Isaac W. Hirsch| Arthur Israel
Isaac W. Hirsch and Arthur Israel chose this site at the northwest corner of Wentworth and King streets for the new location of Hirsch, Israel & Company, which the partners had been operating since 1884. To better display their men’s clothing, hats, and furnishings, Hirsch and Israel bought two lots, demolished existing buildings, and spent more than a year waiting for their “palatial clothing house” to be finished.
The new store opened on January 19, 1897, to great excitement. The thoroughly modern building featured an angled entry topped by an enormous cupola with “Hirsch-Israel Company” emblazoned in a semicircle. Inside, customers found both a grand stairway and an elevator connecting to three stories of shopping and display space lighted by a mix of gas and electric fixtures.
After Isaac Hirsch (1844–1925) retired, management was in the hands of Arthur Israel (ca. 1868–1931) and Samuel Israel. Samuel moved to New York, and in 1919, Arthur Israel liquidated the store’s inventory, sold the building to the Dime Savings Bank of Charleston, and settled into retirement. The bank’s vice president and general manager, J. L. David, was a former King Street retail merchant.
The Hirsch-Israel building has been remodeled many times, but still retains the deep-set corner entrance of its original design.
275 King Street, 1925
The Dime Savings Bank, formerly the location of Hirsch, Israel & Company, dominates the intersection of King and Wentworth streets in this photo. Pinkussohn Cigars, 274 King Street, is visible on the right. Newspaper notice, March 29, 1925. Courtesy of Charleston County Public Library.
Arthur Israel (ca.1868–1931)
From Freudenberg Family Scrapbook by Larry W. Freudenberg, published 2011.