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 |