Sun-Ray Yarn Building

349 Grand Street | Chinatown | built 1910

Open on the map5 entries

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

1. 1833

   Francis Murphy makes shoe blacking in an earlier building at 349 Grand Street

   In October 1833 Mechanics' Magazine praised the improved blacking on show at the American Institute's fair, made by Francis Murphy at this address and noted as an American product. Within a few years the old structure was replaced by the three-story brick house and store that stands here today.

   Source: Daytonian in Manhattan

2. 1871

   A tea shop branch opens here, and the upper facade gets Renaissance Revival cast-metal trim

   In 1871 the ground floor became one of 15 tea shops run by M. H. Moses & Co. The upper windows later received cast-metal Renaissance Revival frames and an ornate cornice that bears the street number, possibly at the direction of Moses H. Moses. These details still make the building stand out.

   Source: Daytonian in Manhattan

3. 1906

   April 22

   Shop girls on a Sunday sting buy ribbon at 349 Grand to catch a store open on the sabbath

   Ten young women spent their Sundays gathering evidence against shopkeepers who broke the closing law. One of them, identified as Miss Marcus, asked for three yards of ribbon at Frederick Siegler's fancy goods store; the clerk called the boss, who reportedly said that because it was Sunday the ribbon would cost her ten cents a yard rather than the usual seven and a half. Siegler told the magistrate his store stayed closed until 4 p.m. on Saturdays, and he was discharged.

   Source: Daytonian in Manhattan

4. 1936

   January

   The Friedmans buy the building for their Sun-Ray Yarn shop

   Samuel and Abraham Friedman rented 349 Grand for the Sun-Ray Yarn Company when a women's-wear lease ended, then bought it in January 1936. Called Sun-Ray House, the shop became a destination for its wide range of yarns and grew into 351 Grand by 1941 and 347 by 1975. Yarn was still sold here into the 1980s.

   Source: Daytonian in Manhattan

5. 1943

   February

   The Federal Trade Commission accuses the yarn store's owners of mislabeling their goods

   The New York Times reported that the FTC charged S. Friedman & Sons with misrepresenting the fiber, material or origin of some yarn. Among the examples, a rainbow-type yarn was sold as "rainbow tweed" and an item that was really "mystic yarn" was marketed as "mystic crepe."

   Source: Daytonian in Manhattan

Further reading

• The Sun-Ray Yarn Building - 349 Grand StreetDaytonian in Manhattan

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All 93 buildings with stories in Chinatown