Luckey, Platt & Company Department Store, historic commercial building in New York, United States
The Luckey, Platt & Company Department Store is a five-story structure of gray stone built in Classical Revival style, featuring pilasters, decorated moldings, and ornamental lion heads along the roofline. Located at the corner of Main and Academy streets, the building was completed in 1923 as a modern replacement for earlier structures, incorporating innovations like elevators to serve its multiple retail floors.
The retail enterprise began in 1835 as Crandle & Smith before undergoing name changes, ultimately becoming Luckey, Platt & Company under Edmund Platt's ownership in 1869. The business expanded rapidly, introducing fixed price tags in 1872, installing the city's first elevators in 1882, and by 1901 consolidating several nearby buildings into a unified operation.
The store's name reflects the partnership of two retail pioneers whose business became central to the community's shopping habits for generations. Today, families living in the converted building inhabit a space that once symbolized commerce and gathering for the entire region.
The building is centrally located in downtown Poughkeepsie and is easily walkable, with clear orientation from its prominent corner position at Main and Academy streets. While interior access is limited due to its current use as residential apartments with ground-floor retail, the exterior architectural details are visible from the street.
The furniture annex built in 1910 drew over 15,000 visitors on its opening day, reflecting the exceptional popularity of this department. The building's original architectural details, including the ornamental cornice and lion head sculptures, were carefully preserved during its early 2000s renovation.
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