I finished yesterday's Julius Shulman post with this 1937 image of S Flower Street from 7th. One business that I didn't name was the Parmelee-Dohrmann Co at 747 S Flower. I can't find any previous mentions on NLA, so here's a bit of history. More information can be found at
thefamilyparmelee.com.
The website above says that brothers Zelotes Larkin Parmelee and Charles Albert Parmelee moved to California in the 1870s, first to Dixon, then to Los Angeles. It also says that their first store was at 210 N Main St, but the first appearance I found in the City Directories is at 110-112 N Main in 1886-7. This store, selling crockery, glass, stone, plated ware and lamps, is listed as Parmelee's Bazar. A year later, gas and oil fixtures have been added to the inventory, and the business name had changed slightly to Parmelee's Bazaar. It looks like the store had expanded to include 108-112 N Main Street. Notice that both of these businesses are only in the name of Zelotes Parmelee. By 1893, his brother, Charles, was added as the company moved to 232-234 S Spring Street.
The first mention of Mr Dohrmann comes in the 1900-1901 CD. It looks like his arrival led to a change in the company's structure. F W Dohrmann is listed as president, Charles Parmelee as vice-president and manager, and another brother, Elbert Russell Parmelee, as company secretary. Zelotes Parmelee seems to have moved a block away to 334 S Spring Street to concentrate on selling gas and electric fixtures. I found the advert below in a 1901 newspaper at the Library of Congress.
Both businesses changed premises again by 1906. The Z L Parmelee Co moved to S Broadway. This advert from the 1906 CD says they were at 749-751 S Broadway, but the alphabetical listing includes a note saying "after Oct 1st at 718-722 S B'way."
The Parmelee-Dohrmann Co also moved to S Broadway. Their new store was at 436-444 S Broadway. The 1906 CD lists their president as A B C Dohrmann (San Francisco), which may explain why Mr Dohrmann doesn't show up in the CDs. Here's an article about Parmelee-Dohrmann's expansion from a 1909 edition of the Los Angeles Herald.
[And here's the store on S Broadway. USC describe it as
"Building exterior--436 South Broadway, Parmelee-Dohrmann, Los Angeles, CA, 1927". The signage, which appears to have been added to the photograph, preempts my next image by advertising the company's move to S Flower Street. According to
thefamilyparmelee.com, Elbert Parmelee died in 1920, and Zelotes Parmelee died in 1926.
Finally, here's a reverse view of the S Flower store seen in my first image. USC date this picture at 1928.
USC Digital Library
This detail view shows Ransohoffs at 729 S Flower and Myer Siegel & Co at 733 S Flower, both mentioned yesterday by
Noircitydame. Abigail Stark's house is also visible with a parking lot either side. My 1937 image at the top of this post shows a four-story building housing the Kizer Business College in the plot next to the Kayser Shoe Company. The building obviously didn't last long as the extant parking garage seen in the 1966 Shulman photos appears to occupy the same space.
The 1934 CD lists "Bullock's Parmelee Dohrmann" at Broadway, Hill and 7th. It's the only mention I can find with the Bullock's name attached. The company is missing from the 1936 and 1938 CDs, but returns as the Parmelee Dohrmann Co at 510 W 7th Street in the 1939 and 1942 CDs. The last listing I found is at the same address in the 1956 CD. From
thefamilyparmelee.com,
"Dohrmann eventually bought the Parmelees out. The Dohrmann Commercial Co. was bought by the Broadway-Hale Corp., became part of Robinsons-May in 1996, and then rebranded as Macy's."