Peck's Department Store
⎯⎯⎯
Le Grand Magasin Peck

Lewiston, Maine

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The Museum in the Streets

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Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), November 11, 2021

1. Peck's Department Store / Le Grand Magasin Peck Marker

Bradford Peck prospered in his Lisbon Street stores. In 1899, he opened the largest department store east of Boston on Main Street. Naysayers predicted bankruptcy, for they believed that customers would not cross Main Street from Lisbon Street to enter. The building was impressive with its terra-cotta arch at the entrance and display windows along two sides. The interior featured beautiful mosaic tiling, an elegant passenger elevator, a pneumatic-tube cash-carrier system, and modern fire protection. "The Great Department Store" occupied all five floors. Its window displays and Christmas decorations were famous; children knew it as the store that hosted Santa Claus. Over the years the elaborate exterior was "modernized." Shopping mall competition forced its closure in 1982.

Pendant longtemps, les magasins de Bradford Peck prospèrant dans la rue Lisbon. En 1899 il ouvre, sur Main Street, le plus grand magasin à l'est Boston. Ses détracteurs lui président une failite rapide car, pour eux, jamais les clients ne traverseront Main Street pour se rendre rue Lisbon. L'entrée de ce somptueux magasin est surplombée

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d'une arche en crépi ocre et les deux façades sont ornées de vitrines. A l'intérieur, un splendide carrelage en mosaïque, un ascenseur très chic pour la clientèle, un système de tube pneumatiques pour le transport de l'argent et une protection incendie dernier cri. Le magasin occupe la totalité des cinq étages. Ses vitrines de Noël sont réputées et les enfants savent qu'on peut y rencontrer le Père Noël. Au fil des années, le décor extérieur se modernise. En 1982, la concurrence des centres commerciaux lui fait fermer ses portes.
 
Erected 2019 by The Museum in the Streets. (Marker Number L3.)
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the The Museum in the Streets: Auburn-Lewiston, Maine series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1899.
 
Location. 44° 5.917′ N, 70° 13.084′ W. Marker is in Lewiston, Maine, in Androscoggin County. It is at the intersection of Lisbon Street (Maine Route 196) and Main Street (U.S. 202), on the right when traveling north on Lisbon Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), November 11, 2021

2. Peck's Department Store / Le Grand Magasin Peck Marker

address: 2 Lisbon St, Lewiston ME 04240, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Northeast and in New England. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Haymarket Square / La Place du Marché des Fourrages (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Lewiston, Maine (about 400 feet away); Chief Justice Armand A. Dufresne Jr. Plaza (about 500 feet away); Music Hall (about 500 feet away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Veterans Memorial Park / Le Parc des Vétérans (approx. 0.2 miles away); Veterans Memorial Park (approx. 0.2 miles away); Gold Star Families Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lewiston.

 

 
Credits. This page was last revised on November 19, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 17, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 1,666 times since then and 116 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on November 17, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.