Hutzler photograph collection

The Hutzler Brothers Company department store was founded in 1858 in Baltimore by Moses Hutzler (1800-1889), who came to Maryland from Hagenbach in Bavaria, Germany in 1838. Moses owned his own store on Eutaw Street before opening up a store in 1858 at Howard and Clay Streets for his son, Abram, who at age 23, was not old enough to secure credit.

In 1867, Abram brought his brothers, Charles and David, into the business. David looked after the Howard Street location while Abram and Charles opened a wholesale business on Baltimore Street. After the Civil War, the brothers realized the retail store was more lucrative and expanded the Howard Street location from 1874 to 1887.

As the company expanded, the Hutzler brothers decided they needed to create a new space, leading to the construction of the Palace Building on Howard St. by 1888. Designed by leading Baltimore architects, Edwin Baldwin and Josiah Pennington, this building became the nucleus of a complex that would develop over the next 60 years.

Louis S. Hutzler took over the company in 1901. The company was officially incorporated as the Hutzler Brothers Company in 1908. In 1916, a five-story structure was opened on Saratoga Street, which expanded in 1924 to a ten-story building. Albert Hutzler Sr. took over as President in 1919 followed by Charles G. Hutzler II in 1926. Hutzler’s famous Art Deco structure was added to the original Hutzler Palace in 1932.

By the 1940s Hutzler’s downtown complex was comprised of six stores including parking facilities, an underground tunnel connecting to the Saratoga St. store and offices.

After World War II, Hutzler’s kept up with the suburbanization of the Baltimore metropolitan area and developed the Towson store in 1952 at Dulaney Valley and Joppa Road followed by the Eastpoint store in 1956 at Eastern Avenue and North Point Road. In Hutzler's centennial year, 1958, the Westview store opened at the intersection of Baltimore National Pike (Route 40) and the Beltway. Centennial celebration activities went on throughout the year in 1958, a highlight being a Centennial Exposition in late February at the Main (Howard Street) store featuring exhibits and demonstrations.

Suburban expansion continued in 1965 with the Southdale Shopping Center in Glen Burnie. In the 1970s, Hutzler’s started struggling. An Inner Harbor location was opened in 1980 without much success. After looking for outside help, Angelo Arena was brought in as president in 1983 and he reopened the downtown Palace location in 1985.

But Hutzler’s could not adjust to Baltimore’s changing demographics and struggled with high inventory levels and cash flow problems. Starting in 1987, Hutzler’s started closing down each branch. The Towson location was the final store to close in 1990. The company ended quietly, liquidating its assets without declaring bankruptcy.