The Mohawk (then Hudson) Theater

This post was written by library volunteer Gail Denisoff.

A new theater joined the many entertainment venues in Schenectady in 1904. Originally built for musical theater and vaudeville productions, the Mohawk Theatre was built next to the Fire Department at 10-14 South College Street (now a parking lot between Burger King and Clinton's Ditch). The Mohawk Theatre Hotel and Rathskeller situated in front section of the theater and sharing the same address, housed many employees of the theatre and rathskeller. Described as a typical "Gay Nineties" theater house, it had "decorated ceilings, rococo moldings, gold leaf, crystal chandeliers and rich textured drapes. There were two boxes on either side of the big stage, an orchestra pit, balcony and a wide center aisle with narrow side aisles on the main floor." The theater had a capacity of 900 on the main floor and 1350 seats if the upper gallery was open.

  

1914 Sanborn Insurance map depicting Mohawk Theater and Hotel building at 10-12-14 S. College St.

By the summer of 1909, vaudeville gave way to burlesque, and the Mohawk billed its acts as "musical extravaganzas" to distinguish themselves from the bawdier and more risqué acts that could get a theater shut down. The theater added income when rented out for other uses. One such rental was by Reverend George Lunn, who would later become Schenectady's first socialist mayor. After resigning as the pastor of the First Reformed Church, he began his own non-denominational church called the People's Church. In 1910, he rented space at the Mohawk Theatre for Sunday night services, which he continued even after his election in 1912.

The theater changed managers frequently and continued to rotate between vaudeville, burlesque and stock theater companies. By 1916, the name of the theater changed to the Hudson Theatre thanks to an actor in one of the traveling stock companies who convinced the management at the time that the Hudson was a larger river so would be a more prestigious name. It continued as mainly a burlesque house until 1923 when A. Vedder Magee and some local backers bought the theater at foreclosure. In the fall of 1924, they decided take a chance and offer a season of "decent family entertainment" even though "girlie shows" were the most successful productions at the time. Magee brought The Harry Bond Players stock company to Schenectady after their successful run in Pittsfield, MA. The Bond Players reopened the Hudson Theatre on November 17, 1924, with a week's run of the successful New York City play, "Thank-U". The entire proceeds of the first two performances went to the Schenectady Crippled Children's Fund. 

 

The lighted sign marking the Hudson Theater sits directly below the original Mohawk Theater sign at the top of the building.

 

The new direction of the theater proved successful and soon the theater was showing a profit. Audiences flocked to the Hudson for a variety of plays that changed each week. A favorite was "The Night of January 16^th" by Ayn Rand. Whenever it was performed, a new jury was chosen from the audience to sit in the jury box on stage and render a verdict. A popular thriller was "The Cat and the Canary" and the comedy "The Easy Mark" was also well received. When "Ming Toy" starring Harry Bond as an Asian merchant was performed, the usherettes dressed in Chinese costume and incense permeated the theater for effect.

The Hudson become popular not only with the more affluent members of the community but also with people from all walks of life. Faithful patrons would wait at the stage door after a show for autographs or to congratulate their favorite performers. The audiences felt a bond with the actors, enthusiastically applauding when each entered the stage for the first time during a performance and shows ended with multiple curtain calls. Harry Bond would often appear to thank the audiences and invite them to return for the next production.

The thirteen actors in the stock company worked hard. They learned lines and rehearsed daily from 10AM until noon, always a week ahead of the production in progress. The pit orchestra of about eight musicians practiced cue-ins and any background music. Some of the pit-men preferred dramas so they could play poker in the downstairs dressing rooms between acts. Harry Bond, well liked by his stock company, was encouraging and kind to his actors. One member he brought from Pittsfield as a character actress was Richie Clark Russell. She told Bond that she had misgivings about coming to Schenectady and doubted she would last more than one season. She ended up loving the area, married A. Vedder Magee and stayed until her death in 1971.

Mrs. Richie Magee, actress and wife of A. Vedder Magee, at her Schenectady home in 1960. Photo from the Larry Hart Collection.

 On Saturday night, May 22, 1926, the Bond Players performed "In Love with Love", which was the second to the last production of their second season. Harry Bond came out to thank the audience for their response to the show as well as the whole season and invite them to "Ice Bound" to be performed the following week. The audience was delighted when he announced the company would be back in September for a third season.

Tragedy struck the next afternoon. Harry Bond and Tedd Brackett, one of the actors in the company, were out for Sunday dinner with their wives. They dropped the women off at the Maywood Hotel before dinner at about 1:30 while the men drove off to try out Tedd's new Buick Brougham. Harry was driving when the car stalled on the tracks of the Schenectady Railroad Company at stop 15½ on Schenectady-Albany Road. He was trying to back the car off the tracks when the oncoming trolley crashed into them at approximately 50 miles per hour. Killed instantly, both men were thrown from the vehicle, parts of which were scattered 500 feet down the tracks. It was reported more than 10,000 people flocked to the crash site before the day was out. Tributes poured in from devastated theater patrons as well as public and civic leaders.

Hundreds gathered along the streets as services for Bond, 41, and Brackett, 45, took place two days later at Timeson & Fronk Funeral Chapel near the theater at 15 South Church Street. Tedd Brackett was later buried in his hometown of Cortland, NY, and Harry Bond was cremated. Harry's family sued The Schenectady Railway Company and won, but the decision was overturned on appeal.

While the crash marked the end of the Harry Bond Players, it did not end performances at the Hudson Theatre. A. Vedder Magee asked actress Richie Clark Russell if she would organize a stock company to produce a 1926-27 season. She agreed and her contract stated she had sole charge of the production and would appear in at least three plays a month. Audiences continued to flock to the theater and were treated to shows such as "The Gorilla", a thriller in which a man dressed in a gorilla costume ran up and down the aisles frightening patrons, "Seventh Heaven", "Charlie's Aunt", and Richie Clark Russell's personal favorite, "Smiling Through", a heartwarming story of a civil war veteran. A few of the Harry Bond Players remained with the new company.

Although Richie Clark Russell's company had two successful seasons at the Hudson Theatre, rising production costs forced the company to end its run. The Wilcox Players performed there for part of a season and The Abbey Theatre Irish Players also played briefly but economic uncertainty following the crash of 1929 closed the theater to stage shows for good. In 1934, the theater was leased to the Farash Theater Corporation. The interior was remodeled into a night club with the stage used as a dance floor. A fire of undetermined origin destroyed the theater on December 18, 1934 and it was torn down shortly thereafter.     

Private party held at the remodeled Hudson Theater, Feb. 16, 1934. Photo from the Larry Hart Collection.

Is It Apothecary-Druggist-Pharmacist? A 19th-century Conundrum

 This post was written by library volunteer Robert Baldwin.

The SCHS Library recently received a donation of Henry A. Kertse’s Pharmacy prescription records. The donor asked us if Kertse's was the oldest pharmacy in Schenectady. This may be true as a matter of semantics. Further investigation is needed as late 19th century New York State medical regulations were in transition. The intriguing question is, "when and who were the pioneers in dispensing medicine in Schenectady?" Let us investigate the history of pharmaceutical practices in New York State. 

Believe it or not, regulated dispensing of medicine is relatively young. Apothecary and druggist businesses organized with minimal scrutiny. Prior to 1900, New Yorkers who wanted to establish a "drug store", did so with little or no regulations. Before pharmacies were known as such, druggist/apothecary shops sold drugs and medicines. Often, the owners manufactured their own medicinal concoctions. As innovations in medical science evolved, so did regulations enabling druggists' ability to produce and deliver medicine. According to the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York, the New York State Pharmacist Association was created in 1879. However, it was merely an organization that lobbied to achieve professional recognition. Five years later (1884), Governor Grover Cleveland [1] appointed the first State Board of Pharmacy--a needed regulatory agency. [2] During 1906, a statute was enacted requiring a college degree to obtain a pharmacists license. 

By 1932, college degrees were mandated for those who wished to practice pharmacy. However, this legislative act was rarely enforced. New York City was the exception since the city had stricter guidelines. Two years later, additional laws mandated that only registered pharmacists could dispense poisonous or habit-forming drugs. It took almost three more decades before five-year college-of-pharmacy degrees were required (1960) [3]. Eventually, many universities/colleges offered doctorate degrees. However, doctorate degrees are not currently required to practice pharmacy in New York State. That may change as drug usage and dispensing has become complex.

Before statutes were created and codified by New York State, medicinal and health products were found everywhere. Clark Stanley’s Snake Oil Liniment for arthritis and rheumatism, a product originating from Texas, gained popularity leading to distribution throughout the United States. Peddler's wagons were no longer the source of such medicines. Druggist stores, including Schenectady businesses, began to distribute such items. During the first half of the nineteenth century, the few druggists in Schenectady competed for customers to buy a wide variety of “cure-alls” without prescriptions or doctor's recommendations. One of the earliest known druggists in Schenectady (1835), medical doctor Andrew Truax also competed with other druggist and sold "medicine" that we would consider “quackery” today. As readers would “gander” over advertisements in the Friday, July 18th, 1845 “Schenectady Reflector,” they found: 

The advertisements were never-ending cures for all things. However, the druggist not only sold remedies. Items varied, such as:

• ENGLISH yellow purple top rutabagas 
• Logwood 
• Stationary items 
• Soda and Saratoga Waters 
• Almond Soap 
• Items made of silk 
• Corks for bottles 
• Paints, oils, window putty, turpentine, window glass 
• Lard oil for lamps

Eleven years later, interesting advertisements "in the name of medical science" were on the increase, as shown below from the Schenectady Reflector. Friday, May 30, 1856:

The variety was substantial and it appeared that druggist stores were more like general stores. Who were these druggists? When and where did they operate their businesses in Schenectady?

The earliest record found for Schenectady was a handbill dated May 1831 for "Richard Fuller Druggist and Apothecary" that advertised his wares. (Handbill shown below) This store was located on the south side of State St, adjoining the Canal Bridge. Whole and retail sales included glass, furniture, dyes, woods, lamps, oils, and other sundry goods. Apparently, his business fell into obscurity since we were unable to locate any other documents relating to this enterprise. 

Richard Fuller, Druggist and Apothecary. Hand Bill 1831 [4]

 

Druggist Dr. Andrew Truax (mentioned above), originally operated his store at 117 State St. By 1862, the business relocated at 141 State St. As the street numbers changed in the 1880s, 141 State St was assigned its new number, 261 (remaining there as of 1948). As time passed, the ownership changed. By 1864, Andrew T. Veeder (also a medical doctor) became Truax's business partner. When Truax retired in 1883, junior partner Veeder became sole proprietor. The business listings morphed from Andrew Truax, to A.T. Veeder, to A.T. Veeder & Son; and by 1948, Veeder & Yelverton. The Veeder inventory was extensive. Merchandise included: microscopes, optical goods, ivory and solid silver toilets; and, he even carried a large variety of drugs, medicines and chemicals. I cannot imagine using ivory and solid silver toilets for the dirtiest needs.

David H. Snell, listed both as an apothecary and druggist, operated his store (1841-71) at 147 State St. There was no distinction between the two professional titles at this time. His competitors were very few: Truax (noted above), H. Gnadandorff, Ernest Steinhührer, and Frederick W. Hoffman. Hoffman ran his business for one year. Eventually, Snell's store changed hands and was owned by J. Sharratt Gates (1871-85). Nelson H. Kittle later carried on there (1885-90). In 1888, this address number was assigned 267. Edward Rosa gained ownership (1889-96). J.T.B. Gilmour (1896-97) and John Barron (1897-98) were transient owners. By 1899 and into the 20th century, E.A. Sawyer operated the business at 267 State St [5]. 

Veeder and Yelverton ad [6]

 

David H. Snell, in his early years [7]

 

 

 

Edward Rosa portrait [8]

 

Among the early druggists was Barent I. Mynderse at 97 State St (1841-42); H. Gnadandorff at 91 State St (1860-61) and moved to 107 State St (1862-63), and moved again to 85 State St (1863-66). Thomas Dunlap was at 130 State St (1857-58). A few years passed, A.J. McDonald maintained a druggist shop at 191 State St (1871-77).

Barent I. Mynderse, circa 1835 [9]

Henry C. Van Zandt earned his medical degree at Albany Medical College. Later, he opened a drug store known as VanZandt and Rector (1884-86) which operated at 191 State St. From 1886 to 1894, this business was located in the Central Arcade. The arcade extended from Wall St to the New York Central arcade in the rear of the State St stores. During this period, they were known as VanZandt, Shaffer and Rector. Subsequently. It then was relocated at 455 State St and from 1896 to 1897. Later, John P. Bigelow became the druggist at 455 State.

Dr. Henry C. VanZandt [10]

193 State St was occupied by Dower and Hogeboom 1876-77; and then, by C. Lansing 1878-80. 112 Union St was operated by Edward L. Davis (1881-87). W.T. Hanson and Son/Co. occupied 195 State St (1880-87). Then the street number was reassigned as 335. This druggist remained there (1888-91). By 1891, ownership changed hands with Lyon J. Turnbull continuing there into the twentieth century. 209 State St was owned and maintained by druggist, Ernest Steinhührer (1888-91). As the new educational requirements were enforced, Steinhührer earned his degree and operated as a pharmacist (1891-96). Apparently, Steinhüher retired passing ownership to Rudolph H. Keller operated the store (1896-1930s), however advertised as a druggist even though he did earn a Albany College of Pharmacy degree.

Henry A. Kertse started as a clerk at the age of 15 in Ernest Steinhührer's store (209 State St) until 1886. He decided to follow the profession permanently and earned his Ph.G. degree from the Albany School of Pharmacy, even though it was not required by law [11]. Edward L. Davis, was the druggist at 412 Union St (1888-89). During 1889, Kertse bought the business from Davis (who established it in 1882) [12]. Kertse appears to have been listed as the very first "pharmacist" in Schenectady. His original staff included three subordinates [13]. "In the old days we had to make everything ourselves." Pills, suppositories, infusions, and ointments were made on site. Most interestingly, herbs surpassed all other sales. Kertse eventually succumbed to public demand and offered ice cream sodas. And, a few years later he decided cease focusing on sales of sodas to concentrate on prescription sales [14] By 1960, the antique marble soda apparatus, "THE ARCTIC" still existed under the ownership of Erocle Conti [15]. Today, the building is an eatery, "Canvas, Corks, & Forks", where you can "paint, sip, and eat." 

Kertse's Pharmacy, early 1900s

 

Kertse's Pharmacy building, now Canvas, Corks, and Forks [16]

Arctic Freeze - many drink choices [17]

Kertse's Arctic Freeze soda fountain and Ercole Conti [18]

Eventually, the druggist business became available further up to 790 State St. Ownership turned over four times by the 20th century. First, was George Gertzen (1893-94); second, Roy Webber (1894-96); third, W.K. Wright & Co. (1896-98); and finally, Wells Pharmacy (1899 into the 1900s). Webber was also a graduate of the Albany School of Pharmacy [19].

Without doubt, Henry Kertse was the first licensed "pharmacist" in the city of Schenectady. Prior to his certification, two individuals practiced the dispensing of medicine with qualifications. As earlier mentioned, Andrew Truax and Andrew Veeder were medical doctors; implying they met or exceeded qualifications to "prescribe" medicine. To meet the needs of patients, the quest for more "pharmacists" rapidly increased before 1900.

From 1831 to 1900, there were 35 different druggists and pharmacists. Several druggists operated for one-to-two years. Others were either bought out or became partners of established businesses. Of these, 14 were named as of 1900 (dates of establishment in parenthesis based on City of Schenectady Directories 1841-1900):

• Duryee, George E. 423 State St (1878) 
• Duryee, Harry/Henry B. Jay corner of Franklin (1871-1893 at 191 State St)
• Horstmann Pharmacy, 128 Wall St (1890)
• Keller, R., 209 State St (1896)
• Kertse, H.A., 402 Union St (1889)
• Lyon, J. Trumbull, 335 State St (1891)
• Moore, H.S., 617 State St (1891)
• Netzchmann, J.R. 802 Hamilton St (1897)
• Rector, William, 454 State St (1884)
• Reynolds, C.F., 317 State St (1899)
• Sauter, William, 405 State St (1883-1887 at 211 State St)
• Sawyer, E.A., 267 State St (1899)
• Veeder, A.T. & Son, 261 State St (1883, note he was partner with Dr. Truax earlier)
• Wells' Pharmacy, 790 State St (1899) 

Druggist pioneers of the 1830s made way for growth of the pharmaceutical industry. During the 1830s, there were only three druggists. By the 1890s, 21 different druggists who operated their businesses in Schenectady. Below is a chart that shows the trend of stores peaked in the 1930s with 48 different drugstore operators. The chart does not take into consideration that several vendors operated at multiple locations.

Druggists by Decade [20]

As a postscript to the progression of druggists in history: I lived in Scotia for over 30 years. Memories are recalled about Seth Siskin (Seth's Drug Store on the corner of Fifth St and Vley Rd). Our family, as did many others in the neighborhood, walked to Seth's for our pharmaceutical needs; or stopped in on the way home. A smile and greeted by name, Seth took time not only to explain the medicines, but also asked how we were. Now, the building is a pizzeria.

Footnotes and citations:

1 The 22nd and 24th President of the United States. 
2 "History of PSSNY - Pharmacists Society of the State of New York", https://www.pssny.org/page/History/History-of-PSSNY.htm. 
3 "History of PSSNY - Pharmacists Society of the State of New York", https://www.pssny.org/page/History/History-of-PSSNY.htm.
4 Alonzo Paige Walton Collection, Schenectady County Historical Society.
5 "Daily Union", Schenectady, 2 August 1895.
6 Undated newspaper clipping, Schenectady Businesses Pharmacy file at SCHS.
7 SCHS Veeder 1800s family file.
8 "Daily Union", Schenectady, 2 August 1895.
9 "Samuel Hayden Sexton: 19th Century Schenectady Artist", 1970, by Ona Curran.
10 "The Globe", Schenectady Edition, Saturday 20 August 1900.
11 "Representative Business Men of Schenectady", 1893 indicated that he earned a Ph.G., Pharmacist. 
12 "Daily Union", 2 August 1895.
13 "Union Star", 1959.
14 "Schenectady Gazette", 25 June 1945.
15 "Schenectady Gazette", 28 January 1960.
16 Image from Google.com/maps.
17 "The Daily Gazette", Schenectady, 28 January 1960.
18 Ibid.
19 "Schenectady Daily Union" 2 August 1895.
20 Data is based on physical count of "druggist" business listed in City of Schenectady directories for years from 1841 to 1900; City of Schenectady directories 1900 to 1960 by decade; and, Schenectady city yellow pages 1961 to 2000 by decade.
 

Graubart Jewelers: A Family Tradition in Downtown Schenectady

 This post was written by library volunteer Diane Leone.

Graubart Jewelers was an historic business in downtown Schenectady that operated for over a century (1897-2002), under the guidance of four generations of the Graubart family.

The founder of the business was Samuel Graubart, a Jewish immigrant from Austria who came to the US toward the end of the 19th century. He rented a property on lower State Street and named his business Samuel Graubart Jewelers. He was part of a wave of Jewish immigrants who came to America in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Those who settled in Schenectady often made their living as peddlers or opened modest businesses selling groceries, liquor and clothing. Some of these entrepreneurs saw great success, such as Jonathan Levi, who became a wealthy wholesale grocer, and Russian immigrant Lewis Golub, whose wholesale grocery warehouse, founded in 1908, gave rise to the well-known Price Chopper supermarket chain established by his two sons in 1932. 

When it opened in 1897, the store stood at the corner of Ferry and State Streets. Samuel relocated to 249 State Street about a decade later. In 1910 Samuel was joined by his son, Maurice. They finally moved the business to 166 Jay Street, where it remained for over eighty years until closing in December 2002. In time, the business was renamed Maurice B. Graubart Jewelers. Eventually Maurice and his wife, Anna, brought their two sons, Walter and Hershel, into the family business. Both boys helped out in the store on a part-time basis. Hershel began doing so at age 11, cleaning the counters for his grandfather. Two years later he was working daily after school let out. With the onset of World War II the brothers entered the military, but returned to the business after the conflict ended. Again, the business was renamed; this time to Maurice B. Graubart and Sons.

Walter, the older son by approximately five years, recalled that his grandfather discouraged him from becoming either an attorney or a doctor because they often brought their work home. He recommended instead that his grandson enter the jewelry business. Walter, who ultimately became president of the family business, said, “It’s a happy, happy vocation and I’m glad I chose it.” (1) His brother had a more pressing reason for entering the business. He realized that his love for photography—he was an army photographer in World War II—would not provide him with a comfortable income. As he said, “I wanted to get married and I had to make a living, so I went into the jewelry business.” (2)

Like all businesses, Graubarts must have suffered the effects of the Great Depression. Hershel recalled his father voicing his concern over the store’s finances: “It was early in the 1930s and I remember well my father coming home and saying that this week he had not sold enough to cover payroll.” (3) To make matters worse, in May of 1933 a fire began in Bill Creegan's restaurant at 152 Jay Street, damaged a number of nearby establishments, including Graubart’s at 166 Jay Street, which was then on the corner of an alley. The photograph below indicates that the building was condemned and that Sam and Maurice had a fire sale to dispose of their inventory. The fire may explain why the city directory lists the store as located at 141 Jay Street for 1930 and 1931.

The Graubart family emphasized the importance of contributing to the community, and the store often served as a place for people to get together. Over their long tenure, the proprietors earned the trust of their customers, who often included several generations of the same families. Looking back on the earlier years in the business, when credit was commonly extended:

He [Hershel] recalled a day when a man walked into the store with a pocket watch his grandfather had acquired from Samuel Graubart to use in his job on the railroad. At the time, the railroad worker didn’t have the money to pay for it. Samuel Graubart handed the watch to him anyway and told him to pay for it when he could. (4)

Like their grandfather, Walter and Hershel also extended benefits to customers: “If we knew a customer well enough, if they had a baby, we’d engrave the baby’s name on a sterling baby cup and have it sent to them. We used to do that very often.” (5)

The mid-twentieth century was the heyday of urban shopping. In the WMHT documentary “Remembering Downtown,” Hershel reminisced about the brisk city business during a typical lunch hour before the proliferation of malls:

Lunch hour on Jay Street was fantastic. It was just jammed. The sidewalks were packed, especially when the American Locomotive Company let out for their lunch hour. You could not walk on Jay Street. You were taking your life in your hands when you crossed the street because of the automobile traffic on Jay Street. And many years ago, before my time, there was two-way traffic on Jay Street, if you can imagine that. But the streets were packed all over downtown. People laughed and sang and had a good time while they were shopping. (6)

The photograph below, although depicting an earlier Jay Street than discussed in the documentary, illustrates the hustle and bustle of downtown in previous eras.

For most of its existence Graubarts was located at 166 Jay Street. Named for American patriot John Jay, the thoroughfare grew from a dirt lane around two hundred seventy-five years ago to a commercial venue, blossoming particularly after the Civil War, when the burgeoning city began to expand eastward from its original downtown. Over the decades, Jay Street featured churches, banks, jewelers, funeral parlors, and theaters, among many other establishments.  Among these occupants, Graubarts, with its 105 year run, was a stable presence whose proprietors contributed to the thoroughfare’s welcoming atmosphere. Hershel noted that they handed out lemonade to people when the temperature rose to over 85 degrees. Walter told a Daily Gazette reporter of a long-standing tradition: whenever the street was repaved, most recently during the 1998 overhaul of the Jay Street pedestrian mall, he tossed tiny stones onto the new concrete “so the rocks will glitter in the moonlight.” (7)

 

In 1997, the business reached a milestone that few ever do: it celebrated its one hundredth anniversary. In honor of this occasion, then New York State assemblyman James N. Tedisco wrote Walter and Hershel a congratulatory letter, shown below.  Around this time, the brothers decided to trim their working hours to around two days per week, turning over the daily running of the business to Hershel’s daughter, Sheryll Graubart-Hoffman, who had already been working at the store for a number of years. Five years later Hershel and Walter closed the store, selling most of their inventory to a liquidation specialist.

 

Although Hershel said that the decision was based on their ages and their health, the environment for downtown businesses at the start of the 21st century was not ideal.  Before the creation of the Schenectady County Metroplex Development Authority in 1998, the city had major problems, as reported in the Daily Gazette:

Along with the challenge presented by the physical decay, there was a need to change the mindset of residents and the business community, said John Manning, Metroplex chairman from 1998 to 2004. The city’s population dropped from 91,000 to 61,000 between 1950 and 2000, and much of the downtown business base followed those former residents to the suburbs or otherwise disappeared. (8)

The brothers, although solicited by more than one new mall with the promise of free rent, opted to stay on Jay Street. Their store’s closing at the end of 2002 was significant, not only because of its longevity, but also because it marked the end of an important period in the life of the city’s Jewish-owned businesses. According to Hershel, there was a time when about two-thirds of State Street merchants would shut down during the high holydays of the Jewish faith. Eventually, as Dr. Harvey Strum notes in “Schenectady’s Jewish Immigrants: Acculturation and Preserving History,” these businesses suffered, not only from the growth of suburban malls, but also as a result of the passing of the earlier immigrant population and the attractiveness of the professions for those who previously would have entered the business world.  As the author notes, “The closing of Graubart and Sons Jewelry in 2002, founded in 1897, symbolized the end of Jewish owned small businesses lining downtown.” (9)

While ending this chapter in their lives was a difficult decision for Walter and Hershel, they must have been heartened by the appreciation of their customers, exemplified by a letter from Jane O. Tatge dated Jan. 24, 2003, congratulating Hershel on his retirement:

How many times did we head down Jay Street and find such a warm welcome from you dear people. We really felt like members of your family and always found the help and expertise we needed. You showed such caring concern, whatever work needed to be done. (10)

When the store closed in 2002 Sheryll Graubart-Hoffman had been managing the business without owning it. As she tells it, her father did not want to sell her the store with the drop in customer traffic, the result of a reluctance to travel to the downtown area.  After the closure, Sheryll managed JM Jewelers on Mariaville Road, ultimately purchasing the business in 2007, where her father sometimes helped out.  As she noted in a 2008 Times Union article, most of the customers from the Jay Street store brought their business to her.

It has been over twenty years since Graubart Jewelers shut its doors. Sadly, Walter, who had been suffering with cancer at the time, died in 2003 at the age of 85. Hershel lived a longer life, passing in 2017 at the age of 94. Both were active in the community, as well as in their profession. Walter was a senior member of the NGJA Appraisal Society. He also served in leadership positions in many civic organizations, including as vice-president of the Schenectady Merchants Bureau, and president of B’nai B’rith. Hershel was a certified gemologist, an emeritus member of the American Gem Society, and one-time president of the New York State Jewelers Association.

The Graubart family was proud of their business, and strove to serve their customers and community during their 105 years in downtown Schenectady.

 References:

1) Spagnoli, Victoria R. "Graubart and Sons, Downtown Sch'dy Fixture, to Close." Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY), November 6, 2002, B1. 

2)  de la Rocha, Kelly. "A Sterling Life." Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY), July 15, 2014, A2.

3) "Happy 100th Anniversary." Observations, January 6, 1997, 6-7.

4)  de la Rocha, Kelly. "A Sterling Life."

5) de la Rocha, Kelly. "A Sterling Life."

6)  Remembering Downtown. Aired March 5, 20002, on WMHT. Accessed April 11, 2023. https://www.pbs.org/video/wmht-specials-remembering-downtown/ 

7) Keegan, John, III. "Jay Street Mall Celebrates Revival: Crowds Enjoy Day on Made-over Walkway." Daily Gazette, September 20, 1998, B3.

8) Cropley, John. "'Plex-ing Its Muscles." Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY), October 21, 2018, Front Page.

9) Strum, Harvey, Dr. "Schenectady's Jewish Immigrants: Acculturation and Preserving History." New York History Review (blog). Entry posted September 6, 2017. Accessed April 18, 2023. http://newyorkhistoryreviewarticles.blogspot.com/2017/09/schenectadys-jewish-immigrants.html.

10)  Tatge, Jane O. Letter to Hershel Graubart, January 24, 2003. 2003.125.1. Family Document. Schenectady County Historical Society.

For the complete bibliography for this article, please contact the SCHS Librarian at librarian@schenectadyhistorical.org.