Drama in Time: Albert Steinfeld started his rise to the top at an early age

This excerpt from “Tucson: A Drama in Time,” by John Warnock, tells of the early days of Albert Steinfeld, who arrived in Tucson at the age of 17.

1872

Albert Steinfeld is invited by his three uncles, Aaron, Louis and William Zeckendorf, to come work in the family business in Tucson. From his parents’ home in Denver, the 17-year-old travels alone by train to San Francisco, where he boards the weekly boat to San Diego and then takes the tri-weekly stage to Tucson. He is mortified by what he finds Tucson to be, but resolves to try to make a go of it. Aaron dies soon after this and Louis sells out of the Santa Fe business.

1878

Louis and William Zeckendorf terminate their business partnership. Steinfeld is made managing partner of L. Zeckendorf & Co. William departs on travels, returns later to open a competing store, which fails, after which William joins his wife in her hometown of New York City where he lives out the rest of his life.

1896

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The L. Zeckendorf & Co. store is thriving. “The principal departments consist of shelf and heavy hardware, agricultural implements, paints and oils, tin and hollow ware, groceries and provisions, dry and fancy goods, clothing, gents’ furnishing goods, boots and shoes, furniture, carpets, wall paper and shades,” writes Bettina Lyons, selling wholesale and retail over southern and central Arizona and Sonora, Mexico. Louis resides in New York. Steinfeld resides in Tucson and manages the operation.

1904

After a complex and contentious dispute with Louis Zeckendorf arising out of their ownership of stock in the Silverbell Copper Mine 45 miles northwest of Tucson, Steinfeld buys out the partnership interest of Louis Zeckendorf and is now in sole control of the store.

He changes the business’s name to Albert Steinfeld & Co., and builds a big new store on the corner of Stone and Pennington that has a grand opening in 1906. Bettina Lyons writes, “The Citizen marveled that only two other department stores in the West — one in Denver and the other in San Francisco — rivaled Tucson’s new emporium. ‘When Steinfeld arrived in Tucson, thirty-four years ago, the Zeckendorf business amounted to only $40,000 per year,’ it reminded its readers. ‘It had just two clerks to wait on customers and keep the books. Now the annual business of A. Steinfeld & Co. aggregated $1,500,000 and required a force of 150 people.’”

Steinfeld and his descendants will operate the business into the 1980s, when it closes and the building is demolished.