![]() ![]() But it was no longer a family store, no longer the base that had made Lazarus the most recognized family name in Central Ohio and given family members instant credibility in the tight circles of community power. The store that had carried the family name for nearly 140 years might survive into the 21st century and even beyond. "I went in and talked to Bob, and then I came out and went in to Dad's office and quietly, by myself, burst into tears."įor Char Witkind, seeing the empty office from which her father, Robert Lazarus Sr., had run the store for more than 20 years triggered a cathartic moment of grief and understanding. “All those desks were just sitting there empty,” Witkind says. Bob Lazarus, left behind to handle what remained of the store's community relations, was the only executive on the floor. Federated Department Stores had decided, a few months earlier, to cut costs and consolidate administration by moving the headquarters of the Lazarus division from Columbus to Cincinnati. Ever since she'd roamed the aisles and office corridors of Lazarus in her Columbus School for Girls tunic in the 1920s and ‘30s, Charlotte Lazarus had felt nearly as comfortable in the family store as in her own home.īut this time things were sadly different. When Char Wit kind decided a couple of years ago that she needed to talk with her broth er, Bob Lazarus, she drove Downtown from Bexley, parked her car in a Lazarus garage, walked to the huge store at Town and High streets, rode the escalators to the fifth floor and headed for the executive offices. profiled the rise and fall of the Lazarus family’s mercantile empire. In 1990, Columbus Monthly senior editor Herb Cook Jr. It was established in 1948 and given to deserving graduating senior girls throughout the 1950’s and 60’s.Editor’s note: It’s been 15 years since the iconic Downtown Lazarus store closed its doors for good, though the influence and control of the family that built the beloved institution had already waned by then. His son, Samuel Rosenthal, a 1916 graduate of Manistique High School, established a scholarship fund in memory of his parents. Rosenthal was survived by one son, Samuel, of Chicago and a daughter, Mrs. The sacred relic was used in the first religious service of the Temple Israel synagogue, and was still in use at the time of Rosenthal’s death on September 6, 1943. The Ark held the Torah scrolls and was crafted by a Manistique artisan in 1891. Rosenthal donated the Ark which had been used by the Manistique Jewish community in their religious services. ![]() Rosenthal was one of the founders of the Temple Israel synagogue of Detroit in 1941. While in business in Manistique, Rosenthal was active in civic affairs and a great booster for Manistique and Schoolcraft County. The Rosenthal building later housed the Lauerman Department Store. In February of 1926, he sold the clothing store to Henry Neville and W. Rosenthal married Rachael Blumrosen in a Jewish ceremony in Detroit, Michigan on January 28, 1898.īecoming sole owner of Rosenthal’s Clothing Store in 1899, he remained in business in Manistique for 27 years. He came to Manistique in 1895 and operated a dry goods store for four years under the name of Rosenthal & Blumrosen. Lazarus Rosenthal was born on Novemin Syracuse, New York to Saul and Celia (Rubenstein) Rosenthal. Circa 1904-06 image of Rosenthal’s Clothing Store (last two awnings far right) ![]()
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