The Isaac F. Fisher House - 249 East Houston Street

 

In the 18th century, North Street ran east-west through the lowest section of the former Petrus Stuyvesant farms.  (The street, named because it designated the northern boundary of the city, would later be renamed East Houston Street.)  The Stuyvesant heirs retained vast portions of the property as the city moved northward, encroaching into and developing their formerly verdant land.

Thomas Macfarlan was Peter Gerard Stuyvesant's long-term real estate manager.  On February 19, 1861, he advertised in the New York Herald: "To Let--The House No. 249 East Houston street.  Apply to Thos. Macfarlan, No. 180 Tenth street, near Third avenue."  Frustratingly, his succinct ad gave no details about the residence. 

No. 249 East Houston Street was 18-feet wide and one of a row of Federal-style residences.  Most likely all identical, they were faced in Flemish bond brick and rose three stories above English basements.  

Isaac F. Fisher (sometimes spelled Fischer) and his wife, Jettie, moved into the house with their son, Henry.  Fisher was most likely well-acquainted with Thomas Macfarlan, since he, too, was a real estate agent.

Young Henry enrolled in Columbia College in 1865.  His father operated his substantial real estate business from the house.  On June 7, 1866, for instance, he advertised, "For Sale--A nice property on a corner of the west side of Avenue A, being 52 feet front on the avenue by 100, with four good houses on it, having seven stores paying over 15 per cent and sold on easy terms."  The following February, in a single ad he offered, five "first class tenement houses," "four houses and lots," and "two houses on the west side of Eighth avenue; and nine houses on Third avenue."

Jettie Fisher died in the house on February 17, 1872 at the age of 46.  Her funeral was held in the parlor the next morning.  Before the end of the year, Isaac F. Fisher had moved away.

The house was purchased by a Mrs. Sheppard, who was cited for a violation from the city for having "unsafe chimneys" on September 27, 1873.  

Around 1882, the basement was converted for business purposes.  Harris and Caroline Baruch moved into rooms upstairs and Harris leased the shop for his pawn business.  Living with them was their son Benjamin Baruch, who would eventually join the business.

As with all pawn shops, Baruch regularly held auctions of items left past their due date.  On November 23, 1883, for instance, he held an auction that included, "1,000 lots fine gold and silver watches, diamonds, heavy gold chains, bracelets, jewelry."

In May 1893, Joseph Wolf (sometimes spelled Wolff) purchased the building for $12,400 (about $446,000 in 2025 terms).  He continued to lease the store to Harris Baruch, whose family remained in the upper portion.  

On April 14, 1895, The World titled an article, "Made Rich By The Poor."  It detailed an independent investigation of pawn shops that overcharged customers.  The lengthy article listed numerous infractions, including: "A young man took a banjo to H. Baruch, of No. 249 East Houston street, and was overcharged 12 cents."

At the time of the article, Caroline Baruch's health was declining.  She died here on February 23, 1895 at the age of 64.  Her active involvement in Jewish organizations was evidenced in her death notice in the New York Herald, which invited "members of the Daughters of Israel, of Cheebra Holche Zedek, of Joseph Lodge, K. S. B., and of Congregation Bnee Scholom" to her funeral.

A striking renovation would give the entrance a Renaissance inspired door frame.

In 1898, Benjamin Baruch was appointed a commissioner of deeds, a clerical civil service position.  The following year, his father was pulled into a sensational murder case.

In August 1899, Mrs. Nathan Kronman was murdered in her apartment at 266 West 35th Street.  Another resident passed the murderer, a "man in black," in the hallway which she described as "being swarthy and wearing a suit of dark clothes."  Police searched the pawn shops for the jewelry stolen from Mrs. Kronman's apartment.  They found one piece--an expensive diamond crescent-shaped brooch--at Harris Baruch's store.

Baruch was called to testify at William Neufeldt's trial on August 17.  He said in part:

It was coming in, two men in the afternoon, and one of those men handed me this pin and asked me $200 on it.  I make him an offer of $185.  I saw the defendant there.  That is the man that gave me the pin [indicating the defendant].  But there was two men.  One man took the $100 and the other man took the $85.

Baruch positively identified William Neufeldt as the man who handed him the pin.

The estate of Joseph Wolf sold the property to Max Schwartz around 1900.  In June 1901, Schwartz hired architect M. Bernstein to remodel the building.  Bernstein gave the vintage structure a Renaissance Revival makeover.  

Now termed a "tenement" by the Department of Buildings, it was given a veneer of running bond brick and boasted a handsome carved entrance enframement below a foliate-bracketed cornice.  The parlor and second floor openings were given splayed stone lintels with carved keystones, while the fully arched third floor windows wore brick eyebrows.  A cast metal cornice completed the re-do.

image via the NYC Dept of Records & Information Services.

Harris had moved his family and his business, now known as H. Baruch & Son, before the renovations began.  The basement was leased for the S. & H. Levin restaurant.  In December 1912, dentist Abraham Pflantzer leased the "stoop floor" (the former parlor level).  His office would remain there for decades.

When America entered World War I, two of the residents of 249 East Houston Street, Nathan Messinger and Jack Herschkowitz, joined the army.

Jack was the son of Samuel Herschkowitz.  It appears that his mother was deceased at the time.  A member of Company C of the 308th Infantry, his battalion was near Binarville, France in September 1918.  Cut off from communication and needing ammunition and rations, he, an officer and another soldier set off for regimental headquarters.  In the dark of night they unwittingly crawled into a German camp.  They lay there three hours before being detected.  The 1919 Heroes All recounts:

Finally discovered, they made a dash to escape.  In order to protect the officer, Private Herschkowitz deliberately drew the enemy fire to himself, allowing the officer to escape.  Private Herschkowitz succeeded in getting through and delivering his message the next morning.

Jack Herschkowitz was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor "for extraordinary heroism in action."

Nathan Messinger survived the war, as well.  The 23-year-old returned to 249 East Houston Street with the rank of second lieutenant.

Prohibition ushered in an era of gangsters and violence.  On October 18, 1935, The New York Post headlined an article, "5th Gangster Is Shot Down In Policy War" and announced, "One of the underworld's bloodiest, boldest wars is on."  In reporting on the murders, it noted, "Death was to have been the lot of The Plug last night also as he stood in front of a three-story tenement at 249 East Houston Street on the lower East Side, but his assassins only wounded him."

Albert "The Plug" Schuman had an appointment with dentist Abraham Pflantzer and was climbing the stoop of 249 East Houston Street when he was attacked.  The New York Evening Post reported, "he scampered into a hallway, where he fell, groaning, a moment later."  The gangster was taken to Bellevue Hospital where he recovered.

The 21st century brought trendy bistros and shops to the neighborhood.  In 2016, the Chapter NY art gallery opened in the "stoop floor" that had been home to Dr. Pflantzer's office for decades.  There are four apartments in the building today.

many thanks to Carole Teller for suggesting this post.

photographs by the author