Franklin Inn

176 Franklin Street | Tribeca | built 1907

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

  1. 1881

    A three-story house on the lot becomes a chapel and dwelling for the Franklin Street Methodist church

    Before the present building, a three-story masonry dwelling stood at 176 Franklin Street. In 1881 the Franklin Street Methodist Episcopal Church converted it into a chapel and dwelling, according to the Landmarks Preservation Commission. That earlier building on this lot was replaced in 1907 by the current limestone store and loft.

    Source: NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

  2. 1907

    January

    Henri Fouchaux designs a $25,000 limestone store and loft for the Powell candy family

    Ida May Powell, whose family were confectioners, commissioned architect Henri Fouchaux in 1906 to replace the old house with a three-story limestone store and loft behind the Powell Building, with plans completed in January 1907. The $25,000 Beaux-Arts design stands out between taller neighbors, with a tall paneled parapet, carved lions' heads and a shield hung with swags.

    Source: Daytonian in Manhattan

  3. 1916

    George A. Powell opens the colonial-style Franklin Inn to serve the produce district's lunch crowd

    Hundreds of wholesale grocers worked nearby, yet few places existed for them to lunch. In 1916 George A. Powell hired architect George Hof, Jr. to turn the ground floor into a restaurant with a wood-and-leaded-glass front and colonial interior. The Franklin Inn drew rice traders, and in 1920 the Marine Transportation Association held its annual beefsteak dinner there.

    Source: Daytonian in Manhattan

  4. 1919

    June 24

    Produce merchants meet at the Boosters' Club upstairs during a teamsters' strike that spoils fruit

    The Boosters' Club, made up of produce merchants, had rooms on an upper floor. In June 1919 about 3,700 teamsters in the fruit and vegetable trade struck for shorter hours and higher pay, and carloads of berries, watermelons and vegetables were dumped as they spoiled. On June 24 the wholesale merchants met at the club and voted to open early and ask for police protection.

    Source: Daytonian in Manhattan

  5. 1932

    February 11

    Prohibition agents raid the Franklin Inn a second time and strip it of $75,000 in fixtures

    The restaurant had already been padlocked for six months in May 1926 after liquor was found, and in 1930 it added a second-floor cabaret. On February 11, 1932 agents raided it again, arresting the manager, a bartender and three waiters and seizing 157 bottles. They also removed $75,000 worth of fixtures, which made reopening nearly impossible.

    Source: Daytonian in Manhattan

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