The 1841 John Valentine House - 45 East Third Street

 

Around 1840, something, possibly a devastating fire, happened to the 20-foot wide house at 45 Third Street (it would be about a decade before the "East" was added to the address).  Shortly afterward, John Valentine erected a brick faced, Greek Revival-style house on the site.  Two-and-a-half stories tall, its brownstone stoop led to a handsome single-doored entrance with sidelights and an ample transom.  Originally, the attic windows would have been noticeably shorter than those of the first two floors.

Valentine and his wife, Eliza, leased the property.  Among their first tenants was the family of James Appleton, a hardware merchant on Pearl Street.  They were the victims of a sneak thief on the night of January 14, 1845.  The Evening Post reported that they were "robbed of sundry articles of clothing, some silver spoons, and papers, containing certificates of stock of dividends, issued by the state of Pennsylvania."

The Appletons were followed in the house by Jared P. Adee and his wife, the former Mary Elizabeth Purdy.  Born in 1811 and 1812 respectively, Jared and Mary Elizabeth were married on April 8, 1839.  A merchant, Adee also volunteered with the American Fire Engine Company No. 4.  The Adees' residency would be short-lived.  Jared died at the age of 37 on December 25, 1848.  His coffin sat in the parlor until his funeral there on December 27.

The house was briefly occupied by Quincy C. Degrove, a retired boatbuilder, and then, by 1851, by Anna Hardy, the widow of William H. Hardy.  Horatio N. Hardy, a builder, lived with his mother, as did boarders Stephen F. Williams, another builder, and jeweler Benjamin H. Cowell.

Despite what must have been tight conditions, by 1853 Anna Hardy was running a full-scale boarding house.  Living with her and Horatio that year were the Wadsworth family (Charles D. Wadsworth was a clerk and George M. Wadsworth listed his profession as "painreliever"), along with a broker, a bookkeeper, a clerk, and a widow, Hester Towers.

Upon John Valentine's death, Eliza inherited his several properties.  In 1856, she moved into 45 East 3rd Street, remaining until about 1859 when she moved to another Valentine property at 54 Second Avenue.  She resumed renting the East 3rd Street house.

Eliza Valentine's tenants, who normally remained only for one or two years, were mostly middle-class professionals.  A book dealer, John Pyne, was here in 1859 and 1860; and the Seiler family followed him (George listed his profession as a jeweler and Joseph as "watches").  Teacher of music Theodore Eisfeld occupied the house in 1862 and '63.  

Mary Heaney rented 45 East 3rd Street around 1867 and took in boarders.  Among them was Ann Sanders, the widow of Thomas Sanders.  She listed her profession in 1869 as "intelligence," the 19th century term for the operating of a female employment agency.

On October 19, 1870 the estate of John Valentine auctioned six houses.  Investor William Pfleuger purchased two, including 45 East 3rd Street.  He paid $9,650 for the property, or about $239,000 in 2025.  Mary Heaney continued to rent the house from him.  Among her boarders in 1871 was "Mrs. Eugene M. Farrell, teacher of pianoforte."

Mary Heaney had to find a new home in 1872.  On January 4 that year, William Pfleuger sold 45 East 3rd Street to Charles J. F. and Helen H. Sohst for $11,000. (Pfleuger made a tidy profit--the price would translate to about $291,000 today.)

An expert cornetist and composer, Charles J. F. Sohst was a member of the famous Theodore Thomas Orchestra and would become an instructor at the National Conservatory of Music.  Among his students there was Edwin Franko Goldman, who would found the famous Goldman Band, which included John Philip Sousa.

Charles instructed private students in the house.  An advertisement in the New York Herald on September 15, 1872 read:  "Carl Sohst, teacher on the cornet-a-piston--for particulars inquire at his residence, 45 Third street, near Second avenue."

Starting around 1876, the Sohsts shared the house with Edward and Minna Boehm.  The two musicians were assuredly well acquainted with one another prior to the arrangement.  A clarinetist, Edward Boehm was a soloist with the Dodworth Band, a member of the New York Philharmonic Society and of the Aschenbrödel Verein.  (Founded in 1860, the Aschenbrödel Verein, or Cinderella Club, was a social and philanthropic group of professional orchestral musicians.)

In 1881, Charles J. F. Sohst hired architect A. Schappel to enlarge the house.  He added a two-story brick extension to the rear and raised the attic to a full floor.  Shappel added pressed copper cornices over the multi-paned openings, and finished the design with an exuberant Queen Anne-style terminal cornice with swags within the frieze and a triangular pediment containing a sunburst.

The telltale Federal-style areaway ironwork, which survived as late as 1941, testifies of an earlier house on the site.  image via the NYC Dept of Records & Information Services.

Edward Boehm died on October 14, 1885.  His funeral in the parlor on the 17th was crowded with musicians.  The notice of his death in the New York Herald noted, "the New York Philharmonic Society, the Mutual Protective Union and the members of the Aschenbrödel Verein, are respectfully invited to attend."

Charles and Helen Sohst sold 45 East 3rd Street in March 1901 to real estate operator Morris P. Joachim for $13,750 (about $523,000 today).  The new owner rented the house until 1903, selling it in January to Theresa Dorfmann.

By 1918, the family of Morris Meyerson shared the house with her.  Morris and his wife, Ida, had five children, Esther, Ray, Anna, Max and George.  At least one of them, George, lived here.  Morris and Ida (who was known as Fannie) were born in Russia in 1863 and 1862 respectively.  

The Meyersons received unwelcome news in 1918.  On November 26, the New-York Tribune reported that George I. Meyerson had been injured in combat, the degree of his injuries "undetermined."  Happily, George survived his injuries and returned to New York following the war.

Ida Meyerson died on April 14, 1924 at the age of 62.  Her funeral was held in the house the following day.  Theresa Dorfmann sold 45 East Third Street in 1930 to Dr. O. L. Friedman.  He installed a janitor's apartment in the basement and converted the first floor to his office and "private hospital."  He and his family lived in the top two floors.

At some point, 45 East 3rd Street was converted to a two-family home.  Other than loss of the Queen Anne-style door and windows, it appears much as it did in 1881 when a well-known cornetist did significant updating.

photographs by the author