San Bernardino County history: The Harris Company – Welcome to San Bernardino County

Architectural drawing of the Harris building. Below the illustration are portraits of the Harris brothers, Herman, Philip and Arthur. — Historic newspaper clipping featuring the Harris brothers and the Harris Company building from The Sun newspaper, April 6, 1930.

In 1905, two brothers named Philip and Herman Harris opened a store at 462 Third Street, between D and E streets, with a total of five employees and a 25-foot storefront on the first floor. Despite their humble beginnings, the brothers soon gained a favorable reputation and loyal patronage.

Their other brother, Arthur, joined the company and by 1907, the second floor of the building was added to accommodate the growing departments. By 1908, they installed the first elevator in San Bernardino, which attracted significant attention. Many people recalled it being the first time they had seen an elevator, with some remembering how the adults would humor the kids by taking them up and down.

By 1915, the brothers acquired land on the corner of Third and E streets for expansion. What began as a partnership between brothers evolved into a corporation worth $1 million and eventually became a department store.

The Harris Company store in San Bernardino formally opened on Nov. 7, 1927. It featured a basement, first floor, mezzanine level, second floor, third floor and roof garden. The southeast corner of the building had a staircase of colorful tiles, which led up to their second-floor restaurant, Café Madrid.

The Sun newspaper highlighted the significance of the Harris building in San Bernardino when it printed, “Towns do not have department stores. The Inland Empire has arrived.” In 1947, the Harris Company was the first building to have an escalator in the Inland Empire.

In 1957, the company expanded with a large anchor store at the Riverside Plaza shopping center, the first large non-downtown shopping destination in the region. In 1981, Spanish retailer El Corte Ingles, S.A. acquired the Harris Company and its nine stores, which included Bakersfield, Hemet, Indio, Moreno Valley, Palmdale, Redlands, Riverside, San Bernardino and Victorville.

In 1998, the Harris Company was acquired by Gottschalks, and the stores were initially renamed Harris-Gottschalks. The original downtown San Bernardino store was closed on January 31, 1999.

Today, the Harris family is remembered for their civic-mindedness and many contributions to improving the quality of life in San Bernardino and surrounding communities.

Additional County Update News – December 18