Lord & Taylor

Lord & Taylor is an American brand founded by Samuel Lord in 1826. Once known for its department stores, the company operated 86 brick-and-mortar stores at its peak as a retailer in the 2000s, including its flagship store in Midtown Manhattan from 1914 until 2019.

The brand has been owned by several companies, including Associated Dry Goods from 1916–1986, The May Department Stores Company from 1986–2005, Hudson's Bay Company from 2008–2019, and Le Tote from 2019–2021. Founded in 1826, the retail chain declared bankruptcy in 2020, ceasing operations in 2021. The intellectual property was sold to the Saadia Group, which attempted to relaunch the brand as a web store. Saadia went into default in March 2024, and the intellectual property was acquired by Regal Brands Global that September.

English-born Samuel Lord started a dry goods business in New York City in 1824 and opened the original store that would become Lord & Taylor in 1826, on Catherine Street in what is now Two Bridges, Manhattan. The shop stocked hosiery, misses' wear, and cashmere shawls. His wife's cousin, George Washington Taylor, joined in 1834, and the store was named Lord & Taylor. The store continued to grow: it annexed 49 Catherine Street in 1832 and moved six years later to 61–63 Catherine Street. James S. Taylor, Lord's brother-in-law, replaced George Taylor in 1845. The company erected a new building at Grand and Chrystie Streets in 1853 and moved into that location the following year. Lord later named his son John T. Lord and his employee John S. Lyle as partners in the enterprise.

On August 29, 1859, Lord & Taylor opened a second store on Broadway at Grand Street in the modern-day SoHo neighborhood, keeping the older store open. The new store was described as a "five-story marble emporium" and was among Broadway's first major new department stores since the A.T. Stewart building at 280 Broadway was completed in 1846. At the same time, Lord & Taylor started participating in wholesaling. Lord retired in 1862. Samuel Lord Jr. and George Washington Taylor Lord succeeded the original partners in leading the company.

In 1870, the Broadway store moved uptown to a new cast-iron building at Broadway and 20th Street, in the area known as the "Ladies' Mile". This store was designed by James H. Giles and included one of the first steam-powered passenger elevators. The new store expanded around 1890 by annexing a building to the east. Lord & Taylor faced economic troubles after the Panic of 1873, though the original partners gave the company "a large loan" in 1879. By 1894, the company was fast-growing and would open stores on Fifth Avenue in 1903 and 1906. The downtown store continued to function, expanded through to Forsyth Street and advertised until at least 1887 as a new building. Samuel Lord's estate sold the Grand Street store in 1901.

The Lord & Taylor Building, the Starrett & van Vleck-designed Fifth Avenue store opened between 38th and 39th streets on February 24, 1914. It touted many modern improvements, including an electric delivery vehicle garage; elevator and hidden conveyor systems for moving goods, people, showcases, and trash, and for loading and unloading trucks; and an on-site electrical generation and heating system. The Broadway store was quickly sold after the new store opened on March 26. The new store became a New York City Landmark on October 30, 2007.

Lord & Taylor announced in November 1915 that it would sell off its wholesale business.

A founding unit of Associated Dry Goods, Lord & Taylor was considered to be its crown jewel.