| Demarest Building | |
|---|---|
 gelatinous print, 1891 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts architecture |
| Address | 339 Fifth Ave |
| Town or city | New York City |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 40°44′52″N 73°59′05″W / 40.7478°N 73.9847°W |
| Construction started | 1893 |
| Owner | Pi Capital Partners |
| Height | four stories |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | James Renwick Jr. |
The Demarest Building is a multi-purpose commercial building at 339 Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was built for coachbuilder Aaron T. Demarest in 1890 in the downtown commerce district to showcase the high-end carriages that he manufactured there. The building was the first with an electric elevator. The building a few years after construction had a devastating fire that destroyed most of the 200 luxury carriages in stock at the time, valued at nearly three-quarters of a million dollars in 2020 dollars. After Demarest no longer used it for manufacture and showcasing luxury horse-drawn carriages the building was leased out in sections for a hundred years. Ultimately it was razed and another high-rise building of 21 stories was being built in its place as of 2021[update].
Description
The Demarest Building is situated on the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 33rd Street in Midtown Manhattan, just east of the Empire State Building. It was designed by Renwick, Aspinwall & Russell.[1] It was constructed in 1889 and had the first two successful electric elevators installed in it.[2][3][4] It was on Fifth Avenue directly across the street from William Waldorf Astor’s mansion, where the Waldorf–Astoria hotels (and the Empire State Building) were built later. The Demarest Building housed the high-end carriage manufacturer A. T. Demarest & Company that sold luxury carriages to wealthy people in New York City. Some of those were William Backhouse Astor Jr., William Waldorf Astor, and John Jacob Astor II to which a higher road toll was commenced for owning these types of carriages.[1][5][6]
There were three mansion houses of brownstone construction previously at this location, with the addresses of 335, 337, and 339 Fifth Avenue. The iron-framed building which Aaron T. Demarest had commissioned was built four stories high and originally had a stone-clad base. The exterior brick was buff-colored and had terracotta medallions and panels that accent the facade. The three-story arched openings are separated by brick pilasters on the front of the building. The architects designed these arches with windows so the interior's showrooms were illuminated with plenty of light. The original two-story windows were cast metal bays built within the building's front arches. This Beaux-Arts architecture style building with large arches is said to resemble Carnegie Hall.[1]
History
On July 26, 1893, the Demarest Building caught fire which destroyed many of the luxury carriages manufactured and stored there. The fire started about 3 in the morning from unknown causes. It was estimated that there was damage of about $5,000 (equivalent to $169,556 in 2023) to the building and a loss of about $25,000 (equivalent to $847,778 in 2023) in carriage merchandise.[7] At the time there were over 200 high-end carriages in the building. The fire destroyed twenty carriages in the repair shop and damaged the others throughout the building to one degree or another. The fire was fueled by the seasoned wood, paints, oils, and varnishes used in production. The Hotel Waldorf was across the street and the guests were awakened by the noise of the fire engines. They watched as the fire ravaged the building and its contents. The fire was not extinguished until almost 6 A.M.[1][8]
The Demarest Building was later converted to offices and work areas for small manufacturers. In March 1913 Dr. Friedrich Franz Friedmann, a young Berlin physician who claimed to have a cure for tuberculosis, set up a medical practice on the second floor of the building. He was going to have a staff of New York physicians, diagnosticians, bacteriologists, and those associated with the US government to make the cure available to the public for little or no cost.[9] The building's leasing agent ultimately would not allow the doctor to treat patients there and he ultimately moved to another location. Teitelbaum & De Marinis had a business on the third floor from 1911 to 1914 producing high-end headwear. From 1917, the ground floor space was used by the Harris Store to sell high-end men's clothing. The firm of Flapper Coats moved into the building in 1919. Going into the 1920s much of the building's space was used by apparel firms like La Grecque Underwear Company. The hat manufacturer Hirschberg & Company was located in the building as was the decorative glassware company E. & J. Bass, Inc.[1]
As of 2015, there were plans for developer Pi Capital Partners to replace the building and neighboring structures with a new residential tower.[10] In 2019, Pi Capital filed plans for a 26-story mixed-use development on the site of the Demarest Building.[11] This prompted preservationists and groups, including the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, to petition the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) to designate the building as an official city landmark, thereby protecting it from demolition. However, the LPC expressed concern that the building's exterior had been altered too frequently throughout its history and the old building was not saved.[11][12] As of 2021[update], it is being replaced by a 21-story, 82-unit mixed-use building with commercial space at the base and up to five residential units on each floor.[13]
References
Citations
- ^ a b c d e Gray, Christopher (August 3, 2008). "Echoes of Carnegie Hall on Fifth Avenue". The New York Times. p. 8.
- ^ "Demarest Building". Las Cruces Sun-News. page 11. September 18, 1972.
The Otis brothers installed the first electric elevator in New York's Demarest Building in 1889.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ Kane 1997, p. 97.
- ^ Ross, Wendy. "The Rise-but rarely the fall-of the Elevator". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 17, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
The Otis brothers had installed the first two successful electric elevators in the Demarest Building in New York in 1889
- ^ Martinez 2009, p. 71.
- ^ Madsen 2002, pp. 269–272.
- ^ "Destructive Fire in Demarest's Carriage Warehouse in New York". Middletown Times-Press. Middletown, New York. July 26, 1893. p. 3. Archived from the original on July 17, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com
.
- ^ "A.T. Demarest". Coachbuilt. Coachbuilt.com, Inc. 2012. Archived from the original on October 8, 2016. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
- ^ "Friedmann opens office in New York Monday, promising he'll treat the Rich and poor alike". The Evening Republician. Meadville, Pennsylvania. March 1, 1913. p. 1. Archived from the original on July 17, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "First Look: 339 Fifth Avenue". New York Yimby. Archived from the original on October 8, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
- ^ a b Colangelo, Lisa L. (September 17, 2019). "Fifth Avenue's 1890s Demarest Building faces demolition as preservationists fight back". AMNY Newsletter. Archived from the original on September 30, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- ^ "Preservationists fight to save Midtown Manhattan's 19th-century Demarest Building". The Architect’s Newspaper. December 18, 2019. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- ^ "New Look for 335 Fifth Avenue, the 21-story tower replacing the Demarest Building". Urbanize New York. Urbanize Media, LLC. September 17, 2019. Archived from the original on July 17, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
Sources
- Kane, Joseph Nathan (1997). Famous First Facts, Fifth Edition. # 2065: The H. W. Wilson Company. ISBN 0-8242-0930-3.
The first electric elevator successfully operated was installed in 1889 by Otis Brothers and Company in the Demarest Building, Fifth Avenue and 33rd Street, New York City.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
- Madsen, Axel (2002). John Jacob Astor. Wiley Press. ISBN 9780471009351.
- Martinez, Mark Anthony (2009). The Myth of the Free Market. Kumarian Press. ISBN 9781565492677.