At the turn of the last century, the former occupants of the refined brownstones that lined the block of 24th Street between Broadway and Sixth Avenues had mostly moved northward. In their place came commercial buildings. On May 19, 1905, Andrew J. Kerwin, Jr. purchased the "two four-story dwellings" at 13 and 15 West 24th Street, as reported by The New York Times. The combined plot was 52-feet-wide.
Kerwin commissioned Frederick C. Zobel to design the 11-story replacement on the site. Completed in the spring of 1906, its vast, arched entrance (offset to accommodate a storefront) sat within a portico with polished blue granite columns. Recessed within a limestone frame, a trio of tripartite windows at the second floor were separated by cast iron columns. The stone bandcourse directly above was sumptuously carved as a sheaf of fruits.
The brick-faced midsection was introduced by three sets of modified Palladian windows, their center arches replaced with Renaissance pediments. The two-story top section finished the design with three triple arcades.
With the building completed, Andrew J. Kerwin, Jr. quickly turned his focus to erecting another. On July 19, 1906, the New-York Tribune reported that he had sold 13-15 West 24th Street and, "will begin the erection on May 1, 1907, of an eleven story loft building" at 27 through 35 West 24th Street.
The block overlapped with the apparel and the pottery-and-glass districts, the latter centered on West 23rd Street. The handsome loft-and-store building at 13-15 West 24th Street attracted tenants from both industries.
Among the first to move in was Lynch & Notman, which made decorative housewares. In its August 1907 issue, Glass and Pottery World remarked, "A glimpse into the showroom of Lynch & Notman...quickly shows the visitor that here are goods which would undoubtedly attract the attention of particular people," and cooed, "This firm is turning out some of the most exclusive and finest work possible to produce." Among the items listed in the article were, "colonial and Russian brass candlesticks, hand-hammered and spun jardinieres and fern pans, electric portables, sconses [sic], etc., in bronze, and carved wood in antique gold finish."
On the apparel side, occupying space in 1912, for instance, were Hynard & Meehan, makers of waists and dresses. Also in the building were Rappaport & Gottlieb, coat makers; and men's silk neckwear firm Bachrach Co.
The mix continued in the post-World War I years. Hynard & Meehan was still here, boasting in an advertisement in 1920 that "our factory is turning out 600 to 750 charmeuse, crepe meteor and tricotine dresses made up in the latest models."
That year, Frank M. Katz & Co. signed a lease. On September 30, 1920, The Pottery, Glass & Brass Salesman reported that its 6,000-square-foot space "will permit of an unusually fine display of merchandise," that included, "lamps, toilet articles, baskets, etc."
Also operating here in 1920 were Max Zweigenthal, makers of "graduation dresses, georgettes, organdies, and also printed georgettes, taffetas and satin dresses," according to an ad in June; as well as furrier Abraham Keizer & Bro.; and milliner Adolph Wimpfheimer & Co.
The American Hatter, March 1922 (copyright expired)
Even after the Garment District moved to Midtown, apparel factories continued to rent space in 13-15 West 24th Street through the third quarter of the century. By then, the Madison Square neighborhood was experiencing a renaissance. In 1983, the upper floors were converted to sprawling residential spaces.
An advertisement for a 4,500-square-foot co-op in 2005 described it as having, "keyed elevator to private landing; dining area, renovated eat-in kitchen with center island, exposed-brick walls, marble baths, mahogany doors." The price at the time was $3.5 million.
While the block has changed, outwardly Frederick C. Zobel's stately loft building, essentially, has not.
photographs by the author
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