The facade is partially obscured in 2025 by construction netting next door.
Around 1824, Nathanial Paine erected three Federal-style houses at 166 to 170 Spring Street (renumbered 186 to 190 Spring Street in 1848). Three-and-a-half stories tall, the peaked roofs of each had a single dormer. A commercial space occupied the ground floor of the center house and a narrow horsewalk, or passageway, that tunneled through the structure accessed a smaller building in the rear.
The upper floors appear to have been originally operated as a boarding house. Living here in 1827 were John Beraun, a hairdresser; Cyrus Fairchild, who was a cartman; grocer Josiah Merritt; carpenter Jacob Noble; and shoemakers Isaiah Sickels and Alan H. Brown. Sickels and Brown most likely worked for Henry Travis, whose shoe store was in the ground floor. In the rear building, Burgess & Smith ran a tailor shop.
On April 26, 1832, according to the American Rail-Road Journal, the property was sold at auction for $2,600 (about $94,600 in 2025 terms). The buyers, William Lewis and his wife, almost immediately leased it. An advertisement in the New-York Evening Post on June 5, 1832 offered, "To Let, the three story brick House No. 168 Spring street, calculated for a dwelling and store; rent very low and possession given immediately."
It was leased to John F. Davis, a captain in the 1st Regiment of the U.S. Volunteers of New York. Davis was highly involved with Tammany Hall and converted the store space to "Captain Davis's Large Room," sometimes called the Davis's Long Room, a tavern and meeting place for Eighth Ward Democrats. Rooms continued to be rented in the upper floors, which Davis named the Eighth Ward Hotel.
Davis's signing of the lease came in time for the 1832 elections. On November 6, The Evening Post reported that the Eighth Ward Hotel would be a the polling place for the ward.
At a meeting here on March 14, 1834, the Eighth Ward Democrats passed a series of resolutions. Among them were, "Resolved, That Mr. Martin Van Buren, Vice President of the United States, we recognize a true Democrat, one ever willing and ready to sustain his country at the call of the people," and, "Resolved, that the attempt by our political adversaries to corrupt the voters by raising, as they boast they have done, a fund of 20,000, while it exhibits the depravity of our opponents, shews that they illy understand and cannot appreciate the virtue of the American people."
A reporter from the New-York Tribune (an anti-Tammany newspaper) attended a meeting "at Captain Davis's Large Room" on June 25, 1844. His article cast an unfavorable light on the speaker, Dr. Chetou, who addressed the concerns of tavern owners over the Temperance-leaning mayor. "He told them this was not the first time that their rights had been invaded," said the article, "A similar attempt was made in 1828 to prevent them from selling on Sunday."
He then descanted at length on the influence and respectability of Rum-sellers, and contended that they had more property and more money invested in their business than all the Stock Gamblers in Wall street. You have come here, said he, this afternoon to perform your duty, to maintain your rights, which a party placed in power by our partialities have encroached upon.
Davis's Large Room continued to serve as a polling place each year and as the Democratic Ward headquarters. By 1846, it was also the headquarters of the 1st Regiment U.S. Volunteers.
In 1850, the rear building was home to the Charles J. Holder piano shop, established in 1834. The English-born Holder's piano-fortes were high-quality instruments. He won a silver medal at the 1852 and 1853 American Institute Exhibitions, and in 1852 C. A. S. Holder, presumably a son, was recognized for "a superior piano-forte case."
An advertisement in The New York Times on April 23, 1853 said Holder's, "splendid 7-1/2 octave Instruments...are now eliciting the admiration of professors and musical families" and predicted, "these instruments are destined to supersede the Grand Piano, as they possess all their melody and power, and are afforded at half their price."
One can imagine the difficulty workers encountered in moving pianos through the narrow horsewalk. Nevertheless, Charles J. Holder would occupy the rear building through 1860. By then, Thomas Holder and Elbridge G. B. Holder were involved in the business.
In addition to its traditional pianos, in 1868 the firm was manufacturing celestas, also known as bell pianos. The instruments produced a sound similar to a glockenspiel. On May 3, 1868, the New York Herald headlined an article, "A Musical Offender," and reported that Henry Ennver, "a young man, twenty-one years of age, recently in the employ of Mr. Charles J. Holder, of 188 Spring street," had been arrested "on the charge of stealing one hundred and fifty pounds of gong bells." Ennver confessed to the theft and to having sold them for $10.
In the meantime, in 1845, most likely in response to his Tammany loyalty, John F. Davis was appointed an officer of the U.S. Customs House. His new responsibilities may have eventually made it impossible to run the hotel, as well. An advertisement in the New York Herald on April 21, 1853 read, "To Let or Lease--The House No. 188 Spring street, known as the Eighth Ward Hotel, with fixtures and furniture for sale. The reason for selling out is, that the proprietor has other business to attend to."
In 1870, the rear building was leased to Crawford Monds, who operated C. Monds, carpenters and builders. The commercial space in the main building became the variety store of Frederick Eckhardt, who now owned the property with his wife, Anna. In 1879 Frederick transitioned to selling milk.
Lewis (sometimes spelled Louis) Eckhardt ran the "creamery" business by 1880 while Frederick managed his real estate holdings. On July 23, 1881, The Evening Post reported that "Lewis Eckhardt, an extensive milk dealer at No. 188 Spring street," had been charged by Dr. John B. Isham, an inspector of the Board of Health, for adulterating his milk. Isham told Justice Bixby, "that one third of the cream had been removed and eleven per centum of water had been added."
The Eckhardts operated the milk business from the property into the first years of the 20th century.
image for the NYC Dept of Records & Information Services.
By the World War I years, the building was updated with a veneer of running bond brick and the removal of the dormer. The family of Seung Gong, who ran a laundry in the store space, lived in the upper floors. A Chinese-run laundry would remain through World War II.
A significant renovation completed around 1962 converted the ground floor to residential. The horsewalk was incorporated into the space and the ground floor was given a wooden veneer. A rooftop shed dormer was installed at the same time.
photographs by the author
