Charles Rentz's 1891 100-102 West Houston Street

Architect Charles Rentz's business was booming in 1890.  On November 21, 1890 alone he filed plans for four substantial buildings.  Among them was a "six-story stone and iron warehouse, with elevators, engines, etc." at 100 and 102 West Houston Street for Levy & Co.  Rentz placed the construction costs at $45,000, or about $1.6 million in 2026.

Charles Rentz designed the structure's two mirror-image sections in a reserved version of Romanesque Revival.  Completed in 1891, it was faced in brick above a cast iron base.  Triptych windows at the second floor sat within segmental arches, while the grouped windows of the midsection shared a single stone lintel.  The three-story pier between them was decorated with large, ornamental anchor plates.  Above the fully arched openings of the top floor was a bracketed cornice.

Among the initial tenants was Peter J. Brett, who manufactured "bonnet frames" on the fifth floor.  His ten male employees worked 53 hours per week.  Early on the morning of March 25, 1895, fire was discovered in Brett's shop.  The New York Times reported, "The firemen soon put it out, and some of them had left, while others were cleaning up the debris."  Those who remained were Captain Johnson and seven firefighters.  They "were putting things to rights," said the New York Herald, when a gas meter exploded.  "The shock threw them off their feet, but the things which were fired about shot over their heads, so they were not hurt."

The explosion started a second fire "and the rest of the firemen had to come back to put it out," reported the New York Herald.  The second blaze was worse than the first and Brett incurred damages of $10,000--a significant $385,000 today.

from the collection of the New York Public Library

Like Peter J. Brett, several of the tenants were millinery-related.  At the turn of the century, Eugene Razetti, Sardi & Valente, and Rossig Bros.--all three makers of artificial flowers and foliage for women's hats--were here.  Unlike Brett, who employed only men, Sardi & Valente's staff was heavily female: 17 women and 3 men.

Both firms advertised in The Millinery Trade Review in November 1904 (copyright expired)

Also occupying space at the turn of the century was the Standard Embroidery Company (on October 2, 1904, it advertised for a "Boy, Hebrew, for errands and make himself generally useful"), the Chemical Novelty Co., and M. Friedman & Co., makers of umbrella handles.  The latter was established in 1881 and moved into the West Houston Street building in 1892.  In 1905, Trunks Leather Goods and Umbrellas called M. Friedman & Co. "the oldest umbrella handle manufacturers in New York."

In the meantime, the ground floor was home to Rigolletti's Restaurant.  Working for Eugene Razzetti upstairs was Caesar Razzetti, presumably a son.  On the night of February 22, 1908, Eugene met his uncle, Gerolamo Cella, a respected importer of Italian wines, in the restaurant.  They and some friends played cards, but, according to The Sun, "During the came [Cella] was gloomy and inattentive."  The newspaper said, "As he was leaving he told the little party that they might soon be called to attend his funeral."  Cella was right.  He went home and committed suicide.

By the World War I years, J. Mackey & Co. was here, making "the campaign hat strap adopted by the new National Army," according to an ad in December 1917.  The firm also manufactured, "leather visors, chin straps, trimmings for uniform caps complete."

The post-war years saw millinery firms replaced with a variety of businesses.  In the early 1920s, Forsberg Electric Mfg. Co. and Conway Import Company were here; and by 1930 C. M. Blodgett, publishers of advertising calendars operated in the building.

Geyer's Stationery, September 1930 (copyright expired)

For some reason, 100-102 West Houston Street became a target for burglars in 1920.  Between January and August that year, there were eight break-ins, two of them targeting Conway Import Company.  It happened again on August 22.  The Evening World reported, "A safe-ripping which failed to remove the inner door was disclosed to-day when the store of the Conway Import Company, olive oil importers at Nos. 100-102 West Houston Street, was opened."

image via the NYC Dept of Records & Information Services.

The Savoy Provision Company of Manhattan moved into the building in the Depression years and would remain for decades.  It was nearly involved in what the Staten Island Advance called an "early-morning barbecue" on June 10, 1947.  The article said that firemen were "called to put out a blaze in the cab of a meat truck to the rear of 1004 Arden avenue, Annadale."   How a fire could have started in the Savoy Provision Company's truck was unexplained.

The firm occupied the building until the early 1980s.  A conversion completed in 1985 resulted in six cooperative apartments.  It was possibly at this time that the cornice was removed.

As had been the case in 1908, the ground floor became a restaurant.  Fratelli Cangiani opened in June 1988, replaced by Jane at the turn of the century, and followed by Sarabeth.

photographs by the author