Demolition reveals Palo Alto history
Palo Alto residents in search of Circassian walnut furniture, Wedgeworth stoves, chiffoniers or player pianos in 1914 needed look no further than Easterday Company, a furniture shop on already-bustling University Avenue.
"Satisfied customers at home have brought him large orders from distant points as widely separated as Tahiti and Nevada," Oscar Easterday boasted in an ad in the Daily Palo Alto Times.
Last month, when the walls of the former Walgreens building came tumbling down after it was destroyed by arsonists in July, Palo Alto residents were able to view a long-covered sign for the furniture store that had its doors open at 322 University Ave. from 1913 to 1920.
"It used to be quite common that people would put their advertising on the side of their building," said Karen Holman, director of the Palo Alto History Museum Project. "As communities get more dense and buildings get built next to each other, those signs get covered up."
Rediscovered, the signs are like "little time capsules," she said.
During the recent demolition of the Walgreens building at 310 University Ave., which is still in the final stages of cleanup, crews stumbled upon the old advertisement when taking down the adjacent building.
"It must have been always behind the sheetrock, but nobody knew about it," said Jon Goldman, vice president of Premier Properties, which manages the burned-down building.
The University Avenue store was Easterday's second Palo Alto location. A 1919 ad proclaimed Easterday's experience of "14 years in Palo Alto," though the University Avenue shop opened on Tuesday, July 18, 1913.
Easterday was a native of Lincoln, Neb., who "traveled over the entire coast from Seattle to San Diego and then chose Palo Alto in competition with all other places," according to his advertisements in the Palo Alto Times.
At that time, Palo Alto was a rapidly growing city, having just been incorporated in 1894, Palo Alto City Historian Steve Staiger said. "In the sophistication of its commercial district, Palo Alto was mature beyond its years," he said.
Professors coming to the new Stanford University, handfuls of retirees drawn to California and an increasing number of students might have purchased Easterday's wares, Staiger said. Today the city "really isn't a college town, but in the beginning Palo Alto had that feel," he said.
In 1914, Easterday offered discounts on walnut furniture, tents and camping stoves. "We never had a bigger or better stock of Birds Eye Maple, Circassian Walnut and other kinds of beds, dressers, chiffoniers, dressing tables and Ladies' Desks," a holiday sale promotion read in December 1914.
Four years later, the Wiley B. Allen Company announced a new partnership with Easterday to sell its pianos and player pianos.
"Call in Saturday afternoon and enjoy a demonstration of the wonderful Euphona Player," a June 1918 ad urged readers.
But only a year later, Easterday was replaced by The Economy Store,
offering "real money saving opportunities."
The new discount shop advertised reduced prices on items ranging from the new "electric carpet cleaner," to aluminum tea kettles, phonographs, used chairs and even a "beautiful white enameled Iceless refrigerator" on sale for $34.75.
As for Easterday, his historical trail of newspaper clippings and ads in the city's library archives ends by 1920. But the demolition work at least briefly revived his name.
"It's part of our history," Holman said, "these things hidden from our view."
Last edited by James; 10-09-2007 at 10:08 AM.
|
Linear Mode
