Submitted photos
Montgomery Ward
in Monument Square
in the late 1950s.

LEWISTOWN — Taking a leisurely stroll down the main streets and window shopping was a favorite pastime in Lewistown. Shoppers could walk the length of Market Street to see seasonal displays at every business, from McMeen’s Department Store to Wolf Furniture, plus many others which are now just memories. One window to check out was on Monument Square at Montgomery Ward. The company is long gone, but certainly not forgotten.

The business’ unique building, completed in 1929, is a reminder of commercial life more than 80 years ago. The former retailer has not had a presence in downtown Lewistown for decades, but the department store’s building, located at 3 West Market St. beside the historic Mifflin County Courthouse, continues to be attractive and useful as the home of county agencies and small businesses.

“This building is pretty incredible,” said Mike Buffington, president of MAB Holdings LLC of Lewistown, the property management company that owns the building.

“It was a vacant building rotting away, but as consumer demands changed, it’s been repurposed. Now, a hundred people work in this building.”

Building Noted for Art Deco Style Listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1984, the building is recognized for its unique architecture as well as its significance as an early member of the Montgomery Ward chain of stores.

In the Fall 2013 issue of “Common Ground” magazine, Forest K. Fisher, a volunteer with the Mifflin County Historical Society who also contributed to this story, wrote, “The building is a fine, intact example of the restrained Art Deco style used for a variety of public buildings constructed in the 1920s through the ’40s. The style, spreading into small town America at the time, suggested a community’s sophistication, and presented a modern, up-to-date appearance.”

Art Deco details on the Montgomery Ward building include two-story bay windows and pilasters, a band of glazed terra cotta panels and a female figure holding a torch. The custom sculpture still towers over Monument Square, reminding passersby of what once was.

“The Progress Lighting the Way for Commerce,” a torch-bearing female figure in diaphanous robes, designed for Montgomery Ward by Scottish-American sculptor J. Massey Rhind. Montgomery Ward shortened it to “The Spirit of Progress” in its advertising campaigns. It appeared as a medallion at Ward stores, including the Lewistown store and another one in Stroudsburg. Remembering A Past Retailer Montgomery Ward was founded in Chicago in 1872 and became popular for its “Wish Book” catalog, which grew to 240 pages and 10,000 items. In 1896, Wards encountered its first serious competition when Richard Warren Sears introduced his first general catalog. In 1900, Wards had $8.7 million in total sales, compared to $10 million for Sears. By 1904, Wards had expanded such that it mailed three million catalogs, weighing four pounds each, to customers.

In 1926, the company broke with its mail-order-only tradition and opened its first retail store in Plymouth, Ind. Two years later, it had opened 244 stores. In December 1928, The Sentinel heralded Ward’s intention to establish a major store in Mifflin County, with the headline, “Site is Leased to Montgomery Ward; To Build in 1929.” By 1929, Wards had more than doubled their number of stores to 531 stores, including the Lewistown location.

The property was owned by A. Reed Hayes and, at the time, was occupied by a Weis Store and Lewistown Insurance and Realty Co. Hayes noted in the paper that Wards would receive a five-year lease with the option to renew. Wards planned a two-story structure above a 40-by-150-feet basement.

Hayes also expected to demolish the adjoining brick building, which housed Nickelette Lunch and Russ and Zampelli Shoe Repair, to make room for offices and a storeroom. The newspaper article concluded, “The announcement … brings to an end rumors and counter-rumors of the past six months concerning the establishment of a store here by the Montgomery Ward Co.” Lewistown Carefully Selected The Lewistown location was carefully selected, according to company officials at the time. Wards was targeting Lewistown shoppers as well as those from rural areas to shop in town. A company spokesman told The Sentinel, “… we count the number of automobiles parked in the city on Saturdays or other popular trading days as indicative of the popularity of the city as a trading point for rural customers.

We are coming here because we believe the people of the vicinity prefer to trade in Lewistown.” When the Lewistown store was ready for its grand opening, 18,000 announcements were mailed in anticipation. The local store manager confidently asserted, “If we have the same experience, we have had everywhere else, Lewistown will see the greatest influx of visitors during the next few months that it has ever known.”

The Sentinel headlines trumpeted the Saturday, Oct. 26, 1929, opening: “Thousands at Store Opening.” Crowds mobbed the store opening as shoppers entering from the front of the store could walk to the back and could go to departments in the basement or on the second floor. Directories of goods on display were placed throughout the store. The mezzanine level offered attractive women’s clothing. The basement was filled with tires, hardware, bathroom fixtures and sporting goods.

The newspaper noted, “Stoves played no small part of the basement displays.” Furniture, radios and rugs were “found galore in a pleasing arrangement on the second floor.” Female clerks were “attired nattily” in blue smocks with the letters “MW” on the sleeve. Just days later, the power company formally opened next store. It was identically styled, though not as tall. Law offices were located above the power company and, years later, WMRF Radio would be located there, too. Surviving the Times Wards survived the Great Depression, spurning a merger offer from rival Sears. Wards was remarkably successful in its retail business, “green awning” stores, like the one in Lewistown, dotted hundreds of small towns across the country.

Due to a fire in 1936, Wards closed briefly but the store was renovated, and the 65 employees returned to work. By the end of the 1930s, Wards had become the country’s largest retailer.

After World War II, Wards declined as the company decided to not open any stores with a recession forecasted. Wards showed some signs of a turnaround. Mobil, flush with cash from the recent rise in oil prices, acquired Wards in 1976. Wards operated the Lewistown store until the 1970s, when it closed along with many of its other retail outlets around the country.

In 1985, the company closed its catalog business after 113 years and renovated its remaining stores. It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1997 and eventually closed in 2000 after lower-than-expected sales during the Christmas season. Signs of Wards Remain Shoppers will now find Snowflakes on the Square and the offices of different agencies and organizations. The 25,000-square-foot structure has been completely remodeled, with the exception of the front of the building and original lighting fixtures and stained glass work.

The old Montgomery Ward building and Penn Central Light and Power Co. buildings have also been combined, creating an interesting internal design. The floors of each structure did not align, so a small mezzanine was built to connect them. There’s also a 1929 freight elevator, which is still used today. “It’s still used by tenants to bring supplies and office furniture to the upper floors,” Buffington added. The basement now houses the Mifflin County Railroad Club and Mifflin-Juniata Council for the Arts. “It’s been their home for many years,” Buffington added. He recalled in the 1980s how an out-of-town developer renovated Ward’s former home and the power company space.

“They put in a new elevator, new stairway and a fire-sprinkler system for the offices,” Buffington said. About 10 years ago, Buffington’s company made upgrades to the building, installing solar panels and a new HVAC system. There were also other cosmetic changes. There are offices housed on the right side of the building which are original and were used by the power company as offices.

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