Oltarsh Building

277 Canal Street | also 422 Broadway, 420 Broadway | SoHo | built 1928

Open on the map3 entries

The lot about 1940
About 1940. Via 1940s.nyc
The lot about 1985
About 1985. Via 80s.nyc

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.

  1. 1928

    D & D Land Improvement builds a theater, store and loft building beside the new Canal Street subway

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    The D & D Land Improvement Company built this Renaissance Revival building at Broadway and Canal Street in 1927-28, a few years after the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit line opened under Broadway and made the corner a transit hub. It originally held a movie theater, shops and lofts, and it includes a subway entrance and passageway. David M. Oltarsh was architect and general contractor, and his name appears in lettering on the facade. The Major Theater Corp. leased the theater.

    Source: NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

  2. 1954

    The Teamsters hall, accordion makers and old booksellers rent space in the building

    The retail and loft space in the building at Broadway and Canal Street drew a mix of businesses. The landmarks report lists Kruger & Grossmen men's furnishings in 1931, Kampf & Vaccarella old books and magazines in 1936, L. Giuletti & Sons, accordions, in 1938 and the Bengor Hosiery Company in 1950. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters had a hall here in 1954, and the Pearl River Department Store was a tenant by 1990.

    “L. Giuletti & Sons, accordions (1938); Loft Candies (1942); the Bengor Hosiery Company (1950); the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Hall (1954); the Pearl River Department Store (1990)…”

    Source: NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

  3. 1971

    The theater shifts from the Giglio-Major to the Canal Cinema, showing films from China

    By 1947 the building's theater was called the Giglio-Major Theater, a nod to nearby Little Italy. By 1971 it had become the Canal Cinema Theater and was screening movies from China for newer immigrants from the Far East. The landmarks commission notes the theater is no longer open, though the building is still in commercial use.

    “By 1947, the theater was known as the Giglio-Major Theater, reflecting its proximity to Little Italy. By 1971, it was the Canal Cinema Theater…”

    Source: NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

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