BIO: Robert Blair GABLE, Blair County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Denise Phillips Copyright 2006. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/blair/ _________________________________________ Donehoo, George P., Editor-in-Chief. Pennsylvania, A History, Vol. 3, Biography. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Co., Inc., 1926, pages 106-107. _________________________________________ ROBERT BLAIR GABLE - Altoona's great institution is Gables - the department store of the William F. Gable Company, the largest in Blair County, an establishment that had the most modest beginning in the days when service, the store's highly-stressed keynote, was a new-fangled notion entertained by the most imaginary, and when the thought that Altoona would some day be the big city it is now was relegated to the limbo as a chimera. Having kept pace with the city in growth and prosperity, Gable's is today a leading concern in its field in America, with a reputation that awes. Its president is Robert Blair Gable, the son of William Francis Gable, the founder. Although a young man, Mr. Gable has done much toward giving further impetus toward the growth of the department store, has led progress in the city, and taken part in civic affairs to an extent as to make him one of the most active and prominent citizens of Altoona. He has nation-wide renown as the head of this famous institution and as a club and fraternal man, and he is one of the leaders in Blair County society. Robert Blair Gable was born in Altoona, May 7, 1892, the son of William Francis Gable, now deceased, and Kate Elizabeth (Boyer) Gable. He was educated first in the grade schools of Altoona, was graduated from the Altoona High School, and later he supplemented this schooling with special university and business courses. As a boy he served in various capacities in his father's store and later became manager of the book and stationery departments, the photographic studio and the gift shop at divers times. He it was who created the studio and the gift shop, piloting them very successfully until he became secretary-treasurer of the William F. Gable Company in 1912. The duties of this position forced him to abandon his other work, and he began devoting himself on taking the post, to developing the store on a larger scale. He fostered the project of the first radio broadcast station, W-F-B-G, located in the Gable store, and he is now the active head of the store's station. As a radio enthusiast, broadcasting- station operator and inaugurator of the first station, he is known throughout the country in radio circles. Mr. Gable eventually became president of the Gable Company. He is also a director in the First National Bank of Altoona and in the Altoona Discount Company Bank, and he is a very active member of the Kiwanis Club of Altoona, being a former president. He is a director in the Blair County Historical Society, the Altoona Chamber of Commerce, and the Altoona Boosters Association. He is a director and vice- president of the Blairmont Country Club, and is affiliated prominently with business clubs and organizations throughout the United States. Mr. Gable married Lillian Calhoun Burns, of Altoona, in Baltimore, October 21, 1914, and of this union there are two sons: William Francis (2), born in Altoona, December 30, 1916, and Robert Burns, born in Altoona, December 5, 1918. To give here a brief history of the institution Mr. Gable heads, is altogether in keeping with the subject of this biography. In the days when Altoona was but a little swamp-like hamlet, which rash persons predicted some day would be a town of three-thousand souls - in 1884 - William Francis Gable opened his first store, founded on the theory of not only quality of merchandise but service as well. Skeptics said it would not last, and it didn't For in the autumn of the same year Mr. Gable expanded it. It was then located at No. 1300 Eleventh Avenue, under the original name of Sprecher & Gable. In a few months the partnership was changed and the firm name became William F. Gable & Company. Late in the year 1884 Mr. Gable gave his modest establishment new and larger quarters at No. 1402 Eleventh Avenue. It continued to expand, with its good merchandising, improved service and straight-forward policy. Each year brought splendid advances until removal to much larger space became imminent and urgent. As no store building existed in sufficient size to suit the needs of the Gable establishment, the firm had to build for itself. And at Nos. 1320-22 Eleventh Avenue, the beautiful "daylight store" was created, and Altoona then had the most attractive store between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. It was a three-story structure and it was equipped with all the modern devices of the time. Forty-two persons were on the pay roll when this building was completed and occupied on December 8, 1892. In 1898 additional space became necessary, with the result that an annex was erected - an annex about half the size of the main structure. Another of equal size was constructed in 1900. Patronage increased constantly, making it imperative to erect a third addition in 1902. In 1906 a new structure was built, and the third floor, which had covered only a part of the annexes, was extended back to the alley behind Eleventh Avenue. Steadily the growth continued, the patronage increased, the personnel repeatedly, was added to, the stocks were enlarged and the store's varied conveniences were augmented. In 1910 a new building was added at the Fourteenth Street corner and a fourth floor space was placed over the entire group of buildings, thus making a frontage of 175 feet on Eleventh Avenue. During the same year a three-story warehouse was built on Twelfth Avenue and was connected to the main store by means of an overhead bridge and a subway passage. When the year 1913 came, plans for another addition of large dimensions were outlined and carried out. This section was placed at the rear of the Fourteenth Street front, providing a total of 120 feet of space on that street. With this innovation, the Gable store consisted of four floors and a basement, spacious warehouse and a large garage, more than tree acres in all. Meanwhile the firm was attaining noteworthy progress in other fields as well. The late William F. Gable identified the store with a strong buying syndicate that maintains offices in New York, Paris, London, Switzerland and Germany, and this proved a real boon. Mr. Gable, after seeing the store become a real monument to his efforts and foresight, died on November 28, 1921, and he was succeeded as president by his son, Robert Blair Gable, previously secretary and treasurer. Another son, George P. Gable, is ably filling the post of managing director, and their association in piloting the business shows the ample training provided by the founder himself. Under the direction of the new president the firm broke ground in 1922 on Twelfth Avenue for its arcade annex, a beautiful structure that saw completion early in the fall of 1923. It is a two-story, steel building, modern from every aspect. For the first time in the history of departmentized business institutions the Gable Company operated several of its shops in the new arcade during the evening. This innovation, having caused widespread comments in the department store world, is still being watched with undiminished interest. The Gable establishment, in reference to its department structure, may be likened to a bee-hive for it has so many different shops and sections that afford every kind of convenience, besides opportunity for any kind of purchase, for the shopper, that its compartments, while not in any way crowded, owing to the tremendous space occupied by the store, resemble the bee-hive. And that figure holds true in regards to the business and hum throughout the day. In the store are employed five hundred men and women throughout the year, and at special times many more.