of its processing have been removed to the Prints and Photographs Division; photocopies of these photographs have been retained with the manuscript collection. The recipe cards have been arranged alphabetically within food types such as appetizers, desserts, meats, vegetables and side dishes, etc. Miscellaneous recipes have also been included.

Awards and Certificates relating to the contribution of Hutzler Brothers Company to the war effort, to the community, and to the field of advertising are located in this last series. Other awards and certificates relating to the family and their store are located in oversize folders. The series also includes memos, correspondence, and miscellaneous related items.

Title
Guide to the Hutzler Brothers Company papers
Status
Under Revision
Author
Jennifer Sharkey
Date
1990-04
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Revision Statements

  • 2020-03-18: Manually entered into ArchivesSpace by Mallory Herberger.

Repository Details

Part of the H. Furlong Baldwin Library Repository

Contact:
H. Furlong Baldwin Library
Maryland Center for History and Culture
610 Park Avenue
Baltimore MD 21201 United States
4106853750