R. H. Stearns and Company

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R. H. Stearns & Company, usually called Stearns, was a Boston department store that served the upper-middle market. It was founded in 1847 by Richard H. Stearns as a small shop at 369 Washington Street selling yard goods, whalebone, and thread. Over the next 25 years the business moved but stayed in the same general area while expanding its offerings.

In 1885 Stearns bought the Boston Masonic Temple site at the corner of Tremont Street and Temple Place and began a major remodel. The new store opened on June 2, 1886, occupying the basement and the first two floors, with the upper floors rented to small businesses. It was well lit by electric light and featured an ash interior, cherry counters, and a Lamson cash railway. The inventory grew beyond fabrics to include fans, stationery, laces, dress trimmings, corsets, shawls, infants’ clothing, upholstery, linens, and other goods. The Tremont Street location placed Stearns in the city’s main retail district, across from the Park Street subway and convenient to streetcars on Tremont Street and Temple Place.

In 1908 Stearns tore down the old building and built a new eleven-story flagship on Tremont Street, designed by Parker, Thomas & Rice. The R. H. Stearns Building opened in 1909 and became the store’s dominant address.

Like many department stores, Stearns faced tougher times in the mid-1970s. Lacking the financial backing of larger national chains such as Filene’s (owned by Federated) and Jordan Marsh (owned by Allied Stores), Stearns could not keep up. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on March 28, 1977. The Tremont Street flagship closed on May 28, 1977, followed by the closures of its suburban stores over the next three months; the last location, South Shore Plaza, closed on September 1, 1977.