Marx H. Lazarus
Moses Levy built this three-story commercial building after the Great Fire of 1838, which also destroyed Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim Synagogue nearby on Hasell Street, and his family held it as a rental property for sixty years. The upper floors were designed as large open halls that were used by many of Charleston’s social and fraternal clubs, including the Aldine Society, a Jewish men’s social club fostered by KKBE’s Rabbi Barnett Elzas. The ground-floor retail space was occupied by a series of successful businesses.
In 1909 Marx H. Lazarus, an established hardware merchant, bought the building from the Levy family and moved his store here from 267 King Street. A 1912 business guide declared that “in Charleston they say that Lazarus is to hardware what gold is to silver,” and M. H. Lazarus Hardware remained a fixture on this corner for nearly half a century. After the death of Marx Lazarus, Harold Simmons and a partner bought the building and continued operations as M. H. Lazarus Co. The business relocated to Charleston Heights (North Charleston) in 1957.
M. H. Lazarus Co. Hardware, exterior, early 20th century
This photograph of King Street, looking north from the intersection with Hasell Street, was taken between 1910 and 1920. M. H. Lazarus Co. Hardware operated on the corner at 254 King. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Detroit Publishing Company Collection, reproduction number LC-DIG-det-4a24156.
M. H. Lazarus Co. Hardware, interior, early 20th century
From the collections of the South Carolina Historical Society.