The Story of Historic Kingston

The Story of Historic Kingston. Then and Now. , Wall Street Became the Main Retail Street thanks to the efforts of Joseph Smith, who arrived in Kingston in 1826 and surmised that the growing city needed more commercial buildings among the old stone houses and wooden structures. The following year, he purchased the land needed to extend Wall Street to North Front Street. Smith erected three buildings near North Front Street circa 1830. Wall Street’s future as the epicenter of Uptown retail had begun., At first, every business was a mom-and-pop shop. Many entrepreneurs relied upon horse-drawn carts, ubiquitous at the turn of the century, used by peddlers who could afford one and store owners who offered delivery services. Despite being successful for decades, many of these small enterprises are all but forgotten. In the early to mid-20th century, national chains such as Fanny Farmer, Sears, W.T. Grant, J.J. Newberry, J.C. Penney, Montgomery Ward, and Woolworth opened in Uptown. There were large, eye-catching signs, many created by the Modjeska Sign Studio., Herzog’s started as a paint store in Rondout opened by Matthew Herzog in 1909. It then moved to Wall Street and expanded to include wallpaper and framing. In 1917 they moved up the block to the location seen above. By 1959, they sold to 300 regional stores and employed 55 staff. In the 1950s, they purchased the Kingston Lumber Company and created the Kingston Plaza, and in 1971, relocated there., Paris was started by Eastern European immigrants Samuel and Sarah Goldberg in 1923 in a rented storefront on Wall Street selling “ladies’ ready-to-wear.” They later purchased the building and delivered to customers as far as 50 miles away. The family owned the building until the 1980s when Mammoth Mall (now King’s Mall) opened., Wall Street was a two-way thoroughfare and parking was hard to find in Uptown during its heyday. On Friday nights the sidewalks were packed and people spilled into the streets. In the mid-1960s (above) many businesses still had awnings, but by 1974, canopies were installed as part of the Pike Plan and today store signage is much less visible, seen in the inset at top., Excerpted from our 500-page book, The Story of Historic Kingston, featuring 950 images. The book is for sale online and at local shops, including this location. Information about all Blauweiss Media's books, films, exhibitions, presentations, walk, talks, and more can be found on our website (below).