This article was scraped from Rochester Subway. This is a blog about Rochester history and urbanism has not been published since 2017. The current owners are now publishing link spam which made me want to preserve this history.. The original article was published August 26, 2014 and can be found here.
![This chandelier at Parkleigh once hung inside B. Forman Co. in downtown Rochester, NY. [PHOTO: RochesterSubway.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/parkleigh-chandelier-b-forman-company-01.jpg?ref=senseofplace.dev)
Here's a fun little history mystery that I could use your help with. Jeannine Klee, owner of Parkleigh on Park Avenue recently acquired this Venetian glass chandelier from a friend who claims it once hung inside the original B. Forman Co. department store in downtown Rochester. The fixture, now on display above the candy counter at Parkleigh, is quite beautiful. But, could it really be from B. Forman Co.?
![A view of the B. Forman Co. store at 46-50 Clinton Avenue South. Christmas decorations are visible. c.1930. [PHOTO: Rochester Public Library]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-b-forman-department-store-02.jpg?ref=senseofplace.dev)
B. Forman Co. first opened in 1912 at 46 Clinton Avenue . Later the founder's son, Maurice Forman, took over the business, expanded it and moved the downtown store into the new Midtown Plaza which he co-developed with Gilbert McCurdy of McCurdy & Co.
Collectively, McCurdy & Co., Sibley, Lindsey & Curr Co., and the B. Forman store created a downtown shopping mecca that was unparalleled for decades. The stores were lavishly decorated, and according to old advertisements buyers for B. Forman Co. regularly hunted for items in Europe to be sold in its stores. Venetian chandeliers might not be out of place in an establishment like this.
![The chandelier is in fairly good condition except for one broken arm, now being held together with string. [PHOTO: RochesterSubway.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/parkleigh-chandelier-b-forman-company-03.jpg?ref=senseofplace.dev)
The chandelier is in fairly good condition except for one broken arm, now being held together with string. Jeannine tells me it was broken during its move to Parkleigh
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![If you have any information related to B. Forman Co. and this chandelier, please leave a comment. [PHOTO: RochesterSubway.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/parkleigh-chandelier-b-forman-company-02.jpg?ref=senseofplace.dev)
My attempts to find old photos of the B. Forman Co. interior have all but failed. Searches at the Rochester Public Library, Rochester Museum & Science Center, Landmark Society and the Rochester municipal archives turned up nothing. Very unusual. So my next move is to turn to you, RochesterSubway readers.
If you have any memories or photos of B. Forman Co. or this chandelier, please leave a comment below, or email me at [email protected] .
