This distinctive brick building at the corner of Washington and Essex streets was built in 1826 for the First Church. The church held services on the second floor and rented the first floor as retail space. In the 1870s, the National Exchange Bank added the building’s first floor vault and double depth windows in the space that later housed Daniel Low & Co., which moved to a smaller corner unit of the building in 1874, following its High Victorian Gothic style renovation.
Low’s jewelry and houseware business steadily grew in size and notoriety, gaining national recognition in 1891 for their souvenir witch spoons. The following year, Daniel Low & Co. introduced their own mail-order catalog known as the "Year Book." These catalogs made the business a household name and attracted customers throughout the country.
In 1911, Daniel Low suffered a fatal heart attack while working in his store. His son, Seth took over the business, followed by Seth's wife, Florence. In 1923, the First Church sold the building to the Low family and moved to its current church building at 316 Essex Street. Daniel Low & Co. stayed in the Low family until it was sold in 1955 to Bill Follett, who continued operations until 1994, when the building was sold and converted into Rockafella's restaurant.
In 2021, Daniel Low & Co. announced plans to reopen with new owner, James McCluskey.
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Digitized Archives
Wedding and Graduation Gifts Catalog
Daniel Low Photographs and Ephemera
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