Levy, Hannah, 1905-1984
Biography
Hannah Levy became a nationally known fashion expert, traveling extensively to New York, Europe, and Asia to buy clothes for Fashion Bar, which was started by her brother Jack in 1933. Fashion Bar became the largest privately owned chain in Colorado. Hannah was born in the town of Haigerloch, near Stuttgart in Southern Germany, on May 19, 1918, to Raphael and Bertha Hilb Levy. Hannah's uncle, Isidore Hilb, came to Denver in the early 1900s and founded Hilb and Company, a wholesale clothing supply business. Jack Levy came to Denver in 1923 to work at his uncle's company as a salesman. Hannah Levy reached New York in 1925, working at menial jobs for 20 months to earn enough money for a train ticket to Denver. She worked as a cleaner, a nanny, a manicurist, and a delicatessen worker. Hannah Levy supported many Jewish, civic, and cultural causes, including Temple Emanuel, Rose Hospital, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, the Denver Symphony, Jewish Community Center, and the University of Denver's Holocaust Awareness Institute.After a 50-year career at Fashion Bar, Hannah Levy died December 1, 1984.
Citation
Not found in LCNAF or VIAF. mmata 2016-10-26
Sources: https://www.immigrantentrepreneurship.org/entry.php?rec=268 (article by Jeanne Abrams (2016).
Tales of a Little Trunk by Hannah Shwayder Berry.
Obituaries.
Found in 6 Collections and/or Records:
A Legacy of Caring : Early Colorado Jewish Women, 2004
Brief biographies of Jewish women from Colorado who help set up as well as work in charitable orgnazitions in Colorado. Written and directed by Jeanne Abrams for the 2004 RMJHS Dinner.
Box 1: Brown Leather Suitcase, between 1938-1993
A brown leather suitcase with two leather straps across the sides that buckle at the top. Two metal snaps are along the side of the top and a metal latch with a lock is featured in the middle. Originally belonged to Hannah Levy.
Hannah Levy as a Young Woman, between 1930-1939
Hannah Levy sits in an outdoor setting in the early 1930s. Hannah and brother Jack Levy are the founders of several women's clothing retail stores, in Colorado: the Hosiery Bar, Fashion Bar, and Hannah. She also became a leading Colorado philanthropist and helped support numerous community institutions, including the Rose Hospital and the University of Denver.
Levy Family Portrait, circa 1929
Bertha and Raphael Levy stand in the center, surrounded by their children. Jack and Hannah stand to Bertha's right, and Edward Levy is to Raphael's left. Kate and Ruth Levy are sitting in the grass. This photograph was taken in Denver, Colorado. Hannah and Jack Levy were the founders of the Fashion Bar retail women's clothing stores throughout Colorado.
Oral History Interview with Siblings Hannah and Jack Levy, 1983 October 18
Wedding of Kate Levy Zigmond, 1939
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