The
Dallas outlet for the Methodist Publishing house opened in Dallas in 1899 at
296 Elm Street. The store was originally
called Barbee and Smith, but referred to the Methodist Book Store. The store changed its name on 1937 to
Cokesbury, combining the names of the foremost bishops, Thomas Coke and Francis
Ashbury.
The
Methodist bookstore won the contract to supply 8,000 books for new
Carnegie-Dallas Public Library, which opened in 1901.
With the
new five story facility at 1910 Main Street opening in 1937, Cokesbury became
the largest single bookstore in the United States, carrying over 71,000 volumes
and $165,000 in sales.
The new
store was designed by architect Mark Lemon, who also designed the Hall of State
and the Dallas museum of Natural History.
The design included white stone facing, bronze doors and Art Deco
details including curved glass window display cases with a lighted sign about
the door. The interior featured dark
walnut paneling, a streamlined layout, recessed features and air conditioning.
Due to
the rising price of land in Downtown Dallas and a decline of retail foot
traffic, the property was sold in 1983.
It stood vacant for ten years and was finally demolished in 1993. The property and adjoining land became Main
Street Garden Park.
On my
trips to Downtown, I visited Cokesbury a couple of times. The dark walnut was foreboding and my budget
could never allow for the purchase of a new book – I was a Harper’s Used Books
customer, and pretty much the same today.
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