It’s lovely to look up at the top of a residence, church, or factory and see the year the structure went up in bold numerals.
Too bad developers no longer date their buildings—it helps give a sense of how the city evolved.
I love the style of the “1891” on top of 451 Washington Street. Now it’s a co-op, but it started out as the Fleming Smith Warehouse, where wine was stored.
This handsome clock tower crowns the former Sohmer Piano Factory on Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City. Built in 1886, the company stayed there almost a century, decamping for Connecticut in 1982.
“Established 1890” this Hell’s Kitchen tenement tells us. But what was established—just the building? Or a specialty business? No clues survive.
The Esther Apartments at 126 Ludlow Street date to 1930. I guess the faux Hebrew lettering helped attract renters in a heavily Jewish neighborhood?
Ephemeral New York 