91 Third Avenue; 87-91 Third Avenue; 201-213 East 12th Street | Block : 468 | Lot #1

Description & Building Alterations

Sitting on three lots on the northeast corner of Third Avenue and East 12th Street, this 5-story brick and terra cotta building combined two Pre-Law tenements located at 91 and 89 Third Avenue with a new building at 87 Third Avenue in 1902. The original two tenements and their land were originally owned by A.C. Gale & Company, as stated in the tax assessment records, and owned by the trustees of the Hamilton Fish Estate by 1902, when they were leased to Trow’s Directory Printing and Book Binding Company. Since Hamilton Fish owned the lots before buildings were erected, it is possible that his estate owned them all along. This new, large factory space was adjacent, and possibly even adjoined to, the existing factory for Trow’s Directory Printing and Book Binding Company at 201-213 East 12th Street. Within the newly expanded factory and office space, the company was able to print and bind its directories for an ever-growing city. It likely occupied these two buildings until the mid-1950s when the Third Avenue portion was converted into apartments and shops and the East 12th Street building was leased out to another industrial manufacturer. For more information about directories and their role in early New York City history, click on the NYPL Direct Me NYC link on the side of the page…