Monday, July 21, 2014

George Hacker: first tailor in Ambridge

George Hacker tailor shop
Daily Citizen,
date unknown

In the early 1900s, George Hacker, who advertised that he was the "First Tailor in Ambridge," had a shop at 291 Fourteenth Street, the block between Church and Merchant Streets. His shop window also says "merchant," but I don't know what he sold. I also do not know who the two people are in the photo, as any caption or article which might have identified them wasn't included with the above old Daily Citizen newspaper clipping.

George Hacker, Tailor, ad
Economy Centennial Souvenir Program,
Economy of Old and Ambridge of Today
1924



No building numbered 291 currently exists on Fourteenth Street.

[Update December 17, 2016: I'm going to leave the information on 273 Fourteenth St. below because the photos of the renovations are interesting. But although I never got around to updating this post until today, I learned some time ago that 273 and 291 Fourteenth St. were never the same building.

While some Ambridge buildings were renumbered in 1917, 291 Fourteenth St. wasn't renumbered as 273.

The 1917 Sanborn Insurance map of Ambridge shows 291 Fourteenth St. immediately to the right of a building that still stands, 289 Fourteenth. That map shows 291, identified as a drug store, as a deep building extending from 14th to Boyleston St. Then there's a narrow space, perhaps a walkway, between 291 and the building on the corner, 299 Fourteenth. The 1923 Sanborn map shows 291 as a smaller building, no longer extending to Boyleston, but only as deep as the buildings at 289 and 299.

Both 291 and 299 are gone, and their lots are now a parking lot.]

[Update July 21, 2014: While there is no building currently numbered 291 Fourteenth Street in Ambridge, Gary Gardner pointed out that the facade of 273 Fourteenth Street looks very much like the facade of the tailor shop. I agree. Perhaps the house numbers on Fourteenth Street were changed. If so, that makes doing research on old businesses and homes even more complicated.

273 Fourteenth Street
Google street view
end of update.]

[Update July 22, 2014:

Maria Notarianni submitted this ad which she found in the Good Samaritan Church archives showing George Hacker's tailor shop was once at a different address:

George Hacker, Leading Tailor ad,
Ambridge-Economy Citizen,
December 16, 1904

And Gary Gardner drove to 273 Fourteenth Street yesterday afternoon and found the building is being renovated inside and out by new owner Jim Thornton. This is wonderful!

273 Fourteenth Street, front facade
July 21, 2014
credit: Gary Gardner, used with permission

273 Fourteenth Street, front facade
July 21, 2014
credit: Gary Gardner, used with permission

273 Fourteenth Street, tin ceiling
July 21, 2014
credit: Gary Gardner, used with permission

273 Fourteenth Street, tin ceiling
July 21, 2014
credit: Gary Gardner, used with permission
Thank you Maria and Gary!
end of update]

10 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. I zoomed in on the ad, and I think it does say "291," not "201."

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    2. jd aka john domansky

      the store business showing the hacker tailor shop IS NOT 291 it is 273 14th st.i know i lived there for quite a few yrs, at 293 14th st. i have emailed the hacker grandson & got some info filled in, bud marquette was hackers sisters son, he married a great red head ethel, that has written me after i got her address from cathy rigby, how cool!! bud had 2 sons & 1 girl, she followed in gymnastics, sons died early, knew bud many years at 291 & at hh robertson, we worked there from 1950 to early 54. young & dumb me never took any advise from bud. he was a bout 5'5" or son a dynamo. we had hand walking contests in front of the 2 tailor shops 291 & 293 14th st. bud died a few yrs ago & ethel said her red hair was silver. about 90 yrs old. she was taller than bud, even wore heels at times & bud loved it. we were pals. he took me under his wing.

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  2. Must have been where the parking lot for the Ambridge Chiro. Center is now.

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  3. 1920 census has him at 291. It jumps from 277 to 291. 273 was Macintosh and Johnston families. His wife was Mary and his son Frank and wife Madgalena lived there also.

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  4. I am a great-grand son of George and Marie Hacker. To the best of my knowledge, it is George and Marie in the picture.
    Kenneth G. Hacker
    RevKenHacker@gmail.com

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  5. building storefront (empty then) but lived in, no business was there., is in middle of 14th st opposite 13th st ending, back in the 1940s a greek family of about 5 (karras)?? lived upstairs, a son gregory george 1 more son & a girl, all went to ahs & grad. 40s & 50s, son george was a marine, right across the street lived the Janickis, bernard still holds Duke U rebound record of 35 rebounds 1 game, good friend of mine a 1950 grad, 54 or 55 from duke, went on to be a USSAF major last lived in Calif. jd

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    Replies
    1. above post is mine, jd aka hohn domansky
      i just saw that pic & commented elsewhere too about 273 being the hacker tailor shop. the 291 & 293 addresses are not around today, i know 293 was torn down & is a parking lot. the aug 11 2014 comment states he is the great grandson of the hackers, rev ken hacker, could you please tell me, who lived next to the 293 tailorshop 14 th st were they not the hackers? w a son or grandson named bud marquette?? please reply, i know bud had a son,

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    2. jd aka john domansky the march 14th has some names wrong its notkarras its kostas, all other names are OK tho.

      also wrong on janickis rebounds, believe its 32, still standing after 50 yrs, who says white men can't jump, huh???

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    3. Deb Thornton, again. There are enough differences in the tailor shop photo and the storefront we uncovered, that this may not be the same address as what is now 273 14th. The carving is different, and the windows aren't divided on top. Maybe the storefront was changed early on, and the dental molding added. I don't know. I wish I did. Rev. Hacker has only the one photo--same as the newspaper picture--and didn't have any more info either. I guess I am hoping a neighborhood person might remember something. I do know the roofline was changed because the corbels used to be the top of the roof edge, and now a beadboard overhang sits on top of the corbels, and the roof has been built up above that, I assume for a steeper pitch to take care of run-off. Still looking for answers. Thanks in advance to anyone who might know something.

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