The J. N. Adam & Co. / AM&A's Department Store - Table of Contents
The J. N. Adam &
Co. /
Adam, Meldrum & Anderson department store (AM&A's)
385
Main Street, Buffalo, NY
On this page, below:
| Reprint Buffalo: Lake City in Niagara Land By Richard C. Brown and Bob Watson. USA: Windsor Publications, 1981, p. 252  |
| History Illustrations 396 Main Street - The First AM&A's Building  Caption: Robert Borthwick Adam / Died June 30, 1904 Photo Source: "The Picture Book of Earlier Buffalo," Frank H. Severance, ed. Buffalo Historical Society Publications, Vol. 17 "Robert
B. Adam emigrated from Scotland to Boston in 1857 as a merchandising
apprentice. A decade later, when he was ready to striuke out on his
own, he chose Buffalo and established what would become the Adam,
Meldrum & Anderson department store. Adam was so pleased with his
choice that he urged his brother, James Noble Adam, to come over from
Scotland." -
Source: Buffalo: Lake City in Niagara Land, by Richard C. Brown
and Bob Watson. USA: Windsor Publications, 198, p. 120
 396 Main Street - on west side of Main Street ... Opened 1867  396 Main Street - on west side of Main Street ... Opened 1867 ... The first AM&A's. Now the site the Main Place Mall ... Drawing source: Victorian Buffalo, by Cynthia Van Ness, p. 15  396 Main Street --- 1871 ad in the City of Buffalo Directory  396 Main Street - on west side of Main Street ... 1881 layout ... Plan of AM&A's Stores in the 1883 City of Buffalo Directory |
377 Main
Street - AM&A's Buys J. N. Adam Building J(ohn) N(oble) Adam, Robert's younger brother - owner of the building that AM&A's moved into in 1960 ... Photo source: Buffalo Mayors - The City Hall Portrait Collection Adam built a house at 124 Plymouth Avenue in 1904. it was constructed by John H. Knight and originally cost about $4.000 to build. - Source: Pages 68-69 in Historic Plymouth Avenue in the Kleinhans Neighborhood, by Christopher N. Brown "James N. Adam was born in
Peebles, Scotland, in 1842. He was the son of a Presbyterian minister.
He began a business career in Scotland where he remained until about
1872, when his brother, Robert, owner of a Buffalo department store,
lured him into Western New York.
"He
then worked briefly in New Haven, Connecticut, until he returned to
Buffalo to found J. N. Adam & Co., an economy dry-goods store at
377 Main Street on the east side of Main Street."Adam entered politics when the
Progressive Movement was rising. He was elected mayor for 1906-1910."
-
Source: Second Looks: A Pictorial History of Buffalo and Erie County,
by Scott Eberle and Joseph A. Grande. Donning Co., 1993, p. 169.
 377 Main Street on east side of Main Street ... Will expand and be sold to AM&A's in 1960 ... Facade is identical on Main & Washington Streets ... Green & Wicks ... Source: July 26, 1891 Courier Express   Newspaper account below:  Source: July 26, 1891 Courier Express  East side of Main Street ... "Bond" and buildings to the right were demolished for the M&T Building, constructed 1964-66 ... AM&A's is to the left of Bond  Map of the 10-building complex. Note parking areas © 2003 by Martin Wachadlo |
