Real estate developers Miller, Mofsenson & Brill erected a five-story apartment building at 47 and 49 East Third Street in 1901. Designed by Michael Bernstein, its Renaissance Revival design included intricate carving around the entrance frame, which was capped with a prominent, bracketed cornice. Bernstein contrasted the beige Roman brick of the base with four floors of red brick. Their elaborate stone and terra cotta decorations included ornate panels, window ornaments, and faux balconies flanked with fluted columns and topped with impressive arched pediments. A complex cornice crowned the design.
Typical of the working and lower-middle class tenants of 47 East 3rd Street were Isaac Chelsky and Abraham Bartnofsky, who both worked for the United States Condensed Milk Company. They attached address labels to milk orders for the delivery drivers.
Another early resident was Abraham Weise. In the fall of 1904, an out-of-town friend visited and on September 23 Weise took him around town on a trolley car to see the sights. The Morning Telegraph reported, "Passing Thirty-ninth street there is a sharp turn. Weise was pointing out to his friend the Casino when the turn was made, and Weise lost his balance and fell from the car." The would-be tour guide broke both his legs. Later he told a reporter, "It's the first time in twelve years that I have been on Broadway. The Bowery for me, when I get out of the hospital."
Alexander J. Barth, a barber, endeavored to better his life by becoming an attorney. He took the Regents' examination twice--failing both times. Frustrated, he hired a substitute to take his third test. Unfortunately, his goal to be a lawyer would not come to be. His subterfuge was discovered when two informants came forth. On June 9, 1911 he confessed and was fine $100. (It was a significant penalty for the barber, equal to about $3,500 in 2025 terms.)
Edward Barnes, who was 19 years old, lived here in 1922. On May 14 that year, he and four cohorts, one of whom drove a taxicab, went looking for a victim. They found one in 30-year-old Joseph Zaliski who was headed home at 1 a.m. At the corner of East 3rd Street and Second Avenue, Barnes and two others jumped out of the cab and beat and robbed Zaliski. The Evening World reported that they, "broke his nose and closed his eyes with blackjacks and fists and took $112 from his pocket."
Zaliski's cries were heard by an ambulance driver, known as Red. He picked up a policeman on the street and pursued the fleeing taxicab with the ambulance's siren blaring. When the cab pulled over, the driver said, "What's the big idea? We don't want no ambulance."
Red replied, "No, but you're liable to want one in a minute. Here's a load of cops want to talk to you." Policeman Henry Hagen stepped out of the ambulance with his gun drawn. Edward Barnes and his accomplices were arrested.
A more respectable tenant who lived here in the 1920s was J. Bolotoff. He worked in theatrical make-up.
As the 20th century drew to a close, the tenor of the East Village neighborhood changed. Once populated with struggling immigrants, it was increasingly becoming a hip district with trendy shops and restaurants.
In 2003, Alistair and Catherine Economakis purchased 47 East Third Street. The New York Times reported, "The building has 15 apartments, with tenants paying rents of $500 to $950 a month." Almost immediately, the couple notified their tenants that their leases would not be renewed. On June 26, 2005, The New York Times explained, "the couple planned to live in the building with their infant son and take over all 11,600 square feet."
The plans would result in a 60-room mansion with "five bedrooms, six bathrooms, a den, a playroom, a gym, a library, a study area, a dining room, a kitchen and a living room," said the article. At the time, the tenants were battling the evictions.
Three years later, on December 12, 2008, The Independent reported that the nine remaining tenants, fearing they would lose in court, conceded to a buyout. Each received $75,000 for vacating their apartments by the end of August 2009.
In 2012, as renovations were still ongoing, the Economakis family moved into the building. Construction of what is now a single-family home was completed in 2017.
many thanks to reader Carole Teller for suggesting this post.
photographs by the author