In 1879, local retail clerk Henry Kaufman opened the first store on Jefferson between 7th and 8th.

In 1887, the Kaufman-Straus store moved to South 4th Street in space leased from the Polytechnic Society of Kentucky.

The new flagship store opened in 1903, at 533-49 South 4th Street, designed by local architect Mason Maury.

In 1969, Kaufman's was acquired by L. S. Ayres, and the downtown Louisville store was subsequently closed in 1971.

This article about a property in Jefferson County, Kentucky on the National Register of Historic Places is a stub.