Jenss, Crown Jewel of Main Street

The Jenss Department Store was a thriving business in its heyday. Frank A. Jenss and his brother William immigrated to the United States from Germany in 1881, and soon founded a dry goods store in the town of Lockport, New York. This store was unique in that it included women’s hats and shoe services alongside the rest of its stock. Within a few years, Frank Jenss and his brother established three different department stores in Lockport. When these stores closed down, they were consolidated and moved to a single location in 1916. 

The new store was located at 1708 Main Street in Niagara Falls. Hoping to make Main Street a hub of commercial activity, Jenss also founded the Bellevue Theater (now the Rapids Theatre) in 1921, right across the street from the department store. Jenss was not only an entrepreneur, but also a city councilman, and mayor of Niagara Falls from 1932 to 1935.

The Jenss Brothers’ company was reportedly a great workplace, with benefits such as company-sponsored dinners and balls. Frank Jenss made it a point to ensure positive working conditions by eliminating late night work hours, which helped to increase the happiness and comfort of his employees. Jenss also promised satisfaction to his company’s patrons, and as a result, his customer base remained incredibly loyal for decades.

In 1951, Jenss sold the department store to Harold Dautch. Dautch kept the store’s original name, and opened several other stores nearby in order to turn them into a prosperous commercial chain. Frank Jenss passed away in 1961 at age 91 and is buried in historic Oakwood Cemetery.

Competition from the Summit Park, Niagara Factory Outlet, and Rainbow Centre Factory Outlet malls made it difficult for the department store to effectively operate on Main Street, eventually forcing its closure in 1995. The company did open up locations in the malls, but eventually went out of business entirely five years later. The Jenss building was put up for sale in 2015 by Hastings Cohn Real Estate, along with 37 other properties, at a total listing price of $5 million. Though the Jenss company closed down, part of its legacy still remains in the Reeds Jenss jewelry company. 

In November 2023, the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area unveiled a public art installation entitled "Women of Niagara" in the windows of the old Jenss building. Funded by the New York State Downtown Revitalization Initiative, this stunning project features 86 artworks by Niagara Falls artist Polly King. 74 of these artworks are portraits of women that King painted throughout her lifetime. 

Once the crown jewel of Main Street in Niagara Falls, the Jenss stands majestically–now adorned with 86 new jewels.

To hear more great stories about the Niagara and Western New York Region, and to learn more about Polly King and her artwork, visit discoverniagara.org and pollykingstudio.com

Niagara Falls National Heritage Area