Sibley's

{{for|the defunct footwear company based in Michigan|Sibley's Shoes}}

{{Infobox company

| name = Sibley, Lindsay & Curr Company

| logo = Sibley's Department Store Final Logo.png

| logo_size = 200px

| type = former subsidiary of :
Associated Dry Goods (1957)
May Department Stores (1986)

| fate = Merged into Kaufmann's

| predecessor =

| successor = Kaufmann's (1990–2006)
Macy's (2006–present)

| foundation = Rochester, New York, United States, {{Start date and age|1868|df=yes}}

| founder = Rufus Sibley
Alexander Lindsay
John Curr

| defunct = {{End date and age|1990|df=yes}}

| key_people = Rufus Sibley
Alexander Lindsay
John Curr

| industry = Dry goods retailing

| products =

| footnotes =

}}

Sibley, Lindsay & Curr Company, known informally as Sibley's, was a Rochester, New York–based department store chain with stores located exclusively in the state of New York. Its flagship store, at 228 East Main Street in downtown Rochester, also housed its headquarters and featured an elegant executive dining room on the top floor.

History

=The Department Store Years=

Rufus Sibley, Alexander Lindsay, and John Curr were employees at the Hogg, Brown & Taylor dry-goods store in Boston. Wishing to go into business for themselves, they investigated potential sites and settled on the growing city of Rochester. Their first storefront, often called "the Boston store" by locals, opened in 1868.{{cite news |first=Bob |last=Marcotte |title=Sibley's had humble beginnings |url=http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20090615/NEWS0204/906150307/-1/COLUMNS/Sibley+s+had+humble+beginnings |work=Democrat and Chronicle |publisher=Gannett Company |location=Rochester, New York |pages=1B, 2B |date=June 15, 2009 |access-date=June 15, 2009}} When the company opened a new 12-story, {{convert|23|acre|ha|0|adj=on}} flagship store in the Granite Building, it was among the five largest department stores in the country at the time.{{cite journal |last=McCally |first=Karen |title=Rochester Goes Shopping: Sibley's and the Rise of 'Consumer Culture' |journal=Rochester History |publisher=Rochester Historical Society |location=Rochester, New York |url=http://www.rochesterhistory.org/documents/sibley_article.pdf |format=PDF |access-date=2009-06-15}}

File:Sibley Building southwest side.jpg

In 1905, after the disastrous 1904 "Sibley fire" gutted the Granite Building and much of Rochester's dry goods district,{{cite news |first=Bob |last=Marcotte |title=Sibley Fire of 1904 unmatched in intensity |url=http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20090629/NEWS0204/906290313/0/rochester/Sibley+Fire+of+1904+unmatched+in+intensity |work=Democrat and Chronicle |publisher=Gannett Company |location=Rochester, New York |pages=1B, 2B |date=June 29, 2009 |access-date=July 14, 2009}} Sibley's moved to its final location, the Sibley Building at the northeast corner of East Main Street and Clinton Avenue.{{cite news |first=Bob |last=Marcotte |title=Sibley's the great was one-of-a-kind store |url=http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20090713/NEWS0204/907130311/-1/COLUMNS/Sibley+s+the+great+was+one-of-a-kind+store |work=Democrat and Chronicle |publisher=Gannett Company |location=Rochester, New York |pages=1B, 2B |date=July 13, 2009 |access-date=July 14, 2009}} By 1939, Sibley's was the largest department store between New York City and Chicago.

With the postwar growth of the suburbs, Sibley's expanded outside the city in 1955 with its first branch location at Eastway Plaza in Penfield. The chain would eventually grow to 15 locations throughout the Rochester and Buffalo region. The company was acquired by the Associated Dry Goods Corporation in 1957.

In 1962, competitors B. Forman Co. and McCurdy's collaborated to construct Midtown Plaza, right across Main Street from Sibley's. Sibley's was connected to the new mall by an enclosed third-floor walkway, part of the Rochester Skyway system. In 1969, Sibley's opened a location at 400 S. Salina Street in downtown Syracuse.

The 1980s saw the gradual downsizing of Sibley's. In 1980, the entire fifth floor of the store was cleared out and leased to General Motors Rochester Products Division for use as offices. The in-store bakery closed in 1980, followed by the grocery store in 1981.{{cite web| url=https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/money/business/2022/04/18/sibleys-prestigious-department-store-rochester-ny/7228652001/|title=Memories of Sibley's remain strong in Rochester. Here's a look at its history|access-date=14 December 2023}} The parent company of Sibley's was acquired by May Department Stores in 1986, and by 1988 only three floors of the building were open for shopping. Sibley's downtown Buffalo location closed in 1987,{{cite news|author=|title=How can Rochester spur a downtown turnaround?| journal=Democrat & Chronicle|date=January 15, 1990|page=43}} followed by the Syracuse location in 1989. Management attempted cost-cutting measures, which only served to drive away what few customers were left.

File:Kaufmann's-Sibley's Transition Logo.png

Sibley's downtown Rochester store closed on January 31, 1990,{{cite news|author=| journal=Democrat & Chronicle|title=Employees battle mixed emotions as closing draws near|date=January 28, 1990|page=6}} and its name was merged into May Company's Kaufmann's brand. Most of its suburban locations, after converting to Kaufmann's, became part of Macy's by 2006.

= Monroe Community College – Damon City Campus calls Sibley Building Home =

In 1991{{Cite web|url=https://www.monroecc.edu/etsdbs/pubaff.nsf/MCCFacts/History?OpenDocument|title=History {{!}} About MCC {{!}} Monroe Community College|website=www.monroecc.edu|access-date=2017-10-09}} the State University of New York's Monroe Community College, also known as MCC, opened its second campus at the Sibley Building. The downtown campus continued to operate here until the completion of a new downtown campus in 2017,{{Cite web|url=https://www.monroecc.edu/depts/dccdean/|title=Downtown Campus {{!}} Monroe Community College {{!}} Rochester, NY|website=www.monroecc.edu|language=en-us|access-date=2017-10-09}} which is now located at nearby Kodak Tower, the headquarters of the Kodak Company.

Today – Sibley Square

Now under a new name, [http://sibleysquareroc.com Sibley Square],{{Cite web|url=http://sibleysquareroc.com|title=Sibley Square|website=sibleysquareroc.com|language=en-US|access-date=2017-10-09}} the iconic Sibley Building is undergoing a major overhaul, transforming the historic site into a combination of retail, commercial (offices), and upscale residential units. The renovations seek to combine the historic treasure of this architectural space while also creating a sleek, modern atmosphere for today's standards.

= Developer =

The current [http://sibleysquareroc.com Sibley Square] project is being developed by [http://www.winncompanies.com WinnCompanies],{{Cite web|url=http://www.winncompanies.com|title=WinnCompanies|website=www.winncompanies.com|language=en|access-date=2017-10-09}} a Boston, Massachusetts–based award-winning development firm. [http://www.winncompanies.com WinnCompanies] was founded in 1971 by Arthur Winn.{{Cite web|url=http://www.winncompanies.com/history|title=History|website=www.winncompanies.com|language=en|access-date=2017-10-09}}

= Address Change =

The current address of [http://sibleysquareroc.com Sibley Square] is:

[https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sibley+Square/@43.1576732,-77.608213,17z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x89d6b5ab16d1de0b:0x49e823c87d01213b!2s250+E+Main+St,+Rochester,+NY+14604!3b1!8m2!3d43.1576732!4d-77.6060243!3m4!1s0x89d6b5ab9fca3667:0x6b5ea3bb60b94994!8m2!3d43.157673!4d-77.606024 250 East Main Street]