Lincoln Building

1 Union Square West | also 41 East 14th Street, 1 Union Square | Union Square | built 1890

The city photographed every building for its tax records around 1940 and again in the 1980s. NYC Municipal Archives.

Written with AI from the source each entry cites, then fact-checked.

1890
R. H. Robertson's Lincoln Building rises on the old Spingler farm
Developer Jacob D. Butler built this nine-story speculative office building at Union Square West and 14th Street, begun in 1889 and completed in 1890 on land still owned by the Spingler family. Architect Robert Henderson Robertson combined an interior steel skeleton with load-bearing masonry walls. The building was possibly named for the statue of Abraham Lincoln standing in front of it on the square.
Source: Wikipedia
1912
May 17
Carl Laemmle and partners found Universal Pictures in the building
On May 17, 1912, Carl Laemmle, W. H. Swanson, P. A. Powers and David Horsley brought four desks into an office here and started the Universal Film Manufacturing Company. The firm, now known as Universal Pictures, grew quickly and moved to larger offices at 1600 Broadway before that summer ended.
Source: Daytonian in Manhattan
1988
July 12
The Lincoln Building is listed on the National Register and landmarked
The Lincoln Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 8, 1983, and the city designated it a landmark on July 12, 1988. Its early tenants included architects and garment companies. Designers valued it as an early blend of steel framing and masonry construction.
Source: Wikipedia

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