The Jones Store's white enameled seven-story brick building was built near the turn of the century. The store sold groceries, stoves, hardware, blankets, bedding, furniture, yard goods for dresses, shoes, china, coal oil for lamps as well as the usual department store and notions items. Hores-drawn vehicles, early-day automobiles and shoppers fill streets and sidewalks. A policeman in the dark blue uniform and cap of the day seems to be helping direct two young men at the street's intersection. A smaller red brick building at the left side of the postcard (12th and Walnut) is believed to be the original Chambers Building, built by the Chambers estate in 1915. It was enlarged, as originally planned, to 12 fireproof floors in 1923. Today it is know as the Twelfth and Walnut Building. The Jones Store today encircles this building giving Jones a Walnut street entrance. By the 1930s Jones had grown to be the city's largest department store. It has been expanded and refurbished many times. A multimillion-dollar remodeling and expansion project was completed in 1958. Today Jones remains Kansas City's only Downtown department store. There are also seven outlying suburban stores. This includes the newly leased and opened Independence store on 39th Street, east of Independence (formerly Macy's). It opened officially Aug. 7, 1986. The postcard was published in color by Max Bernstein. Mailed Oct. 16, 1916, it was addressed to Mr. M. Schoch of St. Catherine, Mo., and was signed Mamma. Kansas City Times, August 15, 1986.
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